off they go!

Keill_98 · #1 03-20-2014, 08:52 PM

So here's my haul for my first year putting up coyotes! (and the odd fox)
I wasn't originally planning on doing them myself, I just had the intent to sell them whole but I thought I would try a couple so I built a stretcher, did 1 and loved it!
and once the local farmers found out I was doing it I started getting more than I had bargained for! but I was definitely up for the challenge.
I've since had inquires of people wanting me to process there hides for them, and I am more than happy to do so.
dropping off a total of 19 yotes and 2 fox tomorrow morning at Halfords to head to the nafa auction! it might seem like a mediocre haul to most but I am very proud considering its my first year. I enjoy seeing other peoples fur pictures so I thought I would add a few of my own
thanks and best of luck to everyone in the auction!

http://s987.photobucket.com/user/kgu...tml?sort=3&o=0

nube · #2 03-20-2014, 09:20 PM

Nice fur!. I think you have some good colour on this guys. What were u using for stretchers. The face looks real narrow. Not sure if that will get you docked or not but they seem a bit slim. I hope you do well at the sale and I think you will be happy when you get your check

HunterDave · #3 03-20-2014, 09:29 PM

Congrats Keill and thanks for sharing! Your fur looks awesome and it looks like you did a really good job processing them. I dropped a few coyotes off at the ATA in Westlock this week and there were some really bad pelts there. Have a look at some of the fur turned in at Halfords if you can so you have a comparison to what you turn in.

It's funny how a hobby can take off into something else pretty quick eh? Next year we'll be turning in 100.

philintheblank · #4 03-20-2014, 09:42 PM

good job man, looks like they turned out pretty darn good

Keill_98 · #5 03-20-2014, 10:00 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys!! And nube idk if you guys have ever seen 5911 Ryan's channel on YouTube but I copied his stretchers. The reason some faces are narrow is because I finished a few and hung them up on a nail, came out the next morning and the faces weren't completely dry so they stretched narrower..

nube · #6 03-20-2014, 10:24 PM

Ya I figured so. I did that on a few as well. I don't think they will dock you but I don't know much about it. I am thinking of slimming my boards down a bit next year.

HunterDave · #7 03-20-2014, 10:42 PM

When I turned my pelts in this week the fella from the Hutterite Colony in Morinville was there. He's very well known in the trapping community, maybe because he used to do custom skinning, but I forget his name. I had a few coyotes that I cut too far on the lips, screwed up skinning around the eyes, etc and he told me that front of the ears doesn't matter too much because they don't use it anyway. I wouldn't worry about a stretched nose too much based on what he told me. Besides, it's a part of the learning curve.

He showed me his paperwork for his average for his coyotes at the last auction......$124 and change.......WOW!

nube · #8 03-20-2014, 11:10 PM

Can you explain cut too far on the lips Dave? I take the botom jaw off and try to clean up the gum line a bit at the same time if I can but not sure if I do too much

I need to take a few courses I think

HunterDave · #9 03-20-2014, 11:23 PM

Well, because these were the first yotes that I had skinned and processed, for a lack of a better description, I had one yote that basically had half a face.

I cut the lower jaw off like you're supposed to but I don't know what I did on the top one. I had a few problems around the eyes as well because I'd never seen the inside of a coyotes head before and I was trying to figure things out as I went along. I did good with the ears though and I got better at it with the more that I did.

I challenged the test so I had no hands on experience, so yeah, I'd definitely would like to find a fur handling course being conducted in the area. It would definitely smooth out the learning curve.

H380 · #10 03-21-2014, 12:43 AM

Nice looking furs , you will do well .

jim summit · #11 03-21-2014, 10:03 AM

Some nice pale yotes in there, You guys with all the coyotes are going to do better then marten or beaver guys.

Kevwood · #12 03-21-2014, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

When I turned my pelts in this week the fella from the Hutterite Colony in Morinville was there. He's very well known in the trapping community, maybe because he used to do custom skinning, but I forget his name. I had a few coyotes that I cut too far on the lips, screwed up skinning around the eyes, etc and he told me that front of the ears doesn't matter too much because they don't use it anyway. I wouldn't worry about a stretched nose too much based on what he told me. Besides, it's a part of the learning curve.

