Bugs on your pelts - what to do?

mjfritz07

New member
Most if not all the predators I have killed have ticks and the like. What do you guys do to get rid of them? I don't have a fur shed, so they hang in the garage to dry. I have pets soi don't want to bring the pelts inside, or bring a tick in with me.
 
Many people put the critter in a trash bag, add RAID or other bug killer, close and wait.

I usually take another approach.

First, skin ASAP after dispatch as you can. If the critter is warm most ticks and fleas stay on it. When the host starts to get cold they go looking for a new home.

Second, learn to skin fast. I didn't say be reckless and put holes everywhere. This is something that just takes practice. I also skin at arms length and use gloves.

Third, I bag and throw all hides into the freezer for a few days before I flesh and finish putting them up. The freezer kills any creepy crawlys.

My method-has worked for me for years.

Also-get used to the fact that every once in a while you get a creepy crawly thing on you- it comes with the territory.
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As soon as I get home with my critters I put them in a trash bag and spray with a flea & tick killer for about 15 min. That should do it.
 
I can skin fast but I find that fleas in the temps I hunt coyotes in typically start to jump ship right away. So I prefer to let them sit in the trash bag with raid for 20 min or so. Then I can skin them while still warm and have all the fleas dead.
 
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I bought a very large tote, the biggest one they have at Home Depot. When i get one, i put fresh dirt in the bottom of the tote to soak up blood.
At either the end of the day or in the middle of the day when calling gets really slow, i will skin the mornings coyotes.
I spray Flee and tick spray on my sleeves, and gloves. Then skin, and roll up with fur side out, so the face is on the outside. (handy when it comes to fleshing later)

I then put the hides in a trash compactor trash bag (thicker bags) and then spray the spray into the bag and tie it closed. When i get home they go in the freezer and wait until I flesh them and put them up.

Doing it this way has kept them off me, and killed them in the bag while in the freezer.

Good luck
For skinning, i got some square 1-3/4" pipe that is .120 wall and built this skinning rack that goes in the tow hitch. It works great since we usually don't have a lot of tree's here, and it's also helpful for loading Elk. I use a comealong to lift the chest and then grab the legs and pull them into the truck and then lower the comealong. I usually hunt by myself so i had to get creative.
 
spray raid flying insect on them bag em, then skin, hit any with spray that pop up on rear while skinning. Ticks not bad, fleas are though
 
Based on the last bobcat I skinned mid-January I am not sure that the ticks are ever gone around here. Had at least 30 ticks neatly arranged like a necklace around it's neck. With the abundance of Lyme disease here in the Northeast even one stray tick can end up a problem for man or pet. The fleas don't bother me as much because they seem to vacate real quick once the body temp begins to drop.
 
I do the trash bag method, but I don't buy any spray. I just fill the bag up with poison carbon monoxide from my exhaust pipe..... It's free.

But usually come mid-november all those bugs are gone off my coyotes....
 
Originally Posted By: mjfritz07I killed fox when it was 0 out last year. Still had ticks. I'm gonna try to bag and powder or spray them.
Ticks must have fur on em up y'all's way
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ain't never seen them after first frost down here. We don't have as many deer ticks, worst ones are those lone stars, but they seem to stay around certain areas.
 
never found a tick on a bobcat or coyote. fleas, yes. i just skin them and pick the fleas off me on the way home. if that does not do it, i take a shower.
 
try watching what this guy does with skinning. I leave a little more of the fur than he does near the vent, but this is it.=UUPuxmoN5GsVG84BhIO3ScSA&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dp9HujqIeGl0%26list%3DUUPuxmoN5GsVG84BhIO3ScSA&has_verified=1
 
I used the rack all the time and used one piece of the steel 10' long and a 12" piece that fits just inside.

I put the 10' end in the receiver and then came out a bit (eye balled it) and cut a wedge out on the upside with an angle grinder, not cutting all the way through. Then bent the rest of the pipe up until it touched and then repeated the same process. WITH THE TAILGATE DOWN (to make sure it would clear)

I then did the same thing at the top leaving about a 2' straight piece in top.
I then found the middle if the verticle pipe and cut it off and took the whole thing to someone with a welder (muffler shop) and welded the whole thing together. I did put some plate pieces at across the bottom welds on the sides for support and strength.


I plan to get rid of the chain and replace with a cable and some loops on it to hook on the coyote down lower to do the first cuts and start it.. Then pull it up to a higher position so that I can pull it and work the face without it being so low.

Good luck and if someone wants close up pics or questions about the rack, just send me an message.
 
Way to much effort for me...I skin horizontally with a hand operated winch.2-3 minutes tops...unless I have a bad hit around belly area, which is a mess and will slow you down a bit. Some guys have an electric winch attached to their skinning setup (like T-bone's pics above) and it takes like a minute to pull the hide off.

Edit: still way to slow, but towards middle of vid he uses a hoist/pulley setup, sort of what I do but horizonal. Keeps the hide taut, so you dont have to use your arms or knee to help pull hide off.


Mark
 
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lol..
I like the idea of a small wench but that guy while not as tired took twice as long as the Canadian did..
Sometimes just a little effort is faster than setting up the mechanical stuff.


I have thought about making a mount in the back of my truck (up against the cab) to use for skinning and then mount some tabs at the bottom of my skinning rack, and hook the fur on the tabs, and use a gamble to pull it straight up. Using a pulley to the wench to make it easier and faster. I could also then use the wench to load Elk and deer in the truck as well.

I am not going to lie. One is not the issue, two isn't that bad, but by the time you do 3, 4, or 5 straight.. I am tired.
 
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