Beginner questions

UP North18

UP North18

New member
I don't currently trap (although I would like to one day) but I have started coyote calling this year. I haven't done much yet but will definitely be doing more this winter. However I have a few questions about what to do with the fur after the kill. I currently split my time between home and up at college. At college I just do not have the time or the space to treat furs but that's where I do most of my hunting, so I agreed with a trapper to give him any coyotes I kill so that he can he make a little extra money.

When I'm back at home on break though I have the opportunity to treat any furs I have. I have yet to decide if I want to hang them on the wall or sell them. What ever I do I still have to figure out how to treat the furs. I'm familiar with skinning and fleshing but not sure where to go from here. It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could post a list of the steps needed for each direction I decide to go in (wall hanger or giving to a licensed buyer). I know some of the stickies on this forum have excellent detailed explanations of each, but every time I try searching for a method I'm given different steps and not everyone does it the same, this especially true on YouTube lol. Thanks in advance.
 
Some of the things I've seen include rinsing in dish soap, applying salt, salt and alum solution, pickling, neutralization, bactericide, additional fleshing after treatment, sending it to a tannery, and buying your tanning solution. I've looked at several methods and some include these steps and some don't, I'm just not sure what I do and don't need.
 
Hi bud if your selling to a fur buyer just skin, flesh, and put hide on a strecher and get it dryed out on coyotes that are sold fur out so after a day on the strecher you need to flip them if your going to hang them on your wall they need to be tanned I would send them out to be tanned but put the fur up the same way as if you were going to sell it also do not put salt on them on coyotes and fox you can use borax soap in the spots that will not dry fast arm pits where you pin the ears back and so on I hope this helps you what part of the state are you in
 
Check with your fur buyer and/or your tannery on how they like them. Here the fur buyer likes them fur side in. Also the tannery my dad and I use like them fur side in. Why not talk to the trapper you're working with and see if he'd take the time to show you how to properly care for the furs? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show you.
 
Hey UP North18, Just a suggestion i used quite a bit when I started out was to buy a good pelt handling skinning and fleshing proper pelt put up video or now days dvd.There are several available that are very good.Two of them that I have seen and suggest are Matt Jones Fur Handling and Fur Handling & Prep by Sterling Fur and Tool which was made by Keith Winkler and his partner Humphrey from Ohio.Matt Jones is from KY. Im sure both can be found at Minnesota Brand Trapping Supply or FnT Trapping Supply or Schmitt Enterprises Trap Supply.There are many others that supply the dvd's also.Hope that helps
 
As far as getting them ready to be tanned you could probably get good advice straight from the tannery that you choose.Two of them I can think of are Moyles Mink and Tannery which I think is located in Idaho.And also US Fox and Furs which I think is from Minnesota.Im sure if you contacted them and checked out their websites that they could help you alot.
 
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Originally Posted By: Yote WhackerAnd also US Fox and Furs which I think is from Minnesota.Im sure if you contacted them and checked out their websites that they could help you alot.

USAFOXX does NOT tan anything themselves, they send it out. They are the LAST place I would send anything for any reason. There are a laundry list of dissatisfied people and bad reviews on the internet. I sent them 2 very dark beavers to have a hat and a teddy bear made and the furs they used were clearly different than what I sent them. The color wasn't the same at all.

All you need to do if you want to get something tanned is make sure it's fleshed well, stretched, and dried. Moyles, Tubari, and Furs for Fun are all reputable tanneries.
 
Thank you very much FishinHank for that information.I had not heard that.But it is very good to know who to deal with and who NOT to deal with.
 
X2 on USA Fox and Moyle. USA fox is a treat to deal with to say the least. They do not do their own tanning. However, Moyle Mink and Tannery in Idaho is a great company to deal with. My dad and I have sent our furs there for tanning for many years. When you send them in they mark the furs with initials so you can be sure you are getting back the furs that you sent in, not someone else's.
 
For what Moyles charges, I am not sure that i would try doing it myself, other than to just learn the process. (once) should be enough for anyone to learn to send it to Moyles.

$25 is hard to beat when you see the work it takes.

For Elk, Deer, or other large tanning jobs, and you DON'T want the fur on.. For Leather, i send the hides to New York to the Tannery that was featured in Dirty Jobs. Pergamena.net or email karl@pergamena.net
I flesh my elk hide and slightly dry it (mostly dry, but can still fold) then put in a box and send it to them. They soak it and do everything, and send me back a roll of leather that is soft, and dyed to the color I want for $70. It's really hard to beat that deal. I have rolls of Elk hides in a variety of colors, and the leather is about 1/4"
 
The Wisconsin Trappers Association puts out the best fur handling video I have ever watched. It is called Professional Fur Handling, and it is 4 DVDs that have a section for each furbearer. The guy that does the video grades for NAFA and he is really good. He will go over board sizes, field handling, and what they look for when they grade it. It is a $20 video, and shipping is about $10, but it will pay for itself in a couple nice pelts.
 
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