broke my coyote skinning cherry!!

[Hugenuge]

Finally was able to get to Halfords and pick my self up the tools needed to start processing coyote fur for the Auction! The guys at Halfods were a lot of help and set me up nicely. Here is what im starting out with (entry level gear)



I had three coyotes frozen from this winter that I had called in and shot, so i needed to get them thawed out so i could start the skinning process. Not sure where to do that I took the chance to ask the wifey "hey dear can i hang these coyotes in the basement to thaw out??" lol thinking i was going to het one of these to my surprise she said sure no problem!!

So here they hang haha


After about two days they were ready to take out to my shed and begin the lessons on skinning. I had been watching many skinning vids on YouTube and read the different threads on here to get a feel for it and was feeling pretty optimistic in my adventure i was about to take on.

Excited to put the new tools to work and learn a new craft I hung the first coyote up and began to skin. Between starting and stopping to run into the house re watch certain parts of vids i liked to make sure i was doing the tail right, the ears, eyes and lips right I finally finsihed my first coyote 1 hr later!!



It felt really good to get the first one under the belt and realize i can do this haha I did how ever cut the front legs a little short as you will see in a photo near the end of this thread.....does that effect the fur grade much?? the next one was a lot better than the first and i could see i had already learned a bit from one to the next.

but the last one was a little harder it had been frozen a lot longer than the other two and i found it very hard to pull the tail out and all around seemed like the skin came off a lot harder?? Any idea why this might have been i would love to hear??

Over all i think i did very well with the ears, eyes and lips which going into it i felt would be my biggest hurdle to over come. I have a long way to go in this craft but i am really excited to have finally popped my cherry and get 3 under my belt.

Any ways here are the three furs that are now back in the freezer and ill tackle the fleshing part on my next days off! Any pointers are totally welcome! thanks for reading my thread and allowing me to share my latest adventure.

[Tfng]

Looks good! I expect you're coyotes were freeze dried from being frozen so long. I cut my legs much shorter than what you've got in that pic and mine grade just fine. I cut them off just below the elbow. I've even cut them off just above the elbow but that's pretty short.

You would be doing yourself a favour skinning them sooner. A fresh warm coyote skins extremely easy. You could do it in the field in about five minutes and not have to carry the carcass. The coyote in the top of the pic looks awful dark in the belly.

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by TFNG

Looks good! I expect you're coyotes were freeze dried from being frozen so long. I cut my legs much shorter than what you've got in that pic and mine grade just fine. I cut them off just below the elbow. I've even cut them off just above the elbow but that's pretty short.

You would be doing yourself a favour skinning them sooner. A fresh warm coyote skins extremely easy. You could do it in the field in about five minutes and not have to carry the carcass. The coyote in the top of the pic looks awful dark in the belly.

Thanks! ya the one on the top in the pic was the one i was referring to that was really hard. Now that i have the tools ill be able to skin right away were before i did not so i could not. Thanks for the response

[HunterDave]

This is going to be a great thread! If you are in the area and want to take a drive to Morinville I'd be glad to have you in my small skinning shed. Fleshing can be a little tricky because there's no way to explain how much force is required, it's kind of something that you just have to do a few to get a handle on it. There are also a few tricks to sewing holes.....I do quite a bit on shot dogs.

- You are going to need a fleshing beam. I have the plans for a homemade one posted on the forum somewhere if you do a search.

- Pick up a few lengths of 1" x 4" x 8' boards and trace a pattern from someone's drying boards so you can make your own......very easy.

- Buy a cheap $7 paring knife and a steel to sharpen it with. Perfect for skinning coyotes. The knife that you have will work good for trimming bullet holes.

- You're going to need some Glovers needles for sewing the holes....not sure of the right size though. I think that I see a package of artificial sinew that you are going to use as thread......turf it. It's too wide to go through the eye of the needle. Buy some non-waxed dental floss to use as thread.

One hour to skin a first coyote is good.....you did it right. Concentrate on quality and over time you'll get faster at it. Haste makes waste. Partly frozen coyotes are much harder to skin than fresh, warm ones.

If the front legs are a little short, tuck them in and pin them in place when you are drying it. It won't be a problem.

You are off to a great start! If you can find someone in your area that's trapping coyotes it's be beneficial to see if they'd show you the ropes. It's not rocket science but there are a lot of tips that make your life easier. Good luck!

[northbuck]

They look good Hugenuge...
I can now officially welcome you into the "greasy hands" club! I would also do the same for the "greasy pants" club but you haven't tried fleshing yet so I'll hold off...
You'll discover what that´s all about once you "leaned on the beam" a few times...

