It's quite a collection.

The largest hide is that of a mountain lion. A female (identified by the nipples), full grown (also determined by the nipples, which are large and brown, a sign of previous lactation). Claws are intact on most feet and toes. Impressive.

The smallest are two ermine pelts, one in the two-toned brown and white summer pelage, one in the full white winter coat. Nearly all the pelts in this set are complete, including face, whiskers, tails and feet with toenails. As is necessary, the tail of the beaver pelt was split, to extract the fleshy insides to allow proper tanning.

The set includes the obligatory coyote, red fox, raccoon and badger pelts. Most easily identified by the youth and adults that come by my table. My professional intention here is to make these parts of wildlife available to those who may have (or likely have) never seen or felt them up close. A vague public education goal. In my other role, as a youth leader, I am here to help these boys and young men meet some of the rank advancement requirements, and work on an outdoors merit badge.

It's a khaki uniform shirt at breakfast, the red one afterwards.

But this collection, none of which are mine, includes some animals that are rare. Some that most people have never seen, much less touched and felt.

Do you know what wolverine fur is like? I do. Long and curly, like a miniature black bear, with the usual stiff guard hairs of the members of the weasel family. With the tell-tale black wedge to the butt.

River otter fur is quite similar to that of beaver, made of dense, fine water-proof hairs with longer, stiff guard hairs. Almost coarse to the touch. But there is another otter pelt there that has been tanned in such a way that the guard hairs are removed, leaving only the fine downy hairs. Softer than velvet, like deep suede. One woman could not keep her fingers out of it.

No wonder people used to love wearing this stuff.

Yes, there is a mink in the set. Looks just like the pelts in a coat. Soft, but not the softest fur there. A close relative, the pine marten, was often mistaken for a black-footed ferret. Similar in size and body shape, but otherwise not really any comparison. It's just that most folks have seen neither one, except on nature shows.

Nobody gets told which pelts came from which species. Even the adults are forced to look at the pelt, guess where and how it lived by looking at the hairs and shape of the feet and claws, the shape of the face. Most eventually figure them all out.

Except for the two smaller cats. The bobcat and lynx were always side by side. Whichever one they picked up first was always called the bobcat, based upon the short tail and tufted ears. Once shown the second cat pelt, they became unsure. Less than half could determine which was which (lynx has the longer tufts, of black hairs instead of white, and significantly larger feet).

The collection has pelage from both species of skunk, the striped and the spotted. Most did not even know the spotted species exists, much less have seen one. One kid tried it as a hat. Few could guess the species for the small, roundish pelt that felt like beaver fur (muskrat). If it had had the tail intact, they probably would have known.

Some look beyond the aesthetic value of these animal skins. Two men rate the commercial value of the coyote pelt in the collection. Good, long hairs, no obvious holes or rubbing, little of the undesirable red hairs. High quality. Another leader came over several times to tug at the long back hairs of the badger hide, showing me which are so prized for fly-tying, and why. But no, I will not part with the hide. Nor half of it, nor even a chunk.

When things began to wrap up on Saturday afternoon, he stepped forward to sweep the entire gymnasium (two full-sized basketball courts), including all the candies from the war conducted dark and early this morning. He found a stray tuft of hair under my fur table. Not badger, but probably useful for tying. I let him keep it.

Quite a few folks inquired about the sources of these hides. Some are donated, many are salvaged, and at least a few were confiscated. No one expressed sadness or remorse over the animals' demise. Probably not unusual, considering the large contingent of agricultural communities around here.

I would love to have some of these furs, especially from my beloved badger. But cannot ever see myself killing one just to have the coat. Don't have any problem with anyone else doing that, just don't think I could.

I am unusually proud of having once counted coup on a live, free-roaming badger. Actually reached down and touched his butt with my bare hand. But I found out from wife's godson that his dad once reached down and picked one up by the scruff of the neck.

Would love to do that. Didn't think it was possible (at least without sustaining significant injury). Now that I know it can be done, gonna have to look for the right opportunity.

And maybe pluck a few hairs for my fly-tying compadre.