Let’s be precise here. You said that “hunters and trappers definitely leave abandoned pups, with pleasure.” Of course, the “with pleasure” part is all you, with no factual basis. But the fact is that Truth About Fur represents the fur trade, and trappers who are doing it for fur do not trap when pups are still dependent on their mothers, period. There are a few reasons for this such as ethics and conservation, but the easiest one for you to grasp is perhaps economics. Furbearers’ pelts are prime in winter, while they bear their young in the spring when their pelts are far less lush and worth far less too. This is reflected in trapping seasons, which every state has. If you buy a parka trimmed with coyote fur, I can absolutely assure you that the coyote was trapped in winter. If a trapper were to try to sell the pelt of a coyote caught in spring or summer, the price he’d get – if he even found a buyer – would not cover the price of his gas.

Be fair! It was totally relevant. In reference to an argument about PETA, who said that pups are abandoned by trappers, this article reads “trapping occurs in the fall and winter when fur is prime – in other words, at a time when the young of the year are already independent. Knowledgeable people may want to correct these (and other) urban legends”

Last warning, Adam 🙂 I’m publishing this comment only because you get touchy when I ignore you. This comment of yours has absolutely NOTHING to do with our blog post. Keep your comments relevant or they will go straight in the trash.

That’s definitely a factor, Robert. Food always seems to trump clothing, and even though mink and fox farmers nowadays make full use of the carcass for oil, biofuel, fertliser, crab bait, etc., humans are just not keen on eating them. That said, there are a host of wild furbearers that make great eating. See here: https://truthaboutfur.com/top-5-tasty-furbearers-muskrat-stew/ And right after we finished this piece, a lot of folks wrote to say cats like mountain lion and lynx are especially tasty.