I have a few coons that are stuck on the boards. How do I get them off?

Thanks,

BP

Set them outside tonight and they will pull off in the morning. Use a belly wedge next time!

Did you use a belly board? If not, there lies the problem. LOL, a skinning machine might do it, or a winch, that's all I know, LOL.

DC, will they loosen up with the cold? How does that work?

I used belly wedges, but they still won't come off.

Will the wedges not come out? Or are the coons still stuck on? If they are still stuck on, I've found with most critters that you just need to pull really really hard.

you can wrap in a damp towel and set aside for a short while ... also a good series of taps on a hard floor or something will work sometimes

belly wedges belly wedges belly wedges

sometimes a sharp blow to the floor will be enough to jar the stuck fur loose you can try it works for me and now I use belly boards LOL NO problems after that

If you have a vise, put the but end of your board in the vise and get a towel or big rag and wrap it around the shoulders and up and give the coons a good pull. Be carefull and try not to grip the hide any harder than necessary, because you actually are trying to pull against yourself. You also might try grabbing the coon by the sides and try rapping the nose of the board on the floor. Just don't do it to hard or you will mess the nose of your board up.

i do the same as don, i put base in a vice but just take a pair of pliers or channellocks and grip the coon by the nose, it will pull off with no damage, i do this with mink on boards as well.

I take a large size flathead screw driver and wedge it between the nose cartlidge and the top of the board. Typically you can just pry them a bit and they are free. When I used wire I sometimes had the nose cartledge wrap more completely around the top of the wire form and some of those I just took a vice grips and opened up the nose end as they were on pretty tight.
I now use all wood and a wedge.
Bryce

I have a screw about 7 foot off the floor and put the coon's nose above it and pull gently down on the sides of the board. Never had one rip and always come off.

I do the same as bankrunner. I have a nail in my shed to hook the coons nose on, then pull down on the board. Works like a charm.

I will be installing a nose nail tonight

I have been doing it the same as Don but I like the Nail idea.

Whoooda Thunkit?

I used to pull mine with my gambrel hooks, but it tore to many noses on the coons. Then I went to a screw driver and also had problems tearing the noses of some of them.

i tried about all methods mentioned then stumbled on to the one i use now. slip a round shanked screwdriver in one ear and out the other. a slow and steady pull and off it comes. i have never ripped a coon yet with this method.
i have since split most of my boards down the center so i can spread the pelt slightly after boarding.

A couple of hours in the deep freezer or leave them outside overnight.

The warm dry hide will absorb moisture from the cold, enough to many times make the hide just a bit more flexible, but not enough to make it wet.

Works very well also with hides that require turning and have been allowed to dry too much.

if all else fails split the board

this is one reason I decided to use adjustable boards, when finished, I let the board in and the fur comes of pretty easlily, sorry i couldn't be of more help