|
Post by Trapper Joe on Dec 28, 2006 13:25:13 GMT -5
Since I been skinning coons today, I thought I would post some pics on how I do it. Basic stuff but maybe I can learn a few tips from someone else. First the basic cuts. Around the hind leg, to the vent and down the underside of the tail. I find a hardwood stick real handy to work the hide off. A fresh warm coon will skin easy but mine are usually cold and the ones I'm doing today have been frozen. That stiff tallow will not pull loose. The stick works great with no danger of damaging the pelt. The stick works great around the front legs too. Come right onto it with both hands. A little knife work around the neck and head. The ear holes usually wind up being about finger sized on mine. Great to hook a finger in to pull on the skin when finishing off the head. I haven't graduated to the winch system yet. Maybe next year. Anyone know how it works on cold stiff coons and coyotes? I might show my fleshing setup later.
|
|
|
Post by Earl8656 on Dec 28, 2006 13:28:42 GMT -5
Good pics. I skin all ours by hand, too. From everything I have read the winch system is the only way to go if yo're doing numbers of cold yotes. I can still handle the coons, but any numbers of yotes and I would soon have to have one!!
|
|
|
Post by cajunbill2 on Dec 29, 2006 7:56:37 GMT -5
good job .....
|
|
|
Post by cpa49707 on Dec 29, 2006 8:18:37 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing, great job!!!
|
|
|
Post by hawkeye on Dec 30, 2006 13:24:23 GMT -5
Good job, You know what your doing!
Instead of a piece of wood I have a plexiglass windshield scraper that I rounded the edge and corners with a grinder. Works like a champ.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Howard on Dec 30, 2006 22:55:05 GMT -5
I went to the wench system this year. I only use the wench on deer, otter and coyotes. I hand pull everything else. The wench is great, can not believe it took so long to get one.
You said your working the hide off with the stick? How long dose it take you to skin a coon?
|
|
|
Post by cajunbill2 on Jan 1, 2007 17:12:34 GMT -5
good job ...i have a better way....lol i have not skinned one animal in the last 20 years.my wife is the skinner 100% and i don't mind.i run traps at four in the morning and stop at midnight from oct thru march.then we just set on our buns the rest of the year.except to prebait coon cubbies and pockets
|
|
|
Post by Trapper Joe on Jan 2, 2007 22:56:48 GMT -5
C69, if the coon is fresh it pulls right down and don't take me long. These coons have been frozen and just thawed enough to skin. The fat has set up and I don't pull them at all. For someone who does not do a lot of coons, a tool like a stick or scraper can be a big help.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Howard on Jan 4, 2007 0:11:21 GMT -5
Thanks, I was just wondering. Have you ever timed yourself at skinning? I took the hide off a cat the other day in 7 min. This was from the time the cat hit the table. I had to lop off front feet, make my cuts, and hang on the grambrel. Looked a the watch and it took 7 min to take the hide off at the nose. That was the first time I have ever timed myself on a cat. I can tell you that last season working for the fur buyer on frozen cats was a mess. Eric would rip them and I would pull them. We did 96 cats in 10 hours. I was wore out by the end of the day. When we got the floor cleaned up a little from the cats, they started bring in the beaver, otter and mink for the next day. I did skin by my self, in 2 1o hour days 162 mink one weekend and 160 otter in 24 hours another. I used the wench system on the otter. I got good fast on them. The first weekend of otter skinning I only did 90 otter in 30 hours. They laughed at me and said I had better speed up if I was going to make any money.
|
|