Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire One way to skin a ...

I've gotten quite a few PM's asking how to skin critters and thought this might help some - Start at the hind end and peel toward the head.

Well I'll be dogged!

Um, would those cuts apply to cats too? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

--Mike

I've only taken a couple of cats, and skinned the feet out on them as the guy I was selling to said that's the way he wanted them. I've since heard varying reports as to how buyers want them so limited the cuts to describing canines. These cuts would, of course, apply equally to cats if the feet weren't wanted/needed. So yup, this is one way to skin a cat. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

With regards to cats, I just shoot 'em and throw them over the bank. I let the ravens skin 'em.

Thanks for the serious reply, Ranger1. My question was intended more as tongue-in-cheek and referring to the local, feral variety. We have the occasional putty tat that fights, always at night waking me up, with my daughters cat. It's hard to get a shot at the varmints at 2AM!

Why not keep the hind feet and front legs when tubing them? (this question is serious!)


--Mike

Buyers usually don't care if they are there or not as most of the canine pelts are going to the trimming of coats these days and the feet are simply tossed if they are present. Cats usually go for fur coats or to taxidermists I believe - the feet are desireable for those that will be used for display/mounting.

I think the main reason for not leaving the feet and claws on a pelt that is to be sold as fur, not to a taxidermist, is that the claws tent to tear fur out of the pelts when they go thru the "drumming" process (tumbled in media to remove dirt and grease, kinda like tumbling brass). Several pelts at a time are placed in the drum, so I can see where the claws could present a problem. Also, I had a fur grader from one of the auction houses tell me that he gets cuts on his hands every time he grades fur, due to some pelts having the feet and claws left on.
Again, this applies only to pelts that are to be sold as fur, not taxidermy specimens.