I don't know if this will be helpful, but as I was getting things around for the drop off I thought I might take some pictures of finished fur so others can see how it should look (or at least how mine looks). Of course, I know I am not the end all, so I am open to critique.

Beaver:
Just boarded:

Finished drying and off the board:


You can see how I boarded it a bit too tight with the light spotting near the front legs. Better to board them loose, but I didn't feel like adjusting by the time I realized it was too tight.

Coyote:
Before the flip

Off the board



Some raccoons just boarded:

And off the boards


Opossum:

Finished



Skunk boarded:

Finished skunk:



Mink on the boards:

Finished male and female



Muskrats:

Some foxes too:




Think that is all the species I have around right now. Feel free to add your pictures on here too and comment on how you do yours, tips to do it better, you name it. Seems like there are always people asking questions about fur put-up...

Good post.If everyone handled their fur like that we would all get more money for our product.

Boco, I might not be the quickest or sharpest, but I try and do it right.

That overall is a nice looking group of pelts. You should be proud of your fur handling skills. Too bad the market is such that you aren't going to get rich from that collection.

Keep up the good work.

Wissmiss, I scaled way back this year and actually sold most everything green early. While I think it was the right choice (only time will tell) I felt quite guilty about not finishing it myself. I have always enjoyed handling the furs. It is too bad about the market, but at least well handled fur won't fail on the merits of it's own quality and will always rise above poorly handled skins. We all know you can't make a poor skin better, but you can make a quality skin poor.

Excellent work.

Thanks Beav, and all of you. Again, this is intended to help others out and not meant to be bragging or showing off or anything of the sort.

You would be justified if you wanted to brag a little fingertrapper. Because of photos like theses and reading Boco's and Beavs posts I have started putting more time into finishing fur. Thought I did a good job until I found this site. Be pround my friend.

Very Nice. So I have a question. I have an EXL beaver and got into a bit of a hurry 12/25 getting it fleshed out and cut a big ol hole just above the tale about 1.5 inches from the edge. I got mad at my self and put in the freezer. Wondering if I can/or should still flesh that chunk, it is still attached then attempt to sew up the hole. or just live with the mistake and cut it off.

Forgot to mention misswiss, When I'm scrolling through posts and see any of you three reply, I know it's worth the read.

Excellent fur handling. I tried to find some critique but to no avail. Like Boco said if all trappers could achieve that proficiency in fur handling it would make the collection of wild fur look a lot better for sure.

Janzman,I would flesh the pelt and board it with the hole,nail the hole closed when boarding,that way you shouldn't lose a size.
If you cut it off you could lose a size.

More: Excellent inspection windows. Your rats are nicely squared off with that extra pin to gain maximum size. Ears on fur out cartridge removed. Great shape to all pelts.

I would agree with Boco. If it were really close, like less than a half inch I would consider trimming it, and boarding it smaller. It also depends on how big the hole is. You might see from the one I showed it has some bite scars down by the tail. It will likely be downgraded for those, but I didn't trim it down because it would drop a size-or more. Like I mentioned earlier, they should be boarded relatively loose and sometimes a defect by the edge can be trimmed off without affecting the size. Boarding them loose makes the fur denser, resulting in a better grade which is much better to have than a larger size and lower grade.

Thank you Ron. I have been at it for only 8 years, but each year I pick up a few extra tricks that make it a little better and quicker. I just started with wood on the rats last year and don't think I'll go back to wire (unless it is modified). They look and feel so much thicker.

Thanks, Boarding it is. So another question. I get bank and lodge beaver here. the bank beaver are nice and clean, but the lodge beaver are covered with beaver beetles and matts in the hair. How do you get the matts out. I don't think I can comb them out.so CUT??

No don't cut,if you cant comb them out leave them..If you don't clean skin be careful fleshing if mats are present,you could nick a hole.

Roger that. leave them, use caution when fleshing, I don't clean skin, sometimes I skin in the field because I am back in quite a ways and they get heavy.

You might want to give clean skinning a try, even if it is back in the bush. I gave it a try recently and it wasn't much of a change for me. I often flesh beaver one handed with a curved knife so clean skinning was easier than I thought it would be. No sense in carrying any extra weight out at all. I am probably too young and foolish so I have areas where I walk back to ponds well over a mile and those beaver have always come out as skins only (unless I needed the meat for some reason).

