Expert: Mongo - 1/7/2009

Question
thank you for all your advise i was able to trap my first fox last week!   when skinning the animals you are wanting to sell is it better to keep the feet on or take them off?  could you help me out on how to store hides i mean do you freeze them flat do you roll them up a certain way or what?  thanks

Answer
Hey, Big Congratulations on the fox... After the first one you will find that they start to get easier.

As for skinning. Most people just cut around the fur just above the feet, and leave the fur of the feet with the carcass. It is not necessary to the fur trade... However, if it is to be sold to a taxidermist, or a person is wanting it for a mount, then you will need to skin the feet out as well, leaving even the claws on the hide.

Some people will "put up" fur... That is they flesh and stretch it. It is fleshed by using a fleshing board to hold the hide, and then a fleshing knife to remove the fat, meat, and membrane left on the hide after skinning. Then it is put on stretcher boards or wire stretchers made for this purpose, and allowed to dry.... Putting up fur is a good thing to know and can add a couple of extra dollars to the price you receive for the fur, depending on what fur it is...but, it is work and can be somewhat time consuming, particularly if you are just learning or have very many animals to do. However, if you plan to send your furs off to be sold, it is what will have to be done first........ Most trappers that I know sell to local or country buyers, and for this you can put up the fur, or sell it "green"... Selling it green is selling fur that has not been put up (fleshed and stretched)... To do this, after skinning the animal, turn it back so the fur is on the outside, lay it on it's back, then starting at the nose, roll it up tightly. Now stick it in a bread sack or other plastic bag, squeeze out all of the air, and tie the top. Now freeze it until you plan to sell it. If you think there may be any holes in the plastic bag, then "double bag it". (I always saved all the plastic bread sacks and such that my family used thru the year to use for this purpose.) When you plan to sell it, simply remove it from the bag(s), let it thaw out, and take it to the buyer. Let it thaw naturally and at room temperature, such as laying it in a bathtub, or on news papers over night. DO NOT try to thaw it out with any artificial means or with direct heat, as this can ruin a pelt making it worthless...... Something else I will toss in here... If you are not sure of how to skin the animal, you can also sell it "in the round". This is simply taking the whole animal to the buyer, while it is still fresh, and selling it. Many times a beginning trapper can do this and ask the buyer if he will let him watch while he skins it, so that he can learn the proper way to skin the animal. Also, alot of buyers will gladly show a young trapper how to flesh and stretch an animal if the trapper will just ask. In fact, I first learned fleshing and stretching by hanging around at a local buyer's place and asking questions, watching and listening as the trappers and fur hunters brought in their pelts to sell, and giving him a hand here and there where I could, and watching him work the fur... Now, you will not receive as much money by selling the animal in the round, but some trappers do this... And if a person doesn't know how to properly skin the animal, this may be a better idea, at least until he learns the proper methods of skinning... I have seen improper skinning cost trappers a good many dollars over the years. In extreme cases it can really cost the trapper. I once was visiting with a fur buyer I used to know when a young fella brought in a huge, blue-backed, clear spotted bobcat. Skinned properly the cat would have brought the young man the 250 dollars the buyer was paying for top grade cats. And this was in the late 1970's when 250 dollars was ALOT more money than it is today... As it was, the young fella had done an improper skinning job, and received only 25 dollars for the bobcat... I just offered this little story to give you an idea of the importance of proper skinning methods.

I hope this answers your question Cody, and if there is anything else I can do, just give me a holler...... And again, Congrats on that fox.

Mongo