I've got plans designed for a new skinning pole with a hand-crank winch on it for skinning, but never seem to have the time to get it built. So in the meantime...
I was at Walmart a couple of weeks ago and found a Remington pulley/grambel kit on clearance for $11. It's designed to hoist up a deer, but I figured I could use it to help with skinning coyotes. The grambel is way too wide for coyotes, so I scrapped it and used the pulleys and rope. My biggest issue is pulling down on a hide that's been sitting around all day, or in this coyote's case, all night.
I hung the coyotes from my hauling and skinning pole, as I usually do, but instead of tugging by hand, I used the new pulley. It worked like a dream.
I used two plastic golf balls and a homemade noose to hold onto the hide. I attached one pulley to the noose and another to the closest anchor I could find. In this case, the hitch on my jeep.
What a savior to my back!
I had to tie it off to keep the tension, but this has cut my skinning time in half.
Here's my skinning tools. I forgot to put my piece of rebar that I use in the neck area in the photo, though.
Tip: If you don't have one, get a WeenoJack tail stripper. I've used alot over the years, including my shooting sticks on a bunch of coyotes. The WeenoJack one is the best I've layed my hands on...period!
So, if you find one of these Remington pulley/grambels on clearance, pick it up. The pulleys alone are worth twice the price I paid. Makes the chore alot easier and is portable enough for field skinning.
Thought I'd share.
Tony
