Three questions.

Got my first coon in a coni box. He was standing on his hind legs outside the box, caught in a 220 right behind the ears,
dead.

Here is an update with pics






Brought him back, skinned him out just fine.

Now when I got to the penis area, again I cut from ankle to ankle on the anus side of the base of the penis, then up from the tail on both sides of the anus to complete the cut. When I pulled his hide off I cut the hide away from the penis bone.

But then there is the penis sheath to deal with.

Question #1: Do I cut out the penis sheath for the sight window or do I flesh around it?



Next issue, I started fleshing him right away. WHAT A GOOEY MESS!

Fleshing a warm coon was like trying to scrape snot off of snot.

Question #2: Do you guys let them sit for a while to let the fat set up?



Last issue. When fleshing him I found four small holes on his back. I mean the size of a pin head.

Question #3: Do you think this was some sort of animal bite?

Knuckles, why are we still dealing with this. I told you how to avoid the whole thing in your last thread.

HOW TO SKIN A COON AND AVOID HIS PECKER:

1. Cut around the ankles (you got that part down pat)
2. Cut from ankle to penis hole from both legs.
3. Cut between vent and tail and out to each ankle.

This does two things for you. It creates a great inspection window, AND you don't deal with the genitals at all!

OH! Yes, I let them hang outside or in a very cool place for a couple of hours. That reduces the "milky runs" when fleshing.
Those could be animal bites, but more than likely they are slight injuries he got while fighting the trap. This especially happens when you catch them around fences and root wads.

After peeling the plew, put them in a freezer overnight to "set up" the fat. The consistency changes and is much easier to remove.
Are you sure the holes are on the back? Were the holes in like a 6" sq pattern? Sounds like nipple holes from the fleshing knife.

Bob, he was talking about a pecker, I have yet to run across nipples on a boar.

I have!

.......and did you find a use for them?

All mammals have nipples. Male and female. There is no need to cut off the penis sheathe or scrape around it when fleshing. This area will be cut away for the inspection window anyway.

I have no need for them, but as Dave said all mammals have them. If you remove the fat right, from the belly area, most of the time he has 2 well defined nipples about 3-4" above his penis.

My buyer has me leaving the penis hole one my coons. I cut a small inspection window. This is what my buyer wants. He said don’t remove any more fur than you have to.

Mike, all of that you have left is like the nipples on a boar (hog) useless. There is no fur there. BUT, if that is what your buyer wants, then I suggest you carry on.

That is my point Dave, there is no need to cut an inspection window if it is cut away during the skinning process.
It is all a matter of preference of course, and I prefer to do it in the beginning rather than add a step at the end.
If you will look at Mikes photo, you can see the natural inspection window that WOULD be there had he skinned his coon the way I described.
I am but one buyer, and I am but one trapper, but I have yet to have a complaint by the folks who buy my fur. In fact, more often than not, it is put into the premium pile.

them little holes might be where somebody peppered him with a load of low brass shot or something

The holes could have been from him rolling around on the trigger wires. They were about that size. I didn't really see them until I had his back fleshed. They were so small they were no problem, and no real pattern. My guess is a bite or the trigger wires.They did not go into the meat, just through the skin.

I find holes from all kinds of thing in the fur when fleshing. I have found shotgun shot, tick holes and a lot of times trigger holes. Depending on what type of trigger you use, the screws on bolt on triggers will do it.

True Mike. Little "tick marks" like that I don't worry about much, it is the big gaping holes by hounds and miscuts with the skinning knife that bother me!

Post deleted by wcollinge2000

No WC, you weren't taught wrong for the time. We used to stretch coon open and "square" too (by the way). Beaver used to be stretched round and not oval, and gray fox used to be sold fur out (always). There are always "new things" to try, and an open mind helps.
The way I am skinning coon is really no different with but one exception. Instead of dealing with the genatalia when it comes time to flesh, and dealing with cutting an inspection window when it is time to stretch, I am doing both as I skin.
Again, the way your Dad taught you, and the way Knuckles wants to do it isn't wrong, it's just not as efficient.
By the way, this method was taught to me about 30 years and thousands of coon ago.

Tex, we will only disagree on one point. My method does NOT remove anything but what is removed when cutting an inspection window. There is not one bit of marketable fur removed in the process if the cut is properly made.
You won't get anymore extra length by skinning your way than I do skinning mine. The extra length (if any) comes with properly boarding your coon and pleating it (as you described it above).
The only thing my (and many others) method does is remove the need to deal with cutting windows and removing genatalia. It can be argued that my method also does add to the length of the finished pelt.
You are right, it is the skinners (and more importantly) the buyers preference. But I'll bet that only 1 in 10 buyers will tell you that what I do is not the right way to do it. As I buyer I can testify to that.

wtg on the coon he didnt go far with that 220 necklace hes wearing

It was a good catch wasn't it?