skinnin fisher

[357xp]

Did my first fisher last week, a little unsure of how much to scrape off the hide or how much to leave on? Clean it till its white?? Lookin for some input from the seasoned fisher trappers, thanks.

[braggadoe]

is there a belly board in there? if so, might want a bigger, longer one. if you have trouble getting it off the board, leaving it outside overnight, or putting in the freezer for a while sometimes helps.

wish i had one of those in my shed! strong work!

[357xp]

there was a belly board in there but only the smaller one i normally use for marten, i had to work a bit to get it off the board. Lesson learned, next time use bigger wedge.

[KegRiver]

It look just fine, but it can be hard to tell in a picture.

I wouldn't worry a lot about clean flesh. Get the larger pieces and don't worry about the real thin layers.

Fat is what you NEED to get rid of, get as much of it as you can.

Scraping with a dull knife, or similar object seems to be the best way to get the fat off.

Fisher have a tough hide so you can use some pressure. No need to clean right to the leather, (white hide) the auction houses don't pay any extra for it that way. However, it does look nicer and for some, it's a matter of doing the best job possible. If that's what you want, go ahead, you won't likely hurt the hide so long as you don't go at it with a sharp object.

It looks good and dark, so I would guess it's a small individual. It should be worth top dollar if that's the case. Did you know that Fisher is the only fur where the smaller, the better the price?

[sourdough doug]

Looks to me that you did a very nice job, this being your first. A nice, neat job on pinning as well. Once it has dried, fur in, I don't bother pinning the tail, fur out. I don't know if the smaller the fur pays more but generally the females pay more. Their fur may be finer....

[McLeod Valley]

Looks good to me , i don't even put fisher on a fleshing beam , just stretching board and trim all the fat and the heavier membrane and call it good. Once turned fur out , pin good , I usually pin just the tip of the tail to keep it flat, and board till dry. When drying fur in , I hang upside down to ensure front leg ( arm pit's ) dry too.
Oh and congrats on the fisher.

[Thunder Elk Hunter]

Nice caught!!

TEH