What should I buy?

Halbach

New member
This year I'm wanting to sell at least 50 coyote furs. It'll be my first season doing furs but last year calling every now and again I called over 30, firgure with the new job and better hours I can call and put up fur. Reading like crazy but for that many furs, I need advice. How many boards should I make? What skinning knife should I get? I want a different one than my hunting knife. What should I get for a fleshing knife? I have a plastic tail puller. What else do I need? One day I'd like to live somewhere I can trap and not have to rely on shooting em. Figure my sewing skills will get better now.
 
I would suggest at least 5 coyote boards, and a few box and a bobcat board to finish it out.
You will also need the upgraded pins.

Basically when you look at tools of any kind, there are the ones that will get it done, and then there are the ones that will help you and make it easier. Your choice, but i would suggest getting the best of what you can afford.

I made my own boards, using a 2x4 and you could to, especially this time of year, you have time to prepare. I also found that saving old candles from around the house to then rub on the boards is a good idea. That fine layer of wax will save you from fighting the boards to get them off. (just rub it on, then heat with a torch to melt it in)

The fleshing beam is going to be really important. I have one that folds up, but you want a base big enough to stand on, so it doesn't move, and stable so that you can go after it from any angle. I made mine with a thick beam of hardwood (i used Mesquite) and cut the raw dimensions using the stretchers sizes. I then used the curve of a 5 gallon bucket and an angle grinder to put the curve on it, and then undercut the underneath so that it goes from thin to thicker as it goes down.. Really take your time here and make it as smooth and steady of a curve as you can. I started with an angle grinder and belt sander and then changed to an orbital sander.

For the knifes. I like the Weibe knifes. They are super sharp, easy to touch up, and cheap. (less than $10)
https://www.fntpost.com/Products/Wiebe+Skinning+Knife/

I get a Wide fleshing knife, and get one that has a sharp side and none sharp, until you get to your 5th or so coyote don't use the sharp side or you will do a lot of sewing, it's all about touch and only use the sharp side for really fatty area's on coyotes. Most of the time you won't need the sharp side.

A set of pliers for pulling the cartilage out of the ears.

For actually skinning, you are going to want to get a type of rig, for pulling the fur. One or two isn't bad, but if you are going to pull the hides off, by the time you get to your 3rd you are going to get tired. If you are pulling, you are putting to much effort into it. I made a rig out of 1 3/4" square pipe that goes into the trailer receiver, goes out and up around the tailgate, then straight up, and out to hang from. Looks like a scorpion tail pointing out the back. I don't have to go looking for a tree, and with that number of coyotes a boat wench and small cables at the base to hook to the legs once you peel them would be a nice to have, then you can use the wench to pull the hides right off.
like this http://www.tetontrapco.com/hitch-mounted-skinner-manual-winch/

I also saw a rig that uses a set of vice grips that you could make a mount for the tailgate that would clamp down on the tail. While the tail gate is down. You hold the coyote up so that the base of the tail is flush with the tail gate. Then you put the tail in the clamp, and that holds the coyote up, and leaves the legs free for your prep cuts. I then use that wiebe knife, or the replacement blade knife for the ring around the rear leg cuts, and then cut off the front legs where i want to stop skinning. (just cut at the joint, and snap them off and toss them) I then use a swing blaze or Gerber ez open knife version
I use this knife to do all the cuts for opening them up and starting the skinning. It's easy to follow the color lines and you don't cut open veins to spill blood on the pelts. Get the legs started and then take out of the vice, do the next and get them all ready. Then mount on the rack and get start skinning. (make sure to use that ez zip knife up the first few, i try for 4" of the base of the tail)
For the actual skinning i like to use the muskrat from Knives of Alaska. THat thing stays sharp for dozens of coyotes and is small, the rounded nose makes skinning easier and doesn't cut the skin as easily. Pointy knives make holes you have to sew later.

Get the metal tail stripper. Once you skin down the rear legs and get the first 5 or so inches pulled back on the body, you will have room to work on getting that tail out. This is why the cutting the base makes it easier now. I use a metal stripper, and always pull away from the tail, not down, since that could break it free. and if you have a coyote up in the air, and you are pulling down, there are chances of getting something to spray out of the vent. Not what you want. Once it's off you use that ez zip knive to open the tail. Easiest knife for the job.