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

This is going to be a great thread! If you are in the area and want to take a drive to Morinville I'd be glad to have you in my small skinning shed. Fleshing can be a little tricky because there's no way to explain how much force is required, it's kind of something that you just have to do a few to get a handle on it. There are also a few tricks to sewing holes.....I do quite a bit on shot dogs.

- You are going to need a fleshing beam. I have the plans for a homemade one posted on the forum somewhere if you do a search.

- Pick up a few lengths of 1" x 4" x 8' boards and trace a pattern from someone's drying boards so you can make your own......very easy.

- Buy a cheap $7 paring knife and a steel to sharpen it with. Perfect for skinning coyotes. The knife that you have will work good for trimming bullet holes.

- You're going to need some Glovers needles for sewing the holes....not sure of the right size though. I think that I see a package of artificial sinew that you are going to use as thread......turf it. It's too wide to go through the eye of the needle. Buy some non-waxed dental floss to use as thread.

One hour to skin a first coyote is good.....you did it right. Concentrate on quality and over time you'll get faster at it. Haste makes waste. Partly frozen coyotes are much harder to skin than fresh, warm ones.

If the front legs are a little short, tuck them in and pin them in place when you are drying it. It won't be a problem.

You are off to a great start! If you can find someone in your area that's trapping coyotes it's be beneficial to see if they'd show you the ropes. It's not rocket science but there are a lot of tips that make your life easier. Good luck!

Thanks for all the great advise and the offer. That sounds like a great idea and i might just take you up on it. Ill have to see how time permits me on my next days off march 16-22 does those dates work for you if i can find the time?

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by northbuck

They look good Hugenuge...
I can now officially welcome you into the "greasy hands" club! I would also do the same for the "greasy pants" club but you haven't tried fleshing yet so I'll hold off...
You'll discover what that´s all about once you "leaned on the beam" a few times...

Haha thanks north buck! can't wait for my initiation into the "greasy pants club" haha

[shakeyleg02]

Originally Posted by Hugenuge

Haha thanks north buck! can't wait for my initiation into the "greasy pants club" haha

Oh u will have that grease spot on your pants and or coveralls for eva

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Hugenuge

Thanks for all the great advise and the offer. That sounds like a great idea and i might just take you up on it. Ill have to see how time permits me on my next days off march 16-22 does those dates work for you if i can find the time?

I'm on holidays until 14 March so absolutely those days would work for me. I can be around in the afternoon or evening. Start saving pieces of cardboard or very thin wood to make patterns of all my drying boards. If you could get your hands on a coyote that someone's going to discard that would be a good idea I think. A lot of my stuff is homemade and easy/cheap to make. Remind me when your days off are coming up.

[crazyfish]

Congrats on a great start , way better to put up your own fur yourself ! Take your time fleshing to get the feel for it ( less holes to see ) !

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by crazyfish

Congrats on a great start , way better to put up your own fur yourself ! Take your time fleshing to get the feel for it ( less holes to see ) !

Thanks, yes this is very rewarding process

[HunterDave]

The size of the Glovers needles that I use to sew are size 5. Halfords has them.

[bill9044]

Looks good. If that tough one wasn't frozen it may have been a big old male. Those old dogs are hard to skin. Get a nice fresh young female they skin like butter.

If your looking for lots of tips come down to the trapping rendezvous in pincher creek. They do lots of demos and talk to many different trappers. Every guy has his way of doing things. They are not wrong in their ways it just works for them. I like talking to many different guys each fellow will give you a neat or handy trick to help you. Very friendly folks.
Check out the albertatrappingassociation.Com and the have all the info

[waterninja]

Congrats to you Huge on your first skinning adventure.
For you other skinners, have you ever tried braided fishing line for sewing holes and cuts? Very thin, pliable and strong.

[.257Weatherby]

Thanks for posting your haul from this seasons coyote harvest.
I was just watching a you tube the other day and there is a guy in Sask. who holds a local record of three minutes ...well a few seconds less actually on skinning those dogs.
Was interesting to see his skills for the demo.
Ryann1167 iirc is his you tube channel.
Hope the auction is a good one for you.
Rob

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by waterninja

Congrats to you Huge on your first skinning adventure.
For you other skinners, have you ever tried braided fishing line for sewing holes and cuts? Very thin, pliable and strong.

Thanks man!

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by .257Weatherby

Thanks for posting your haul from this seasons coyote harvest.
I was just watching a you tube the other day and there is a guy in Sask. who holds a local record of three minutes ...well a few seconds less actually on skinning those dogs.
Was interesting to see his skills for the demo.
Ryann1167 iirc is his you tube channel.
Hope the auction is a good one for you.
Rob

I have seen these vids and its crazy how fast he can do it! lots of practice