Who were the " coureurs de bois"?

A coureur des bois (French pronunciation: [kuʁœʁ de bwa]) or coureur de bois (French pronunciation: [kuʁœʁ də bwa], runner of the woods; plural: coureurs de bois) was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in NewFrance and the interior of North America.

Coureur des bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They traded European items for furs and they learned the trades and practices of the Native people. Trade began with coat beaver, but as the market grew, they were trapping and trading prime beavers to be felted in Europe.