I am old and foolish but sure like finding the untouched, get some real big ones in there, 1 mile in is about my limit. What is the curved knife you like?

I use the Dexter Russel beaver knife. It is inexpensive, but easy to sharpen and has a good curve. Trapper Les has another he uses which I think is a Green river...

Those beaver have glacier silt deposits In the fur. That's what's causing the matting. My son In Law has a few hides like that and I can't see anyway how you could get them out.

I trapped the claybelt for a few seasons and some of the beaver had hard mats deep in the underfur.I had never seen that before in the northcountry(mushkego).I asked the trappers what caused it and they said it was clayballs from the fine clay silt in the water.

My beaver out here throw up dust after put up no matter what I do. Can never get then clean. Like shaking out a welcome mat.

Blow the fur with a shop vac after drying.Its surprising all the dust that comes out of a dry beaver pelt.

ttt

Ok, this wouldn't be complete without feedback on how the fur graded. I only sent a small amount up to auction this time so I do know exactly how some of these graded (FHA).

1. Coyote: 3x-2x Select Semi B
2. Grey fox: 1x-LG I-II Semi Med
3. Red fox: 1x-Lg I-II C
4. Beaver:1x Slt DG XDK-Brn
Remember, I said the beaver would likely grade damaged due to the bite scars down by the tail?
5. Opossum: 4x-3x I-II
6. Skunk: 2x II & SLT
My skunks almost always grade poorly. Best I can come up with is that they are not prime when I get them. They all tend to have thin skin and a lot of flea bites. Hair on them is not really nice either, compared to what I see coming out of other states.
7. Mink: Male: 1x-lg Select XDK-DK
Female: 1x-lg Select XDK-DK
8. Muskrat: Honestly, I can't say because I sent too many in. I have all sorts of grades from I-II Semi to I-II SLT DMG (all 3x-2x this year). Understand too that having damaged rats, just like the beaver, often doesn't have anything to do with the put up. Some rats get bitten and have scars.
9. Raccoon: same, I sent several so it is hard to know which was what. Grades were good as they can be considering the type of raccoon we have here. I think I showed the one that graded 3x Select A-B above next to one that graded 5x-4x GD SLT D...(3x is next to the two mink on the boards, 5x is next to another coon and the two foxes)

I know this is a down year, but once they sell I will post prices too.

Skunks prime really late. Late winter and Spring skunks are your best. And the stripe configuration also makes a difference In how your skunks grade.

Beav, that is what I figured. Unfortunately around here any late skunks I get are always rubbed and the white turns very yellow. Most here tend to den underground which seems to be quite rough on them.

Just realized that I didn't include section/region of the grades.

Ok prices. Understand that this is a down year...
Coyote: $30, which is typical for our easterns. Bad color and wire haired. This was a good coyote by the standards around here (except for the color), but can't compare to a western.
Red and grey fox were no sale.
Beaver: $10.50
Opossum: $5, did better than rats lol. Too bad no top lot awards for possum... I try and only put up the good ones.
Skunk: no sale
Mink: Male $16.50, top lot. Female was $7.50
Muskrat: Average just under $3. Best and worst didn't sell.
Raccoon: all no sale

Again, prices are bad this year. I can't imagine trying to sell poorly handled fur in a down market.

Frost scraped and frost dried fall skunk(didn't want to dry it inside).

I'd like to try the frost scraping some time, but it almost never gets cold enough here. This winter especially. Do you have trouble going too deep and hitting the roots when you frost scrape a skunk? The early ones can be tough in that regard when done over a beam.

Skunk is mostly fat so it scrapes very easy.I usually do mine outside in the spring on a beam,and dry in the shed.
I found that one in bottom of freezer when digging out the bear hide so I thought I would try the frost scrape and dry.
It seems to be mostly grease free no problem with the hair roots.

Thanks. I agree they scrape easily, just the early ones can be easily overdone. I start getting them in October in canine sets and they are a long way from prime then.

Lay your skunks on top of your beam when fleshing that way the hide Is cushioned. And try and keep your fleshing knife a lot flatter when your removing that fat.

Try melby fur conditioner it works good for getting fur thats matted with blood untangled. Give it a try and see if it works.

I'll have to try that. Like the coons, on skunks it is mostly pushed off with the dull side. However, I agree the angle still matters.

