Skinning out coyote ears for fur trade

ruger300

ruger300

Active member
Wondering what all the fur guys do to strip a canine ear cartilage out. I’ve read the pdfs from fur harvesters, watched YouTube videos but other than painstakingly skinning the cartilage out all my results look terrible. Over the years I just pull pelt down as far as I can on the ears and cut into the cartilage from that point. Coat the ears with borax to dry it out faster and I’ve never had a problem with slipping or rotting. With fur prices questionable I figured I try a new technique. Thanks for any insight.
 
Hi, guys. First time posting on here. Hope I get this right. Trying to help you with the ear skinning problem. I was on a caribou hunt in the NW territories and ran into the same problem you are having. The local Indian guides helped me out by showing me how to skin out the cartlidge in the ears. They used the end of the handle on a commom metal tea spoon. Start at the base of the ear after cutting the cartlidge loose from the skull and push the handle between the skin and cartlidge towards the tip of the ear. Do it to both sides of the ear. If you are sending the cartlidge along with the hide to be mounted, leave the last half inch or so attached for the tanner. Hope this helps.
 
The previously mentioned spoon handle technique will work. You may want to separate the skin from the cartilage at the base of the ear a little with a knife before you start with the spoon handle. I have used the tip of a closed pair of scissors in the same way. Once the cartilage is separated from the skin you can turn the whole ear inside out to help it dry. If you don't need to keep the cartilage you can just cut it out after separating it from the skin. This allows the ears to dry even faster and lay flatter on the dried fur if you like that look.
 
This method is kind of a combination of skinning them out and using a spoon, except using your fingers instead of a spoon. It's been a few years since I put up any fur, but this is how I started doing it after my friend Blaine showed me this method about 20 years ago. This is his video below. The ears part starts at the 31:00 mark.



Blaine could skin a coyote as fast as anyone I've ever seen. Anytime we got three in the truck, I'd go make a stand by myself and he'd stay back to skin the three. He was always smoking a cigar just waiting for me when I got back to the truck. Without trying to hurry, he could skin a coyote in the field in about three minutes.

- DAA
 
Been a few years for me too. Turning ears like Blaine did is kinda how I was taught.
As far as speed skinning, I could do a 2 or 3 minute coyote….but only if I was using my come a long setup that I first saw on Roy Finleys The 2 Minute Coyote video. Doubt if I could do it now, but skinning horizontally pulling fur with a come a long was fast and it saved my hands and fingers from hurting so bad.
Mark
 
DAA said:
This method is kind of a combination of skinning them out and using a spoon, except using your fingers instead of a spoon. It's been a few years since I put up any fur, but this is how I started doing it after my friend Blaine showed me this method about 20 years ago. This is his video below. The ears part starts at the 31:00 mark.



Blaine could skin a coyote as fast as anyone I've ever seen. Anytime we got three in the truck, I'd go make a stand by myself and he'd stay back to skin the three. He was always smoking a cigar just waiting for me when I got back to the truck. Without trying to hurry, he could skin a coyote in the field in about three minutes.

- DAA
Click to expand...

Been a long time since I heard his name mentioned, he always had good stuff to say
 
I've always done it similar to the video except I used a scalpel and skinned out the back side, leaving the cartridge attached to the front side. You don't actually remove it.
Of course it takes me about 5 times as long as it did in the video.
 
Boarded up the last pelt before the holidays. Getting better at removing the ear cartilage and not making such a mess of it.
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Unless something has changed lately most fur buyers don't care about the ears. Skin it down as far as you can and cut as much cartilage off as you can and make sure there's no chunks of meat or fat left. I've even had a few tanned that didn't have the ears turned and they are fine. I've always gotten above average prices for my hides doing it that way. If you're skinning for taxidermy you need to turn the ears.
 
I would just split mine from the base of the ear to the tip and sold them that way. Put your knife on the back side of the ear in the middle and cut up to the tip. The ones that I put up to have tanned for other people were done the same way and no one ever said a word.
 
Ya, agree, fur buyers don't care. (Maybe over thinking it) If you are worried about the ears not drying just quickly separate the inside of the ear from the outside then and cut the cartilage (inside of the ear) totally out and leave the fur part will dry easily. A Buddy that put up fur professional did this.

I have also done it by just separating the inside outside of the ear, turning it to lightly dry, turning it back and putting a piece of ear shaped cardboard in for a day after I turned it back, but this was really over thinking it, not necessary and a waste of time. As mentioned above the only reason for leaving the inside of the ear would be for taxidermy. Think about what is wasting your time, messing around with ears is one of them.

I saw the other day on "Montana Trapper" I am pretty sure, he just ran a knife right through the ear from from the inside through the fur side from the bottom of the ear to the top turely splitting the ear, yes right up through the fur. He did didn't waste anytime at all.
 
Never heard of this guy but that is, IMO, one of the best how to videos I've ever seem. One problem I have is he kept calling them a dog and I am a dog lover and kept imaging one of my dog's up there. Yea I know there's a difference, just something inside me. Have killed a few myself over the years though but never skinned one! My worry with a coyote is one killing my chickens or, God forbid, One of my dogs! If one killed one of my dogs it would cease to be a dog itself.

He talked about cartridges and that I get! With what I have now if I go out looking for coyote's it would be my 243 with either a 70gr Sierra match bullet of a 75gr V-Max. If I was to get a rifle just for them though I'd get a 222Rem and probably use 50gr Hornady SX's bullets. Talked to a couple guys hunting them several years ago and they were using 223 Rem with 50gr SX bullets. I asked about pelt damage and they told me the bullets were not exiting. The went in and blew up inside the coyote's! I've seen with my 243 and 75gr V-Max bullets, bullet's go into 1" foam backing and paper target at 200yds and the bullet's blew up leaving scrap behind the target. Going out to look for a couple cougar attacking my son's fried horse's and have some loaded up 75gr HP's to try on them. Will see what I see!

Last coyote I killed was with my 6.5x06 out elk hunting. At about a bit over 100 yds the 140gr bullet went in just behind the shoulder and exited the off side. Only pelt damage was small hole's in and out. I suspect the bullet was heavy and tuff enough not to upset much going through is why! Used to shoot a 222 Rem a lot but shot 50gr SX'x in it Or 52gr Sierra match. Tried 55 gr and accuracy went south on me so stuff with what worked. A 17 with a light bullet driven fast might not exit either. Problem I have with 17's is I have read where the barrels foul easily. Don't really know though as I have never shot one. Good thing about my old 222 Rem was I could fire a shot and with the lack of recoil could watch the bullet hit through the scope. Down side would be pretty good lack of range due to short bullet and lower muzzle velocity. Might have to find me another one and try it. Tuff getting even deer out at my age but bet I could drag a coyote!

First time I looked at this site and looks pretty good! Used to watch one from Texas, I think it was, and like reading about varmint and predator hunting!

BTW, meet Snicker. Got him, his dad, Stormy and a half sister Abby! can't imagine skinning one of them. Roy Rogers dog, Bullet, was skinned and mounted, full body mount, when he died. Still a super video though!

cOYcML4h.jpg



Love posting photo's of my dogs! :)
 
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