He showed me his paperwork for his average for his coyotes at the last auction......$124 and change.......WOW!

His name is Jackie Wurz...nice price average!!!

HunterDave · #13 03-21-2014, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevwood

His name is Jackie Wurz...nice price average!!!

Yeah, nice guy too. He was busy doing his business but he took a bit of time to offer me some advice. I know that his name has been floated around in the forum about custom skinning so I asked him about it. For anyone wondering if he still does it or not the answer is........NOOOOO! He doesn't have much time for that anymore and based on the number of pelts that he was turning in I can certainly believe that.

Keill_98 · #14 03-22-2014, 05:31 PM

We'll I dropped the yotes off at Halfords yesterday and as I was bringing mine in there was a Hutterite getting his 70 somethin tagged. Started talking a bit and he couldn't believe I had cut out the crotch! I have never been personally taught how to do it but from all the research and videos I've watched they always make a nice little half oval between the back legs as an inspection window and in the process it removes the business end too! So that's what I've been doing.. He showed me his skins and there was no real way to check the leather and the nards and everything were still on the skin! Everybody has there own definition of the "correct" way of doing there fur, but this doesn't seem right? Would there be a big difference in price by doing it one way or the other?

nube · #15 03-22-2014, 06:09 PM

I trim mine up and it is a nice half cirlle cut like you have done as well. It trims it up to look nice and allows a bit of a window as well. Not sure if it is right but looking at Ryans videos on youtube he does it and he averages real well.

HunterDave · #16 03-22-2014, 07:30 PM

I had a fella from the Morinville Colony tell me the same thing this week at the ATA in Weslock......no inspection window at all. I checked the manual and I didn't see anything mentioned about an inspection window and there's none showing in the picture of the pelt. I think that I went by a Ryan's video as well. Next season I'm not taking any extra off for a window if I don't have to......unless I learn something different between now and then, lol!

PCP_ECOM · #17 03-22-2014, 11:48 PM

Here are a couple I have to drop off tomorrow to MARTY in HAYS,Peter, can't wait for water open up again

jim summit · #18 03-22-2014, 11:48 PM

Inspection windows are for animals like mink where the fur in turned in. This allows the grader to see what the fur looks like.
Coyotes and other animals do not need inspection window, but won't hurt to clean up the area.

PCP_ECOM · #19 03-22-2014, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

I trim mine up and it is a nice half cirlle cut like you have done as well. It trims it up to look nice and allows a bit of a window as well. Not sure if it is right but looking at Ryans videos on youtube he does it and he averages real well.

x2 I trim mine as well in this area,for a cleaner apparence IMO Peter

nube · #20 03-23-2014, 10:37 AM

Peter, your coyotes colours look real good. You also have some good sized rats. Well done!! I am jelous about the cat though lol
One thing I have been doing this last year on my rats is taking a fur comb and combing my rats out inside and along the edges. It cleans them up nicely and only takes a second to do. Not sure if it helps or not but I did better than average last auction.

PCP_ECOM · #21 03-24-2014, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

Peter, your coyotes colours look real good. You also have some good sized rats. Well done!! I am jelous about the cat though lol
One thing I have been doing this last year on my rats is taking a fur comb and combing my rats out inside and along the edges. It cleans them up nicely and only takes a second to do. Not sure if it helps or not but I did better than average last auction.

Thanks Nube,took fur down yesterday,had a guy offer me 500 for the cat right at depot,it went to sale,if someone thinks it's worth that much than maybe i'll do better,we'll see,part the experience watching auction,love it all,thanks for pointer on rats as well,can't wait til get back at them,come on higher temperatures Peter

pointer · #22 03-24-2014, 09:55 AM

Rats are the best lol easy to trap easy to skin and good money

Keill_98 · #23 03-24-2014, 10:16 AM

I was going to get e few of them suckers once the water opens up as well, pointer! Was also planning on popping a few beaver but I see the market dropped wayyyy off for em, a bit of practice wouldn't hurt I guess though...

pointer · #24 03-24-2014, 12:45 PM

I'm going to hit the rats hard this year and the beavers I wasn't going to bother with beavers but I got a few people at work that wants some carcasses for bears and the $$ they are willing to pay I can't really pass it up I'm just going to sell/give the pelts to a fur buyer and he can do the rest