Nice fur ! Excellent handling, all trappers should strive to be excellent fur handlers like yourself. I lay my mink on top of my beam and flesh from tail to head first and then reverse. Protects hair roots and easier to control fat. The fat under the saddle sqweejeez out easier.

These were layed on top of beam like Beav describes for skunk. Lay your fleshing knife flat with light pressure and the saddles come off mostly without damageing hair roots. If the saddle doesn't come off easy sqweeze all the fat you can from them and leave the saddle. Hey Fingertrapper do your mink grade northern or north central? Mine are a mix.

Very nice job on the mink,trappergbus

Thanks Boco, that means alot from a fur handler like youself.

Mink look real nice Gary. So far all of my mink go Northern at FHA. I haven't shipped to NAFA before. Might make a difference? Anyway, they have always graded and sold well at FHA. I have only been downgraded on ticks or scars as well, never any damage. Even then the tick/scars have barely made a difference in price. During the "boom" year I got a $36 average on my mink. Most will usually go extra dark as well, with the occasional (rare) being graded brown. I rarely get any as light as what you have shown in the upper shot (could just be the photo).

Didn't see any otter so thought I'd show some. One was just boarded and the other 2 had been drying for a couple of days.

Thanks, The lighting in my garage makes fur look pale. But I do get some pales but most are dk,med brown. I averaged 27 that year, may send some to FHA next year. I've noticed that Mink normally do better at FHA.

Nice looking fur Doug!

Good looking otter Doug. Sure wish we had more of those around here. Only allowed 3 total in the state, but where I am it is one. Not even worth trying for, and supposedly just designed so that the incidentals don't have to be turned in-which is a good rule.

Gary-I figured that the lighting might be affecting it. I have always been pleased with how prices for mink and beaver come out at FHA. I only sent in 3 mink this season (didn't even set a trap specifically for them based on market forecast, and wish I would have). Turned out that my average on the three was over $10. Not great, but not as bad as I expected.

I sent 20 to NAFA for the may sale, we'll see what happens. Wish I would have ran a longer mink line too. 10 ain't great but is better than expected.

Well folks, dragging this back up again because this came in the mail recently.

When I made this post the mink I sent in were just the two pictured, and one other. This is the result from one of them. You can't make the fur better, but you can make it worse...

Here is an otter, beaver and mink that I put up

All look pretty good. I would suggest some minor adjustments in your processing.

--Square off your otter butt and leave tail more natural like "Doug66" picture.
--Trim nose off of beaver.
--Lengthen mink and square butt at same time by following this put up procedure:

The following mink pelt boarding procedure will provide the greatest length possible for a mink skin along with dense fur in the inspection area. This is accomplished by putting the fleshed pelt snug on the board. Then, without any pining, with your thumbs on the lower belly and fingers on the back message the belly up and the back down. Then:

1) Grasp the butt end of the tail and lift up off the board an towards the tip of the board at the same time,
2) Now pull the tail down the board taut and pin in center of the board.
3) Then knead the tail upward along the board, making it shorter and wider and thus increasing the fur density in the butt area.
4) Pin the tail out in that position with cardboard or wire screen.
5) Now with a push pin grab about ½ inch of leg and pleat over to edge of the tail. Repeat until most of both legs are pleated onto the back side of the board forming a square butt.
6) The final step is to trim out the inspection window and cut off any excess leg remaining on the edge of the board.





I do my otter the same way as mink.

Good looking mink! Those are the directions I follow when putting mine up as well.

Further to my post above, creating the inspection window while trimming excess leg of no value off, remove lower lip and tuck front legs in.

Excellent work by all. many don't like putting up fur but I sure do. Regardless of price I'm always interested on how the grades come out. Its that time of year and I have a freezer full to do.

.

Here is a heavy pale fox I did up for taxidermy,for reference.

Hey Boco, is the cartilage removed from the ears of the fox or simply split?

Looks very nice.

I took the cartilage right out,and skinned out the feet,and left the lip on.Thats about it for a taxi job on canine.

Back up so anyone can add this season's tips or tricks, put up pics.

We think alike. Caught three the other day - one a 50 pounder. At 67, I was not about to haul over 100 pounds of beaver and my gear out of the woods for a mile! Heck with that noise - I skin them in the woods and make coyote sets...

