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“The severe winter slowed down trapping activity,” explains W. Page Moran, an agent for Wisconsin-based North American Fur Auctions. At the same time, he notes, the extreme cold created strong demand for warm coats. Consumers quickly snatched up furs that had been hanging on store racks for years. This surge in demand, coupled with a slump in supply, has been a boon for full-time trappers such as Moran.

Virginia is a great place to trap, he says. Its pristine forests provide perfect habitats for many coveted creatures. Trappers, on the other hand, have become an endangered species in the Old Dominion. The number of licensed trappers here has dwindled to about 900, according the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The decrease is due to bad publicity, says Moran, who encourages people to get back into the business. Farmers in particular, he says, already have the needed equipment, and many of them could use the extra money. Full-time trappers earn $12,000 to $15,000 per year, and the payouts could increase if the animal-rights movement loses momentum.

“The political correctness of not using fur is somewhat evaporating,” Moran claims. “People have come to realize that the anti-fur people were not preaching gospel. Animals we trap are done as humanely as possible.”

Not so, says Fred Hamill, a member of Virginians for Animal Rights. Hamill claims that trapped animals do suffer. Sometimes, he says, trappers will kill an animal by standing on its chest, crushing it to death, so its fur won’t be punctured and bloodied.

“We’ll always get some flack from them,” Moran counters, but the bottom line is that people will always need warm clothing, especially overseas. The market for fur is huge in countries such as China and Russia. In Siberia, he says, people would rather be warm than politically correct.