Question for Blaine Eddy

[Maineiac the original]

This far north we get good prime fur. But the prices stink 22 last year was what they paid.

 

[brad h]

I usually wait till I get back to the garage. The temps get pretty bad here in the badlands too. Ive done a few frozen, Cant wait to give it a try when theyre still warm. I consitered a set up close to what Blaine described, but I think Ill get a little more practice in first.

Brad

 

[Krustyklimber]

Never done it hot or cold... never even seen it done until I got Gerry Blair's tape sent to me last week.

Dunno if I ever will, I don't have anyplace to put up fur, and in a year of tryin' no coyotes shot yet... may not ever need to put any up.

What's a shoulder plunger?

Jeff

 

[Rich Cronk]

Krusty,
When skinning a coyote, it can be tough getting the hide down past the front shoulders. Something like a large phillips screwdriver to push between hide and muscle gives a guy something to get a hold of and pull like hell. (shoulder plunger) I had a large pair of fencing pliers, and would use one handle of those buggers to get the shoulder thing done.

 

[DAA]

As far as vertical or horizontal, seems like almost all my skinning is at a 45 degree

. Usually, hang them from a tree, but the trees in the areas I call aren't very tall, so I end up pulling down at an angle. And if there ain't a tree handy, I pull one wheel of the truck onto a back foot and pull up at an angle.

- DAA

 

[Rich Cronk]

DAA said--"I pull one wheel of the truck onto a back foot and pull up at an angle."
----------------
DAA,
Old Murry Burnham used to skin em that way also.

If I decide to start skinning again, I think maybe I will mount a skinning pole on my back bumper of the Nissan. I used to skin em as I caught em when running traps. I learned to skin with those rubber gloves on. You know, those gloves with the gripping tread on the fingers? It was tricky to learn to skin without getting the "feel" of skinning bare handed. I just didn't like freezing my fingers out there in zero temps. LOL

 

[Lone Howl]

DAA, I forgot all about that one, holdin' it down with the tire. I did that one year when "we" forgot to bring anything to hang or hook up the Greyfox we were calling. Good technique..

 

[Blaine Eddy]

I know what you mean MTO. Sure seems like alot of work for your return $$ doesnt it? I remember one year in particular when the Fur Market bottomed out. I had about 90 pelts and was looking at a $17 average. I picked out my best stuff and had me a coat made, just to have something to show for my efforts! Do you think it's the color of your dogs in that region that negatively affect their value out that way? Iv'e heard they are a darker coyote and huge! How is the Bobcat Market out there? Brad! When i was much younger i mostly nitehunted, we would wait till morning or mid day then peel our stuff, but over the years the concrete business has really taken it's toll on my hands, so for about the last 15 years or so I dont let em go much more than a few minutes before I peel em, When i'm huntin with my partner and we are successful on a stand, we drive to the next stand and i usually stay back at the truck and peel the dogs,Fox etc. then i drop off the other side for a quick stand before my partner returns from his stand, best day we ever had using this system was 16 dogs peeled, and guess who was the lucky sap who did the peelin! Sure felt good though after returning home to not have to pull any frozen Fur the next morning.

 

[Maineiac the original]

I don't think that they are dark. In fact they are a very light gray. They unofficial theory is that they have cross breed with the Gray wolf. Yes they are big. This past winter there were three coyotes traveling. I set a Sceery AP-6 in the track. The mouth piece was at the middle claw and the bell was at the back of the pad. By the time I got home on sled to get the camera and returned the snow was already in the tracks. So I did not take a picture. I am waiting to take a picture when that big dog is hanging on the scale.