hey i'm joshe i am 15 i have deer hunted forever but i just started coyote hunting and i would like to start skinning them.just for me not to sell or anything.just for like rugs or hang up? i am clueless about tanning i looked at krowtann and it looks awsome because it is all u have to do but i don't know?any suggestions on skinning, tanning and tools would be greatly appreciated! thanks

Welcome to the forums Joshe!

Never tanned a hide so can't give you any advice but I'm sure someone will come along with good advice!

Dimitri

I will also say welcome. I don't know the best wat to do it, so I can't really comment maybe coyote hunter will come along and enlighten you.

www.predatormastersfor...ning.shtml

thelibrary.org/lochist.../wi76o.htm

www.coyotegods.com/pagepart10.html

Here are just a couple links, hopefully this will help you out, the last one provides info for a video you could buy if that will help out better. When I was your age, neither my friend's mom or mine would let us anywhere near the house to do any pelt work....so we by guessed and by gollied our way through it - it wasn't pretty - finally got in good with our woodshop teacher who took us inder his wing - life was better after that and we were making upwards of $50/hide during the cold winters when the pelts were good and thick - not a clue what they go for nowadays. After reading through these, it appears that they will provide you some good starting info to tackling the job of skinning them out - if you get this right, the tanning will come out a lot better. Good luck and good hunting!

WW

thanx for all the help on skinning but what about tanning???? can u just salt or is that preparing for tanning? any links to help? thanks again

www.state.tn.us/twra/p...ghides.pdf

www.nativetech.org/tanning/

www.primitiveways.com/...anafox.htm

www.heggeseth.com/tanning.asp

here are a couple - hope this helps. Depending on your age and state in which you reside, some of the chemicals mentioned in these articles may be regulated or controlled for 18 years of age. I don't know about you, but I never really had a hankorin' for a good swig of turpentine, although I have tasted some home brews which would probably be close on a litmus test.

I guess for my $0.02, I would kick around your area and see who is doing some tanning or seek out some old timers. Books are great, but they don't really give you the wisdom or insight to use caution on the "gotcha's". Some of these seasoned folks or old timers have learned these things the hard way and I think would have a great amount of knowledge to pass on. It is sad to me that we are losing many of our WWII, Korean and even Vietnam veterans, these guys grew up in the days of setting trap lines, skinning and even tanning before there were so many regulations - and unfortunately with the world being so busy and everyone caught up in their own lives, I think we have missed out on a great opportunity to harvest those generation's knowledge. That would be the best advice I can offer, besides, you could knock out a good deed by just spending time with one of these folks.

Didn't mean to offer a lecture, just my $0.02 because it is something I care a lot about.


WW

Joshe,

I would start out looking for a local buyer of "green" furs. Most local guys will be willing to share some procedures with a newcomer(afterall, without a source of green furs, he only has his harvest to count on). See what he's striving for in a stretched and dried hide, and ask him how to achieve the same result. You might be surprised how much info you can gather just by asking (look how many people have responded to your question here).

joshe wrote:

thanx for all the help on skinning but what about tanning???? can u just salt or is that preparing for tanning? any links to help? thanks again

Gidday Joshe...welcome to HuntingNut. Grab a Coke and pull up a stump and sit awhile mate.

I would imagine that skinning one 4 legged critter would be much the same as any other 4 legged critter.

As for tanning...I have tanned a few hides...kangaroo and deer. The initial salting I do with "fluffy" salt, although I would imagine that any salt will do, in order to preserve the hide until I can get to it. I liberally coat the entire inside of the hide then roll it up and put it in a plastic garbage bag to transport home.

I purchase a commercial tanning kit...this is the one I use:

Leders Tanning Kit

This kit comes with everything you will need to tan your hide; with the exception of the salt you need to mix with the tanning solution.

Its not really difficult, but is hard work. You will have sore hands after "fleshing" the hide...removing all the fat and flesh off the inside of the hide...but it must be done. After that its easy...simply a matter of following the instructions in the kit.

Good luck with your tanning venture mate.

Cheers, Vince

Vince wrote:

[You will have sore hands after "fleshing" the hide...removing all the fat and flesh off the inside of the hide...but it must be done. After that its easy...simply a matter of following the instructions in the kit. Good luck with your tanning venture mate. Cheers, Vince

Does that mean my doctor wants me tanned?

That SOB keeps going there...

vince wrote:

removing all the fat and flesh off the inside of the hide

hunterjoe21 wrote:

Does that mean my doctor wants me tanned? That SOB keeps going there...

Could be mate...could be. He sounds a bit like my Dr...he keeps cutting slabs of steak off'n me under the guise of checking for skin cancers.

Cheers, Vince

Vince wrote:

hunterjoe21 wrote: Does that mean my doctor wants me tanned? That SOB keeps going there... Could be mate...could be. He sounds a bit like my Dr...he keeps cutting slabs of steak off'n me under the guise of checking for skin cancers. Cheers, Vince

Mine wants me to return in small slices.....