skinning tips?

[traper]

im kind of new to trapping and wanted to know if any one could give me some advice on preparing the skin (like coon skins)

[Toad_Sticker]

coons gotta make sure and get the grease off.
A flesher and fleshing beam makes it easier.
If you don't have one I have used a baseball bat in a vise for a beam with my flesher.
If you don't have a flesher you will have to be diligent after the the hide is on the stretcher to make sure and get as much fat off of it as possible with your knife.
I hate fleshing coon about as much as I hate fleshing beaver.
I'm temped to sell them "in the round" unskinned.
Man you're making me want to trap. I wish I could find a friendly landowner with a waterway around here.
TS

[traper]

i have a flesher but i heard about several different ways to skin the an was wondering if cutting them down the stomach was right or not any more advice?

[Toad_Sticker]

NO don't cut down the stomach.
Coon are case skinned
TS

[traper]

alright if i dont cut it down the stomach how do i dry it?

[Toad_Sticker]

turn it flesh side out and put it on a stretcher.
TS
try these video's
skinning(I split the tail all the way instead of using a puller like in the vid)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoUemyntem0&feature=related

Fleshing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOGa_VF1Hoo&feature=related

[traper]

thanks for the vids they helped alot ;Dbut do you flesh the face?

[Toad_Sticker]

the face generally doesn't have too much fat to take off.
TS

[hardscrabble]

Theres not much fat or flesh on the face. *I always take great care around the face. Make sure you get the meat from around the nose and lips, becarful not to the lips themselfs. I trap for the fur to use in garment making, not for raw fur sale. I clean my skins a bit more than a trapper who sells raw fur. If you are selling raw fur or are fleshing and drying for sale them i generally leave the face mask as is or lightly scrape. When im selling raw fur i generally dont flesh and stretch. I usually take the freezer route. Sure i may lose a buck or 2, but it takes time to properly flesh and dry a skin. It just always seemed more profitable to just skin it, wash it, and run a comb through to get the burrs and what not off. Ill hang it till fur is dry then roll up in a couple layers of newspaper and into a couple plastic grocery sacks.

Keep your powder dry

[Penny_Plinker]

Hardscrabble is right to take care around the face. I actually start skinning at the mouth area. Cut the bottom lip all the way loose from the lower jaw, and do the upper and get the nose loose. Then i start in at the other end and case skin as others have said. When you get to the neck, start cutting early and deep right behind the ear humps. If you wait too long, you'll have big holes there. When you get to the eyes, don't be squeamish. Again, cut early, well behind the eyes and press down deep so you don't cut through the eye lids and have a big gawking hole. You'll be cutting right through the eye ball to get that inner membrane loose. Just go slow. Then if you've pre-cut around the mouth like i said, the rest is easy. Without pre-cutting around the mouth, i used to ruin the lips. You have to have a very sharp blade.

OH, i left out an important step, you have to catch one first! Good luck and have fun!

Penny

[traper]

thanks i think i will try the pre cutting like you said i sometimes ruin the lips to