The proper time of the year to harvest furs, depending on the animal, is from late fall to early spring. Pelts are most valuable in winter when the fur is thick to protect animals from cold. Overall quality of the fur depends upon primeness, condition, size and care in skinning and pelt preparation. Primeness of pelts is judged by the appearance of the skin side of the pelt. An unprime pelt has darker skin or blotches where the winter fur has not come in fully.
Condition is judged by appearance of the pelt's fur side.
The best protection against poor pelts is to trap animals early in their period of primeness, then prepare the pelts properly. Once you have caught the furbearer, you have to skin it. Then you stretch, clean, flesh, dry and finally sell the skin. Furbearers may be skinned in two ways, either cased or open. Beavers and badgers are skinned open.