What is needed to prepare hides

smallblockfuelie

smallblockfuelie

New member
My brother wants to try doing his own pelts. He has a bobcat and fox pelt in his freezer from last winter. What supplies will he need to flesh it out and stretch/dry it and where can those items be bought at the best prices?

Thanks.

~Heath
 
I have an idea so Ill throw it in and yall laugh all yall want o.k.?

1 Kill a critter (thats the tricky part)

2 Start skinning at the hind knees and then make an incision up both inner thighs till you reach the croch (leave the jewels behind). Then begin tube skinning the rest of the way. Keep the ears, eyes and face. Leave the bottom jaw on the carcass.

3 Once pelt is off of the animal, begin to flesh the meat/fat off of the animal. (fat/meat allow bacteria to grow causing hair slippage.)

4. Wash the hide with mild detergent to get all of the blood/dirt out. This will make it more appealing to the buyer.

4. Turn the pelt flesh side out and the stretch over a stretcher until completely dry (no salt)

5. (optional) Brush hair to get knots and such out. This will also make it appealing to fur buyer.
 
Well.....most fur buyers only give a buck or two more for hides that are put up.
If you do a cruddy job, maybe even less, and that's their attempt to get you to quit doing it.

When your putting fur up for a buyer, they usually only need to be fleshed down to the membrane. The membrane is the last layer of tissue you come to before getting into the actual skin. It's thin, it's translucent, and it can be tough to remove. Cool!...were stopping there anyway, right? It alost like onion skin but anyway...tools needed and where to buy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I can't do this without giving a biase opinion, so let me first say that any outfit that sells trapping supplies will most likely have the equipment you need to put up furs.
You'll need;
.. a good fleshing beam,
..a couple of good fleshing knives. The type with a handle on each end work the best. Their called draw knives. I'm a big fan of the Necker Knife.
..a wide assortment of stretchers, wire or wood, the preference is yours and I'll let the die hard trappers fill ya in on the pros and cons of each.
..and most importantly a place to hang these furs to dry where they will be out of direct sunlight, moisture, and away from insects or rodents.

Best place to shop for these items...my biased opinion;
Northwest Trappers Supply
http://www.nwtrappers.com/

Murray's Lures & Trapping Supplies
http://www.murrayslures.com/furshed.htm
 
There's a lot to preparing a hide. Just getting it off the carcass without screwing it up takes a little know how. Those holes you put in it need to be stitched up. There's a right and wrong way to flesh. Trimming the lips, nose, eyes, and turning the ears takes a steady hand. While you're at the trappers supply, get yourself a tail splitter, too. You're gonna need it.

If you're interested in a step-by-step instruction, there is a video. "Hunting and Skinning for Profit", by Blaine Eddy. Probably the best vid on the subject.
 
Most fur dealers have their own way of doing things i know i have helped one for years and they are very picky and like some one said they will only give you 1-2 dollars more maybe.and if you put a hole in a nice cat they will doc you $20 or more cause they have to sow them up and cats don't have the fat and flesh that coons do so you really cant use a beeem and scraper you just use a sharp knife cats are hard to do as are yoties.you really never want to wash a fur they will spoil and you won't know it
 
I beg to differ with you on a few mentioned points there, r_y. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif None the less...welcome to Predator Masters. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 


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