Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
I have just skinned that bobcat, and I don't know what bobcats are made out of, but I think it's the same stuff as wild hogs. It took hours to get that thing off. What is the proper way to skin varmits? The easiest way? And the way fur buyers what it? There has to be an easier way.
Thats odd that it took you hours to skin one. I think the longest it took me is 45 min. Skin them as fresh as you can that always helps. I don't know how you did it but I have found the best way is skin them like a raccoon,or case skin. First cut all the way around the front paws, about half way up the leg. Make a slit down the hind legs where the belly fur meets the back fur and cut a circle around the anus. Peel the hide off around the legs and work your way up towards the paws as far as you can then cut the hide when you get about 3 inches from the paw. Work the hide down and strip the tail out with a tail puller. Then just pull on that hide and do as little cutting as possible being cats are extremely thin skinned. Getting the fur off the front legs, is in my opinion, the hardest part. Just pull down and try to seperate the hide from the front legs and work yourself a hole between the leg and the body connecting the belly and side of the hide(this is really hard to explain).When you get to the head be as careful as you can not to cut any arteries(it makes a big mess). Feel for the ears and cut them as close to the base of the ear canal you can. Cut around the eyes(don't mess up here, this really hurts the pelts price if you screw up). Now work over around the lips and peel them off the carcass. On the bottom lip,cut it off about 3/4-1 inch before you get to the end because if you freeze it it will curl under and taint. Be sure to feel for the base of the nose and cut straight down keeping the nose and upper lip on the pelt. This is the way I was taught and how the fur buyers take them.
Without passion.....Why bother?
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Without passion.....Why bother?
Thanks guys,
Maybe it took me so long because I had no good light? I skinned it like you would a deer. Only with a deer I normaly hang it before I skinned it. I skinned it right after I took the pictures, maybe 20 minutes after it expired. It just seemed odd that when I was pulling on the hide, it was like it would just stop giving. When I forced it, meat and everything else came with it. I'm always afraid to use my knife too much with skinning as I like a nice flawless hide for tanning. I probably just need more practice with skinning varmits. One thing I like about bobcats is they don't smell nearly as bad as coyotes. (at least this one didn't)
It has been my experience that skinning yotes you more or less have to use your knife all the way, not enough fat on em to let you pull the skin off by hand. They are definitely the hardest critter I have skinned. Have't had the pleasure of skining a cat yet(they're protected here)
If I ain't huntin',I'm trappin',If I ain't trappin',I'm fishin'
If I ain't fishin',I'm wishin'!
Edited by - trapperDave on 01/19/2003 09:34:40
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SCOTT WILDLIFE CONTROL
" solutions to wildlife conflicts"
Martin shooter
Try using a razor blade instead of a knife. Get the "old timey" square ones. The triangle shaped ones for the utility knives don't work very well. Buy plenty of them because they get dull really quick.
We shoot a great deal of foxes every year and when the skins are in top condition we actually use a small compressor. You place a small cut in the back leg and place the air nozzle up the leg between the skin and the flesh. Put your hand around the leg and the air nozzle, grip tightly and inflate. If you have done it correctly the skin will seperate from the body by about 90%. You still have to skin around the head and we use two sticks to slide the tail off the bone. Give it a go......
I agree with trapper dave. The longer you wait, the longer it will take you to skin it. Skin when the kill is fresh. If you know someone who buys the hides, go and hang out at the dock for a while. There will be trappers that come in with hides that would probably be more than happy to share their little tricks of the trade. I have picked up plenty of little tricks at the docks talking to seasoned trappers.
skinning varmits
