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Post by mjfritz07 on Dec 31, 2013 18:49:00 GMT -5
I see all these videos online that make it look easy. So did the "Practical Fur handling" dvd I bought. My ? is this - In the few fox I have fleshed (tried to anyway) mine seem way too greasy to get the results shown in videos. After skinning, how long should I wait to flesh? I have been doing it immediately following skinning, which may be the problem I think. How long should I let it dry before fleshing? A few hours? a day? Don't wait and just wipe it dry really good? From what it looks like in the video the fat that is being fleshed off is so much more solid that what I experience when doing it myself. Any insight you guys can provide to a new fur handler would be greatly appreciated! I mainly do Fox, Yotes, and the occassional coon. Thanks!
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Post by camohoyt340 on Dec 31, 2013 19:19:29 GMT -5
I am new to fleshing. And fur put up in general. But the advice I got was to freeze coon and flesh them very cold. It worked well for me. The fat just pushed right off.
My grey fox and reds went the same way. I was told to just get the excess fat off the fox. I bought the Wisconsin trappers association fur put up DVDs and they were very helpful.
My advice would be freeze coon and greys. Reds, the guy on the DVD fleshed them right on the stretchers using a little hand fleshing tool.
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cooper67
#2 Newhouse
oswego county trappers ,nysta,jefferson county
Posts: 2,554
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Post by cooper67 on Dec 31, 2013 20:02:23 GMT -5
i freeze all my animals till i have more time to do them other than rats & mink, the coon are easier after the animal has cooled off or frozen, yotes & grays are harder to flesh coyotes some flesh easy & then there is the other 50 that flesh like hell. beaver are about the same frozen or fresh , red fox are like a muskrat little to flesh & very easy to put a hole in , as you do more it will get easier good luck & be patience
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Post by kirkwooder on Dec 31, 2013 22:22:04 GMT -5
I sold my fur green for many years and finally, about 4 years ago, I decided to start putting up all my fur. It makes storing easier and, when done properly, increases value. I bought a cheap fleshing knife from one of the box stores and a beam from the Amish mall. I watched the "Practicle Fur Handling" video and went to it. The first year sale killed me. I ruined all my fur! I found that it is truely a "job of work" as my grand dad used to say. I tried very hard at getting good looking put up fur without much success. Finnally, this year, I talked myself into buying a good name brand fleshing knife, a Nectar, and WOW what a diffrence. I have put up about half of my fur this year with the old fleshing knife and half with the new, and I will garrentee that the second half will nearly double the price of the first half, even with 2-3 pelts that were really screwed up do to the learning curve of the knife change. FIRST, spend the $$$$$$ and get a good knife. SECOND, learn how to properly use it. You may ruin a few furs at first but once you get the feel of the quality knife, it will pay for itself over and over again. It stays sharp, and makes the fleshing so much easier. The amount of time and effort I put into each put up is be a fraction of what it used to be, and the pelts look so much better. I'm sure the buyers will let me know the diffrence as well. AND FINALLY, for me, cold is key. I rarely flesh the same day I skin. I really like to skin all my critters when they are still warm. I have an arm that doesn't work well due to an injury a few years ago, so I will hang and skin most of my catches within a few minutes of pulling them out of the sets. I carry a cable gambrel and throw it over a limb and get them out of their coats while they are still warm. I don't worry too much about "clean" skinning. I leave lots of fat and flesh on the hide, I think it makes fleshing easier. Then I roll it up with the fur out, stuff it in a plastic shopping bag and put it in the beer fridge untill the next afternoon. Then pull them out, flesh them, and put them on strechers. I, am by no means, a master at fur put up, but I sure know a few things I would do diffrent if I had it to do over again. Hope this helps!
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Post by mjfritz07 on Dec 31, 2013 23:14:21 GMT -5
This does help. I'm really curious why my hides look way greasier than any video I watch. It's gotta be the temp of the hide. I think. Lol I hope.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 1, 2014 4:35:04 GMT -5
Im gonna try to explain this a bit better. When i watch a video online, it looks like the fat that is fleshed from a fox/yote comes off as more "solid" pieces. Where as I just get small greasy stringy bits. My thought is that by fleshing immediately after skinning (which is only a few hours after killing) the pelt is too moist. But it sounds like it could be too warm from the comments. I'm not sure. My guess is the animal is cold enough, it's definetly stiff. Does this make sense to anyone? Is there something I could do differently? Should I just hang the pelt up for a day to let the excess moisture dry /let the fat kind of stiffen up?
