Tool for fleshing coyote snout?

LARUEminati

LARUEminati

Active member
Anyone have any tools they use to get the meat out of the snout and around the nose/mouth area of coyotes?

I've been just fleshing the head with my standard fleshing knife but get really slowed down between the ears and by the wiskers. I can get the head perfectly clean but I need to trim the nose area with a scalpel which is time consuming. Been thinking I need a skinny tool to help pull all that out.
 
victonox pairing knives work well..

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-3-25-Inch-Paring-Polypropylene/dp/B0019WXPQY

But, you are wasting your time.. When fleshing, you should remove the chunks of meat, but don't have to flesh off the thin layer of meat around the face/muzzle.

Take any fat off, and chunks, then leave that thin layer that is all over. It you try to take that off with a fleshing knife, you will most likely take off the whiskers.

Talk to a buyer, go meet them, and take one of your pelts with you. Let them see it and grade your work, take that advice home and try another. Call the buyer and set another meeting and take the new pelt in and see if you got it right. These are the things that you can do to control your quality of the pelt. Don't loose money on things that you can control. There is enough of that going on with the hair on the pelt.

There are so many things that you can do and get bogged down doing that kills your time line and your profits that are not needed.
I went from taking 30-40 minutes to flesh a coyote to 10. That make all the difference in the world when you are talking about 20-30 coyotes.
 
Sounds good, I appreciate the input.

I'm not selling the hides, i'm going to send them all out myself to be tanned for wallhangers/garments etc. Therefore I am turning the ears, eyelids, nose and upper lip then salting the hide until the end of the season when I send them out to be tanned. If they were worth more i'd sell them, just not worth it right now IMO especially for east coast fur.

I'm a rookie so any pointers are appreciated.
 
Originally Posted By: fw707Sounds like you are doing more of a taxidermy-type fleshing than a fleshing for fur purposes.

Well a taxidermist showed me the ropes of skinning/fleshing, so you're assessment is correct. I am taking all his steps but not to as meticulous of a degree as he would.

He told me the tannery's prefer it to be in that state and it's the least risk of hair slippage, I don't mind putting in the extra work I just like to work smarter and not harder which is why i'm looking for a tool.

thanks for the tip!
 
I would suggest that you skip the salting the hide.

Sodium changes the Ph of the skin. The Taxidermist I worked with always said don't salt. It's changes the hide and makes it very hard to work with.

after you brush it out really well, flesh it (brush first to make sure nothing in the hair pops through the hide when fleshing) Then put it on the stretcher until it's not tacky then flip it.

But since you are not selling, you really don't have to flip it. put it in a dry cool place, I would roll it up and put it in a flat rate ship box with some rat and mouse poison pellets. Tape it up and ship it when you are ready. (I say the pellets because a dried pelt, even with salt, is a rodent magnet. They love them..

Good luck.
 
^ Good to know, thanks. All I know is what he showed me. I'm open to trying the air dry as it's been done for years.

He did mention the salt changing the flesh, however that's why he told me to have it 100% done as far as fleshing/turning before he salts them. I was planning on using Moyle tannery and their site says salted and dried but they also accept fleshed & trapper dried.

My taxidermist also didn't put it on a stretcher (for wall hangers), just hung it and salted it, so thats what ive been doing.

Reason I posted on here is because I was looking for advise, I appreciate it.
 
Guess it is all a preference of the taxidermist. Mine also salts and so I have done it that way also. But we also don't flesh off the membrane like they do when putting up fur for sale (which is no salt, probably due to the better fleshing job). From my understanding, salt helps remove moisture and helps prevent bacteria from growing. All of which helps prevent hair slippage. It does screw with the pH of the tanning solutions. But that's the tanneries problem.
 
I've yet to meet a taxidermist that don't salt hides ,esp for long term storage.
I've worked for one and hung around many others getting tips.
Having sent myself, a hundred plus hides to multiple tanneries salted, not one has complained.

Not a fan of Moyle , myself.

 
I use a scalpel for doing face work. The more you do it the faster you will be. I have a friend that can flesh a deer cape faster with a #22 blade than fleshing knife. He is scary fast !
 
Laying salted hides on cardboard with a fan blowing on them will help dry faster. Just turn them over one in awhile. Also ,if they are really wet, crumpled balls of news paper stuffed inside will help wick moisture till dry.
 


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