This will be a huge help for those just starting to put up fur.

I've always heard to leave the saddles on the fox, coyote and mink.. I always remove them but never had any problems.i got a top lot award for red fox last time I sold fur and I removed the saddle on all my fox. I removed the saddle on 3 mink and tanned one of them so far, no slippage. I also noticed you didn't flesh the heads at all on your coons. I always flesh mine pretty clean. Am I wasting my time fleshing the heads or you think it's worth the extra few minutes? I also don't pin out the coon tails all the way, as most of my coon are dried on wire. Thanks for the post your fur looks real nice. Nice and square.
Do you remove the septum on your beaver?

Great questions. Leave the saddles on mink, muskrat, and red fox-unless there are significant fat deposits underneath. Northern coyote will usually have too much fat and require the saddle to be removed. Given your location I think most often you would be safe leaving it on for those species. When tanning the saddles are removed in the dressing process, so if you were to home tan you also would remove the saddle. After pickling is the easiest time to do this, or during rather.
For the coons, no I don't flesh the heads. But I am careful when I skin to only remove what I need without having huge globs of fat at the base of the ears or excessive tissue elsewhere. In my opinion fleshing them is a waste of time. During dressing they are cut off behind the ears and mainly discarded. As for pinning tails that only matters if you have troubles getting them dry. I do it to speed things up. If they dont dry properly the tails will rot. Wire screen and staples is popular too, just wasn't my style. Perhaps if I put up more it would be.
On the beaver the nose, whiskers, and lips have been removed. When I'm in the mood I remove the ears too. Trimming the head of the beaver is easily done by placing the first nail behind the nose and making the oval shape as it is tacked out. Any bits outside the oval are simply cut off. Now I just don't skin those parts and save a step.

Hope these answers help.

Very helpful. Very few fox have any fat under the saddle down here.. actually most coyotes I skin out have quite a bit of fat. I knew they didn't use the face I always figured it just looked better fleshed. I'll probably keep fleshing them as it only takes me literally a minute or 2 to slice thru the cheek and top of head.. your answers were very helpful. I appreciate it.

For my Northern (I guess compared to most) skins, I only leave the saddle on muskrats. Everything MUST go because of the large amount of fat under the saddle.
I couldn't even imagine leaving the saddle on a coyote, it would be stiff like the cedar board it came off when dried.

As a good "rule of thumb", if a finished pelt is stiff, it is under fleshed. These will always be Section II pelts, in extreme cases with coyotes in particular, section III pelts.
This of course doesn't apply to heavy leathered animals like Beaver and Otter.

Spruce

With mink I lay them head down over the beam. If the saddle comes of without to much pressure its removed. If not its left but I try to squeeze all the fat out from under. Some yotes here have more fat than others, the saddle comes of all being careful not to cut hair roots.

Gary, I would guess the earlier caught ones and pups would be the ones to watch carefully when fleshing so that the root isn't damaged. Also a possible scenario where the saddle is left on? I always removed it on coyotes...

Here is a winter fox I done up for taxidermy a couple years ago.You must leave the saddles on these canines,taking it off these type of winter pelts will leave the leather like tissue paper,and they will have problems tanning it.

Boco, do you leave it on during the pickling process? You tan with the saddle on fox? I've got one pickling now and planned to do my final clean up tomorrow before finishing the pickle.

Yes those very thin skinned winter fox,or any thin skinned animal like rats that also have a very light saddle,are tanned with the saddles on.
Thick skinned and or animals with heavy saddles,the saddles should be removed before or during the pickleing.

Hey Boco, do you dry your furs in a heated building or do you freeze dry them. How long does it take?

Thanks

I dry my fur in a cold room about 10c.

Here is the put up on red squirrel(you guys call em pine squirrel)for reference.

Now that I am in the south and catching nutria, it got me wondering: anyone care to post some nutria fleshed and stretched? I have not boarded any yet, but here is my first attempt at skinning and fleshing one. Not sure if it was right but I skinned it much like I would a muskrat: heel to tail to heel and peel.

Looks good,never had a chance to process nutria,or possums.

I dont think you are missing much. However they are each unique in their own way. Much like opossum, nutria seem to have very thin skin. But they flesh more like a muskrat.

I need to find some dimensions to make a few boards. Unless someone has the information on which "standard" board to use.