Washing coyote fur... question!

[Keill_98]

Hey all,
I have a question about cleaning blood stained fur. I just put up a coyote for the first time (I'm 15). But while skinning, the fur got pretty bloody.. So I just dunked it in a bucket of cool water a few times and it got rid of the stains really good. I squeezed as much water out as possible, and put him on the board. I checked him the next morning and the skin was dry, so I turned him but the fur was still damp. It's been two days since he first went on the board and the fur is still damp. Is it just a waiting game? I'm just worried about the fur not drying completely if it will slip? Any advice on washing and drying fur would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks

[joeti7]

If you put a fan facing it, it should dry out fine. Just keep air moving to get the moisture out(I have a fan running anytime I am drying fur). Another thing is if its not really bloody, just spots here and there its better to dry it as is and rub borax into the bloody spots. It's amazing the amount of blood you can get out with borax. Or just spot wash it a bit before you put it up to dry. When you do have to dunk it to clean it, I found it works the best to hang it on a gambrel by the nose. Ring it out all the way down starting at the head, leave it be for half an hour and do it again. You'd be amazed the amount of water that collects and drips out when you leave it for a bit. By the way, great to see younger guys working on fur. Good Luck

[saddleup]

Years back when I trapped, I used to use an old wringer washer to get all the water out of the pelt. It really worked well. This was the old hand crank type, and for anyone interested there is one for sale in kijji lethbridge now for $60, a good addition for anyone putting up any amount of fur. As previously stated I then used a fan to finish the drying time, but it sure cut down on the time.

[tomcat]

Originally Posted by Keill_98

Hey all,
I have a question about cleaning blood stained fur.

For your future reference here is my method for cleaning bloody pelts with borax:
YES, you can use borax to clean fur, especially with regard to dried blood stains. Previously I had always washed bloody hides before drying them. In this situation using borax I simply handed washed excessive blood clot areas, wiped area as dry as possible with a rag then boarded the pelt as usual. Once the skin was dry and turned fur out I worked considerable borax into the stained areas, let set for 10-15 minutes and then combed and brushed the borax out. Using this borax treatment method works extremely well as can be seen in the following before and after pictures. As well as removing blood stains the borax also cleans and brightens the fur.

[antlercarver]

I see saddle up used a old wringer to remove water from wet fur.
Seems I remember people useing a hand crank wringer to flesh
muskrats. I think you ran them through fur side out and had to have
a small piece of cloth wrapped over the face to get started. The extra
flesh and fat got squeezed out.

[waterninja]

boarded a coyote for first time about 2 weeks ago. fellow helping me washed it in dog shampoo before boarding to kill any fleas/ticks and leave it very soft and shiny/fluffy.
took forever (about a week) before fur was dry. waiting game is right, but pelt turned out beautifull.

[nube]

It shouldn't take a week to dry. I board mine for 24 hrs skin out and then flip it. I can usually take it off the board 2 days later. I have a fan circulating air in my garage that helps and I keep the furnace going a bit to add a little warmth and it works well. Muskrats usually take 1.5 days

[tomcat]

Originally Posted by waterninja

boarded a coyote for first time about 2 weeks ago. fellow helping me washed it in dog shampoo before boarding to kill any fleas/ticks and leave it very soft and shiny/fluffy.
took forever (about a week) before fur was dry. waiting game is right, but pelt turned out beautifull.

That's the beauty of the borax treatment, it only takes a few extra minutes and the fur turns out great. Fleas and ticks are easy taken care of prior to skinning with a plastic bag and raid treatment.

[Keill_98]

Thanks so much for the advice, guys!!

[john316]

as for drying saw dust will speed it up as for washing I use room temp water with some dish soap. Do not use Hot water the fur will slip!!!!!!!