ear cartilage, fleshing knife

M

manitoba Trapper

Member
hey everyone, I'm having a bit of trouble. this year I've started skinning my own coyotes, I've done 5 or 6 so far and they skin out fairly well, only trouble is that i mess up the ears a lot. I've watched numerous videos on doing ear cartilage(specifically coon creek outdoors video), i skin the face out and end up with nice small ear holes but have major trouble getting it flipped outside to remove the cartilage. everytime i try it seems they are twisted or something and i can't fully get them turned out completely. should i cut them higher on the ear to make bigger holes which would leave smaller ears but easier to flip and remove? can someone help shed some light on this?

Also, i can't find much on fleshing knives and sharpness, i bought one from cabelas canada, it was 30 bucks, i beleive the only one they had. anyways, it came with back side rounded and the other side with a single bevel but dull and rounded edge, i use this side to flesh and works quite well, i see guys have sharp side and dull side just not sure if it was ready to use or needed to be sharpen?
 
Fleshing knife, I have a Necker 600 and both sides are dull, I plan on sharpening the outside of the radius for big boar coons but haven't done it yet.

For ear cartilage if you have a dog scratch his ears and see where there are the double layers or flaps close to the base of the ears. That helped me, the Utube video by 5911 Ryan on fleshing has exactly the description on how i do it.

Good news the ears are garbage and they don't use them but like you I want mine to look good. I promise every one you do you will get better.

I use a Victornix paring knife to cut the cartilage out of the nose and ears.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Victorinox-Fibrox-3-1-4-Inch-Paring-Knife-47508/302564544939?epid=1101602175&hash=item46724091ab:g:Q~8AAOSwb3laMcp0
 
I also have the necker knife and I did have to sharpen it up. Another one that I might end up getting sometime is caribou double edge knife, messed with one at a trapper convention last summer.
For the ears goto Youtube and look up coon creek outdoors then find his vid on fleshing coyote. He does the ears, makes it look simple I still have trouble but it helped me
 
For ears I use a scalpel. Slowly and carefully skin the back of the ear off the cartilage, leaving it attached to the front or inner ear, turning it inside out as you go.
 
For selling furs I never spend a lot of time on the ears. It is not going to hurt the price. For a fleshing knife I am also using the necker.
 
You might like the Post Fleshing knife. Made in Canada by Ron Post South River Ontario. You can order it through Trans-Canada Trapping part of Fur Havesters Auction in North Bay. They also carry Caribou and others.
 
I just bought a Post fleshing knife this year and I am very impressed. My only complaint is the sharp edge..it's razor sharp! You have to pay attention to what you are doing...

A far cry from the cheap o ones
 
I think the taking out of the ear cartilage depend a lot on where you are located. In areas of low humidity they dry just fine with the cartilage in them. In areas in the east and south where the humidity is high it is best to remove it to prevent any chance of rot. If going right to a buyer it is best to see what the buyer wants.
 
I too learned from coon creek outdoor's videos and i found that it seems to be easier to just cut a little farther up on the ear during the skinning process.. definitely gets easier with practice though! A old pair of pliers definitely helps also.
 
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