Then skin down to the front legs,Just pushing the fur with your fist. (pull the fur away from the body, make a fist, and put it between the fur and the body and push the fist down, rolling your fist away from the body to separate the hide. This is why the wench would be great. you would just real it down. (I also like a 100# tension spring on the gamble. This way as it gets tight and keeps tension when you make cuts it keeps pulling off the hide as you find the catch points)
Now you are going to want to have a large screw driver(biggest flat tip screw driver you find (12-15" long) at a pawn shop) You then fish this through the arm pit and push down. this is where cutting of the front legs is very handy. keep working it down until your free. then do the other side. This spot seems to take the most time for me. It's also the reason that if I have a head on shot, i aim higher to hit just below the top of the back. A shot in the upper neck is easy. a shot between the armpits makes skinning take twice as long. I like using Vmax bullets since i can aim for a broadside shot that is behind the last rib. That bullet goes in, and explodes, all things inside turn jello, and they drop. You end up with a single no sew hole and don't have blow out shoulder shots that require 30 stitches to fix. 4" behind the heart still hits the heart.

I keep pushing the hide down, and go past the ears before cutting them off, Exposing some of the cartilage now, makes getting it out later easier. once i see about an 1" of it, i use that wiebe knife to cut them off, and skin down the face and half way down the lower jaw before cutting it loose. (i also attached a magnet to the skinning rack to hold on to the knife)

I cut it loose after the nose and roll it up. I personally prefer skin out, and start at the tail with the face last. (i do this since i am only putting them in the cooler then freezer for a few days. I want the faces to thaw first since when you flesh that is what you start with) I put the hides in trash compactor bags (from costco) they don't leak.

Get good double row tangle brush.
When you thaw them out, i will pull them out of the freezer when i go to bed and in the morning they are ready. Typcially still a little frosty, so i do the ears, and lips first and then unroll, and flip it. I then run the brush through really good to get any burs. (this kind of brush gets cockleburs out easily) Otherwise if you have a coyote that has more than 20 or so, don't even bother taking it home. you can spend hours getting them out. I had one that was covered, and it was a waste of time until i got the brush.. Then if they are really bad i wash them in a tub, and then use that brush and they come right out. (the double row of teeth makes the difference)
https://www.amazon.com/rake-deshedding-d...X6DB5M61AXEK2F0

I then sew the hides. I sew from the skin side and use rounded sewing needles. The pliers are used here too. I find the smallest sewing needle that i can get the dental floss through. I then start at the base or one side of the wound and sew so that your needle goes in within 1/8 of an inch and do a running baseball stitch matching up the sides. You don't have to pull so tight that it wrinkles, but just shy.

I then wash them. I use borax and the cheapest coconut spelling shampoo i can find. (the coconut for some reason just makes them stink less) Wash them swirl them (then if you can get an old ringer from an old school wash tub that would make it a lot better)
My buyer suggested an old washing machine from craigs list and prefers a font loader) to quick wash and spin dry. gets all the blood out and cleans the fur. (the usually get lighter in color and that is a better price) the soft fur after washing also makes it fluff better too.

I then brush it out and put it on the stretchers. I don't worry about the width as much as the length. Long fluffy hides get better prices from my buyer than short fat hides.

I then use the trapper pins to pin it down. and then pull it wider to snug and lock it down and lean them to get air in the arm pits. This is the focus area for me.. As soon as that isn't sticky or tacky wet, you can flip them. I used to use a hanger to pull the front legs through, but now the thing is to leave them inside, so letting them dry a little more than just not tacky is fine. As soon as i flip it, the hair is still going to be wet. Brush it again. I try to brush them once a day as i look at them.

Leave on the stretcher until it's crackly.. almost like crinkle paper. That sound tells buys your did your job on the fleshing. They then shake them "to Pop them" it makes the fur stand staight up and tells them the fur grading and will show them any defects in the skin (burs left behind, and bad sewing is obvious when they do this) if you sew like i suggest, your fur will pop up and lay flat. If you do this at home and it doesn't lay flat, figure out what is happening and fix it. you can always soak it for 10 minutes and then fix and re-stretch.

Hunting and selling fur are not the same.. If you are selling fur, it changes the kinds of shots you want to take, and the way you treat them in the field.. I won't carry with my drag a coyote.. But if i am skinning it, i will carry it vs. drag it on anything that would cause fur damage.

