APPARENTLY THE NEW PHOTO UPLOAD FEATURE HAS LIMITS, SO I HAD TO DO THIS IN 3 PARTS.
A while back I made a post about how I put up bobcats. It was back in the days before direct photo upload on T-man and since I needed to clean up my Photobucket account, I deleted the photos. I've had a bunch of folks pm me and ask me to put the photos back up so I thought I'd do that. I know, I know . . . I said on another thread the other day I was done making substantive posts because they always turn into shouting matches.
Because nearly every substantive post seems to generate so much controvers, let me issue a disclaimer first; true, its probably pointless since most of you won't read it anyway, but for what its worth, here goes. This method isn't something that I created, invented or came up with. Some info I got from Joel Blakeslee, some from Bill Ilchik, some from Steve Woods, and some I just starting doing my own way (right or wrong). This isn't the only way, maybe not even the best way, but its one way that works and lots of fur buyers over the years seem to approve of it. I realize that it might not appeal to every trapper in every part of the country and cats where you are may be different -- heaven knows they are ALL PROBABLY LARGER than mine. I might add that I have modified my own technique slightly because I now use an electric skinner (thanks ADC), but since many trappers probably don't use one, I describe my method "Pre-electric skinner." So here it is for what its worth.
First, hang up the cat by one foot.
Next, make an incision from one heel to the other. Most guys use the "color line" (where the brown meets the white from the belly) as their guide, but my own preference (from Joel "Alpha Male" Blakeslee) is to cut just inside the white of the belly. You'll see why later when we stretch the cat, but for now, take my word for it.
Now peel back the fur from the incisions.
Peel the skiin away and cut around the anal vent. Because I like to use the glands from my cats (more on that later), I make sure that I leave the anal glands on the carcass, and not on the fur. The two glands are located on each side of the anal opening and look like small blue or white BB's or peas.
The point is, the fur buyer isn't going to miss that tiny swatch of fur, so I like to make sure I get the glands, even if it means getting a little fur (which will be trimmed later). In this photo, I've cut through the anal vent, leaving the glands attached to the swatch of fur I'm holding in my fingers.
Now run your knife blade up the tail as far as you easily can.
Grab the base of the tail with a pair of pliers - but don't cinch down tight on the fur. The tailbone should slide between the jaws of the pliers while the fur/skin binds up on the pliers. Now just pull the skin off.
Now pull the skin down toward the head.
The skin should pull easily until you get to the front shoulders. At this point, I use my knife sharpener (but any blunt, smoot, round rod will work) and poke it through the armpits. If you want to see an expert in action at this, watch Steve Woods' BobCATCHing, Volume I.
Poke the rod through the armpit, and just push down on the rod. It should strip the fur right to the carpal (wrist) joint.
Now cut the skin free at the carpal joint by making a cut all around the front leg.
At this point, pull down toward the head to expose the ear bases (ah, fooled the profanity filter there by not calling them ear b u t t s, didn't I?). Cut across the ear base like so.
Here, I'm pointing to the large ear glands. Some trappers use them for lure and want to collect them. Not saying you have to, or should, or anything else . . . just wanting to point them out.
At this stage, I release the back foot from my gambrel and swap ends with the cat, hanging the cat by the skin of the mid-section. This allows me to work on freeing the remainder of the skin from the cat's head without getting the cat all bloody. With the cat hanging by its back foot for even a few minutes, the blood has now settled in the head and is under quite a bit of pressure. As soon as you cut a vein or artery in the head, blood is going to come gushing out all over your pretty cat fur. Swap ends on the cat before proceeding further and you'll have less mess.
Now cut carefully around the eyes, and cut the nose.
