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Post by jp223 on Oct 27, 2014 10:06:02 GMT -5
Hi guys, put up my first coon hide yesterday everything went pretty smooth except the face area so i was wondering if I could trim that more and more as it dries?
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Post by TI trapper on Oct 27, 2014 11:04:33 GMT -5
WHATS WRONG WITH THE FACE?
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Post by uncledoug on Oct 27, 2014 11:27:14 GMT -5
If you're talking about fleshing the face? just get the meat off, doesn't have to be fleshed as well as the rest of it.
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Post by jp223 on Oct 27, 2014 12:06:02 GMT -5
Yea i meant as far as fleshing goes it just seemed like more of a red (meat) color on the face/head then there was on the rest of it!
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Post by rusty on Oct 27, 2014 20:46:14 GMT -5
I take the meat off and thin the lips real quick with my curved knife. Trim up around the ears then im done. A clean face is not needed if dry but shows pride in your work. That alone goes Along way with some fur buyers.
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Post by jp223 on Oct 28, 2014 7:07:14 GMT -5
Ok thanks guys one other question the hide was wider then my adjustable coon stretchers is that common?
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Post by kirkwooder on Oct 28, 2014 10:15:14 GMT -5
It shouldn't be wider than the stretcher, if the stretcher is truly a coon sized stretcher. Is it a wire or wooden stretcher? I'm guessing that you need to pull it down more. If you could post a few photos that might help.
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Post by jp223 on Oct 28, 2014 19:59:26 GMT -5
It's a wood stretcher the adjustable ones from minnesota trapline and i didnt stretch it real far but the the legs came down to the middle line and the tip of the tail hit the floor sorry no easy way to do pics otherwise i would!
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Post by kirkwooder on Oct 28, 2014 20:48:29 GMT -5
If they are only 48", it is not that unusual for a big coon to hang the tail off the bottom. My jumbo coon stretchers are 66" long and I think they are 9" wide at the widest point.
You should pull the hide down until it is tight at the nose and snug all the way down to the anus area. don't worry about the tail until you have the rest of the pelt pulled out taught on the boards. Make sure to keep the width as close to NAFA dimensions as possible without over stretching. Try to keep the bottom edge of the pelt as straight across the tail base as possible. Then, if the tail is hanging off the board, pin it out on a separate piece of cardboard or wood.
If you look into the "fur handling" tab, you will find a thread on coon put up, created by Hawken315. This is a very well done tutorial on raccoon put up. It is done on wire but will give you a good idea what it should look like when done properly.
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Post by jp223 on Oct 28, 2014 21:26:36 GMT -5
ok thanks i guess i didnt stretch it enough how bad is that gonna penalize me on price?
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Post by kirkwooder on Oct 29, 2014 5:10:05 GMT -5
Hugely. On the up side, if you want to think of it that way, this year coon aren't supposed to bring very much when properly put up. So It shouldn't hurt too bad.
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Post by jp223 on Oct 29, 2014 12:33:38 GMT -5
Well I'm ok with a learning experience on the first one!
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Post by jp223 on Oct 29, 2014 12:35:47 GMT -5
Is there an easy way to tan it without going through a million step process?
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Post by kirkwooder on Oct 29, 2014 17:17:27 GMT -5
Google tanning, if you can find the brain tanning method that uses lard, it is fairly simple. You basically dry the hide, then rub lard into it and let it dry again, and then rub it over an rounded edge until soft.
You can still save this pelt by removing it from the stretcher and soaking it in a bucket of warm water until soft again, then stretch it properly.
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