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Post by trappermac on Jan 1, 2014 7:44:57 GMT -5
You mentioned fox in your opening post as being greasy....they aren't usually greasy. Best with fox is to flesh right away, all you need to do with them is get onto a board and then trim the fat/meat you left on with your skinning knife, usually under the arms and perhaps down around the legs, just what looks like extra. Older adult fox this time of year can take a bit more with the extra fat they have. Muskrat and mink do right away as well. Coon best if froze for a day, it allows the fat to set up and not be so greasy. If your coon look greasy while drying wipe them down as they dry. As someone else mentioned get a Necker fleshing knife, will be money well spent. Tough to really zero in on your issue here without some pics of your put up fur.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 1, 2014 20:09:28 GMT -5
Pics I don't have. I have only successfully put up one red (practice makes perfect. Ruined a few so far) and it came out looking decent for my first ever. It had some white flakiness to the hide, which I assume is membrane I tried to flesh off too much. I used borax to help dry as I have no heat in my garage. Came out looking decent enough to tan. Next animal I get I'll take pics of the whole thing and post for comment/help.
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cooper67
#2 Newhouse
oswego county trappers ,nysta,jefferson county
Posts: 2,554
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Post by cooper67 on Jan 2, 2014 15:37:03 GMT -5
red fox & gray fox are to different animals to flesh as the grays usally have a fat under the skin that you have to get most out, grays are more like the coyote, the reds are more like fleshing a muskrat a little fat under arm pits & rear hocks,when first skinned they are probably harder, as you have the fresh bloood & the fat is not hardened up let it cool for a hour then try , if you are drying in a cold garage as i do also let the fans blow on the hides the use of borax is a must to help in the harder spots,and on hole animal it usally take me 2 weeks to dry furs, & i leave the feet on & cartilage in the ears but turned, as canines go to the ninch market.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 6, 2014 4:42:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2014 8:31:22 GMT -5
I don't even bother to "flesh" red fox on a beam with a knife. Just give the flesh side a good roll in borax and pull what little fat or meat if on the hide off by hand, then roll again in borax and put them on the board fur side out.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 9, 2014 4:21:20 GMT -5
So the membrane can stay on? My last red, when dry, had a bunch of flaky "tags" on the pelt. Membrane that didn't get totally removed. I guess I fleshed too much?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2014 8:52:25 GMT -5
Hard to tell what your talking about with out seeing a picture but fox leather is very, very thin, it can easily be damaged by removing to much, just the fat and any meat need to go.
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Post by tony1967 on Jan 9, 2014 9:03:55 GMT -5
I don't even bother to "flesh" red fox on a beam with a knife. Just give the flesh side a good roll in borax and pull what little fat or meat if on the hide off by hand, then roll again in borax and put them on the board fur side out. AJ - so you do not start to dry flesh side out first and then turn? Or am I misunderstanding?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2014 10:52:05 GMT -5
I do not use a fleshing knife on Red fox. I simply borax the flesh side of the hide, then I pull any fat or meat off the hide with my hands, I then borax the flesh side again, and board, fur out. No turning. It works for me.
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Post by tony1967 on Jan 9, 2014 11:00:33 GMT -5
OK, thanks. Just looking to start working on some fur this weekend. Only have one fox (so far) to worry about but will try what you do above.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 9, 2014 19:51:23 GMT -5
I'll have to try that method.
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Post by arrowsmith on Jan 14, 2015 7:42:04 GMT -5
MJ, If you are near western New York I heard that Hoot Gerling will give you a free skinning and fleshing lesson if you make prior arrangements to bring the animal to him. I believe it also mentions this on his website. Google Hoots Furs. Question, do you have a brother Tim? If so, I duck hunted with him at the cottage in December and asked about Muskrats in the lake. He said he did not know, but his brother was trapping fox and coyote near Rochester somewhere. Arrowsmith
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 16, 2015 3:49:00 GMT -5
I'm familiar with hoots. I don't have a Tim in the family that I'm aware of. What lake were you on?
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Post by arrowsmith on Jan 16, 2015 8:33:35 GMT -5
Canandaigua Lake. Tim mentioned his brother was trapping K-9's just outside Rochester area.
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Post by mjfritz07 on Jan 20, 2015 10:56:36 GMT -5
Nope. No clue lol. If you said cayuga I would be intrigued.
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Post by oldtimer on Feb 2, 2015 22:12:49 GMT -5
mjfritz07 try putting hardwood sawdust on fat when fleshing it will pickup the excess fat and be keeping the fur edges clean at the same time.
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