Top 10 U.S. Harvested Furbearers, 1998
Species and Total Number Harvested
- Raccoon 2,896,089
- Muskrat 2,183,201
- Beaver 429,249
- Nutria 398,037
- Opossum 321,651
- Mink 190,221
- Red Fox 164,487
- Coyote 159,043
- Skunk 101,911
- Gray Fox 76,666
Note: these numbers only represent trapping. For example, about 500,000 coyote a year are killed in the U.S., of which only 30% are trapped. Most of the raccoon are shipped overseas, where the fur is sheared and dyed and sold as a low-cost substitute for milk or sable. Most of the wild-caught red fox are used for trim as the pelts are rarely in as prime a shape as ranched fox. Most of the possum are by-catch; animal accidentally trapped when another species was sought (such as fox or raccoon). Ditto for skunk.
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