What is the proper way to skin a fox?
- Thread starter Utahsmike
- Start date
zman33
New member
This is a responce to a thread on another forum but should work for you. You can modify it for mounting use easily this was just for a tanned hide.
First shoot it with a 22 unless you want to dig bbs all night. Second it's simple to skin a fox. Hang it up by it's back legs. I don't like the paws on so I will tell you how to do it without the pads. With the fox hanging with it's legs spread apart. Next take a while to look at the fox and you will see a line in the hair on the back legs. What you are going to see is the line is created where the belly fur and back fur meet. From the back pad you want to cut down the leg following that line all the way to the vent (a hole) stopping there. Then do the same on the other leg. Next you want to go to the base of the tail with both cuts from the vent. It mill make a triangle with the vent inbetween. Now you have to work the legs free. I get the hide started with a knife and then use my fingers. At the paws you will have tendens that look like that attach to the skin either pull or cut these loose. Once you have worked the area around the paws free you want to go as far towards the toes as you can and cut the hide free. From here it's easy going till you get to the hips. At the hips you will have to work the tail free from the bone. You want to push with your fingers around the base of the tail until it is worked free and you can see the tail bone all the way around. Now you have to strip the bone. To do this you can use several things. A pair of pliers with the handles close will work or you can use to sticks. Put one at the base of the back where the tail meets. Then put another around on the other side. Now pull down hard. Several quick jerks will work best. Once you have this done it's gravy but before going any farther you must get the front legs started. Make a cut from the front paw to the elbow. It's not important if it's straight you will later loose this hide anyways. Now with this complete you work the hide from the body until you get to the top of the chest. Here you will run into a small amount of resistance getting the hide free from under the armpit. Use a dowel or some other blunt object to get around the leg. Now that you have got around it you want to hold the chest with one hand and pull the hide with the other until the leg pops out of the cut you made. Go out about 3 inchs out the leg and make a clean cut threw the leg hide. More than that will not dry proper and will rot. Less than that and it will shrink up and leave an ugly hole. Now with both legs done work down the neck. At the base of the skull s l o w down. You will come to the ears first. You will need you knife more than ever here and have it SHARP. Make small short cuts, that way if you do make a mistake and cut the hide it's a small hole and can be fixed easily. When you pull on the hide the membrane holding it on the meat will turn white. It has a different sound when you cut it. Cut where the membrane meets the meat and you will be okay. Now find the ears with your fingers and work back till you find the hole it it's head. Start cutting as far back as you can inorder to get the ear canal. Once you have done this you will go to the eyes. Same thing here. Find em with your finger and cut as far back as you can. Once the eyes are free you can pull it down with your hands. Next go to the corner of the mouth with your fingers and find the back teeth. Start cutting it free. Once you have a hole in the back of the mouth you can either pull it or cut if free which ever works for you. Now don't cut it completely free from the bottom jaw. Save about the last 2 inches on the jaw. Go back to the nose and feel for the area where the bone meets cartalige. Start cutting threw the cartalige until the nose comes free. Once that is complete you want to cut the bottom jaw hide free leaving that last two inches on the carcass. You can't really save it either because of rot and it doesn't look good anyways.
First shoot it with a 22 unless you want to dig bbs all night. Second it's simple to skin a fox. Hang it up by it's back legs. I don't like the paws on so I will tell you how to do it without the pads. With the fox hanging with it's legs spread apart. Next take a while to look at the fox and you will see a line in the hair on the back legs. What you are going to see is the line is created where the belly fur and back fur meet. From the back pad you want to cut down the leg following that line all the way to the vent (a hole) stopping there. Then do the same on the other leg. Next you want to go to the base of the tail with both cuts from the vent. It mill make a triangle with the vent inbetween. Now you have to work the legs free. I get the hide started with a knife and then use my fingers. At the paws you will have tendens that look like that attach to the skin either pull or cut these loose. Once you have worked the area around the paws free you want to go as far towards the toes as you can and cut the hide free. From here it's easy going till you get to the hips. At the hips you will have to work the tail free from the bone. You want to push with your fingers around the base of the tail until it is worked free and you can see the tail bone all the way around. Now you have to strip the bone. To do this you can use several things. A pair of pliers with the handles close will work or you can use to sticks. Put one at the base of the back where the tail meets. Then put another around on the other side. Now pull down hard. Several quick jerks will work best. Once you have this done it's gravy but before going any farther you must get the front legs started. Make a cut from the front paw to the elbow. It's not important if it's straight you will later loose this hide anyways. Now with this complete you work the hide from the body until you get to the top of the chest. Here you will run into a small amount of resistance getting the hide free from under the armpit. Use a dowel or some other blunt object to get around the leg. Now that you have got around it you want to hold the chest with one hand and pull the hide with the other until the leg pops out of the cut you made. Go out about 3 inchs out the leg and make a clean cut threw the leg hide. More than that will not dry proper and will rot. Less than that and it will shrink up and leave an ugly hole. Now with both legs done work down the neck. At the base of the skull s l o w down. You will come to the ears first. You will need you knife more than ever here and have it SHARP. Make small short cuts, that way if you do make a mistake and cut the hide it's a small hole and can be fixed easily. When you pull on the hide the membrane holding it on the meat will turn white. It has a different sound when you cut it. Cut where the membrane meets the meat and you will be okay. Now find the ears with your fingers and work back till you find the hole it it's head. Start cutting as far back as you can inorder to get the ear canal. Once you have done this you will go to the eyes. Same thing here. Find em with your finger and cut as far back as you can. Once the eyes are free you can pull it down with your hands. Next go to the corner of the mouth with your fingers and find the back teeth. Start cutting it free. Once you have a hole in the back of the mouth you can either pull it or cut if free which ever works for you. Now don't cut it completely free from the bottom jaw. Save about the last 2 inches on the jaw. Go back to the nose and feel for the area where the bone meets cartalige. Start cutting threw the cartalige until the nose comes free. Once that is complete you want to cut the bottom jaw hide free leaving that last two inches on the carcass. You can't really save it either because of rot and it doesn't look good anyways.
Case skinning is the same for coyotes, fox, bobcat, coon, otter or just about anything else.
Here is a link for skinning coyotes.
http://www.coyotecanada.ca/
Here is a link for skinning coyotes.
http://www.coyotecanada.ca/