I would suggest finding a buyer, and do a couple of pelts. early in the season.. Then go to the buyer and let them look them over.. As for how or what you should have done to get the most you can. It's only in their best interest that you do better and they will tell you some information that you may not like to hear, but it's about getting the most money you can for what you are doing. (i made the mistake of not skinning close enough to the vent on the genital side. I just skinned down and around the vent and genitals. THAT WAS WRONG, and cost me a lot on 30 coyotes. painful lesson, but a lesson i won't forget. you shouldn't have more than a baseball size clump of fur left on the coyote when you are done skinning)

Don't use air pressure. it's a waste of time. and adding pressure to a coyote means that pressure is going to come out somewhere, and it's usually the vent. Not what you want.

Always wear gloves.



This guy skins a lot of coyotes..
 
Also, i love the work sharp belt sander sharpener.. I measured the belts and then ordered them online. their belts are fine, but they go from very aggressive grits to supper fine grits without the ones in the middle.

I find that i use a 1200 grit a lot.. if you have sharp knives, and then need to touch them back up, a few passes with the 1200 grit and they are right back to super sharp in just a few passes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IT5F14/ref...la-125500415835

http://micro-surface.com/index.php/checkout/cart/
 
Originally Posted By: HalbachThis year I'm wanting to sell at least 50 coyote furs. It'll be my first season doing furs but last year calling every now and again I called over 30, firgure with the new job and better hours I can call and put up fur. Reading like crazy but for that many furs, I need advice. How many boards should I make? What skinning knife should I get? I want a different one than my hunting knife. What should I get for a fleshing knife? I have a plastic tail puller. What else do I need? One day I'd like to live somewhere I can trap and not have to rely on shooting em. Figure my sewing skills will get better now.


I would suggest that you carry a 22lr pistol for finishing them. Sometimes they are not dead yet, and a 22lr (aimed through the ear doesn't blow out the head) doesn't make more holes in the pelts

try not to do head shots with rifles. It makes skinning and fleshing a mess when you have to scrape the skull off it as you flesh them later.
 
From my experience you can get by with very little as far as tools go. I have almost every tool imaginable and seldomly use more then I have to. Fleshing beams and knives are nice if you are putting up a bunch of coyotes at the same time but if I only have one other two I just put them on a stretcher and cut the fat off with a skinning knife while they are tight. I use victornox parring knives to skin with and they are cheap and easy to keep sharp. I skin and flesh 100s of animals a year and do it with very few tools
 
I also love a thick no soak through apron. You are going to lean into a fleshing beam and really only use the top 2 feet of it (at most) so as you work your way down, fleshing, you will pull the hide up, and rotate, then rotate until it's done and then pull it up more until you are done.

An apron that doesn't soak through will keep that from getting on your clothes. Do enough in a day and you will have a sore spot where that fleshing beam hits your belly.
 
Holy moly! Best write up I've read yet! I watched coon Creek YouTube videos while working out too, excellent stuff! For some reason I'm always way more excited for coyote hunting than deer.
 
It's all just things that i have learned the hard way, and hopefully some of it will be useful for you.

Good luck, and I am with you, i don't get excited about Elk, i can't wait for summer to end so that i can get ready for coyotes.
 
Schmitt enterprises has everything you need, I have found that (most of the time) money spent is time saved. You can give Gerald a call and he'll certainly point you in the right direction.
Good airflow in your drying area is very important, and the advice on a 22lr is right on as well, and call the fur buyer you plan on using and see how he/she wants the pelts. Mine pays less for green frozen fur, but it is an equal trade off in equipment and time.
 
I head shoot as much as possible, to many buyers have remarked that sewing in front of the ears is largely ignored. The 17 goes in the head mostly stays there. Cold skinning limits blood flow.
 
Probably my most important tool is a tea spoon.I use the handle of the spoon to get under the membrane at the head and make 5 strips down the coyote,this allows you to much easier flesh each strip with out having it all ball up at the base of the coyote.My tools are fleshing beam,adjustable stretchers 5,necker 600 ,forschner paring knife,teaspoon,good metal push pins,Heavy vinyl apron and the coin operated laundry mat.Best to got to the laundry mat after 7 pm lol.Oh and also a ball peen hammer to work around the chest and front legs.
 
Get yourself a fleshing knife from Lee Steinmeyer. You won't regret it. I love my Steinmeyer knife, and my fleshing has gotten much easier with it. Buy quality the first time and you will only have to buy it once.
 
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