paws on furbearers

If you want it tanned with the claws on not a lot. A lot of people just ring around the "ankle" and don't skin out the paws. If you are selling the hides, there is no reason to skin out the feet, since they don't use it and don't pay any more. If I understand your question.

When I want to skin out to tan with claws I skin it out flat (cut up the belly) and down the inside of the legs. Once you reach the "wrist" you just skin out to the last joint and clip to leave the claws attached and are left with a "glove" for each foot. It is easier to do if you will skin out, cut the legs of at the knees, and then skin out each paw separately by hanging it by the each leg.

Clear as mud?
 
Whatever you do, don't cut the feet off! No matter what! If you keep the feet on you will open up better markets for your fur. Yellowhammer is right on if you want to make a rug or something to that effect. If you don't know what you want to do with the hide other than tan it, heres what to do... 1) Grab the front foot with the pad facing you. 2) insert sharp knife at the base of the large pad. 3) Make a cut up to the knee. 4)Now insert knife at the base of the hind pad and cut to the anus. Repeat thi with the other leg. 5) Now cut up the bottom of the tail. 6) Now you just start skinning. When you have skinned down past the hind knees, you can just twist the leg to seperate it at the knee so you can hang the hide by each individual leg bone. This enables you to use the weight of the hide to your advantage. When you get to the toe bones, leave the last bone attached to the claw. This will illiminate the need to put wire in there if you want a life size mount. If you keep the feet on cut as much fat off the pads as possible and dry them turned inside out.
 
I like to make a small cut from the center of each paw pad about an inch and a half up the leg, and leave the rest of the leg tubed.
You can use the small incision to turn the limb right side out also. But do it hile the hide is wet or raw or you never get it back through.

For skinning the paws, I'll whittle around each side of the paw bone with a scalpel until I get to the toe bones. Then I take a small rod and insert it between (say fingers for a better description) and lift on the bone to finish pulling it out of the skin. Like Yellowhammer mentioned, cut the bone at the last knuckle then. never go past the last knuckle or you'll lose the claws.
 
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