This is my plan for Coons this year. Anyone see any glitches please let me know.

1. Skin in morning after line check.
2. Clean Unfleshed hydes in 5 gallon bucket of clean water.
3. Hang Hyde by nose and let drip dry during day when I am at work (approximately 8 hours).
4. Place Drip Dried hyde(s) in Freezer when I get home from work, face and tail tucked under with cardboard on bottom of freezer and newspaper between each hyde.
5. Next morning repeat while pulling hydes placed in Freezer night before out so they can defrost during day when at work.
6. Flesh defrosted hydes when I get home from work, and place other drip drying hydes in Freezer.

Constant cycle. Main thing, will it hurt the hydes to sit that long unfleshed during the day (8 hours) before being placed in the Freezer? Or vice versa, will 8 hours defrosting be too long for hyde that was in the Freezer for only about 15 hours.

Most of the time in Southern Ohio it will stay at least below 60 during the day in early Trapping Season. My hang dry area would be outside but in the shade under a deck. My defrost area would be the garage floor which would be right around 60 degrees.

I don't think they will get very dry in 8 hours if you completely soak them in water, unless you have a big fan on them.

I'm not sure why you'd freeze them? Seems to me you could just skin, wash them, let them hang in front of fan and flesh them the next day. They aren't going be hurt by hanging that long as long as there is air moving and they are not out in the sun or something.

The reason for freezing is that I have found for me at least, it is much much easier to flesh the coons if the fat has frozen first. It is then chunky and comes off easier as opposed to right after skinning when it seems to be slimy.

Why are you washing all of them? IMO, a green pelt is not going to be dry after 8 hours drip dry. If I put a pelt in the freezer, I want it dry.

I don't think I would wash them unless they are really bad dirty.Usually it is best to dry the fur on the carcass,then comb it and blow out the dust,dried mud etc with an air compressor or a shop vac,then they will be good to skin,freeze,flesh,whenever you want to process them.

I really don't see why your washing coon or placing them In the freezer over night.

Once a coon Is skinned you can leave that un fleshed hide laying around for 2 or 3 days with out any problems.
Turn the hide fur out cover with a tarp so they don't dry out and your good to go.

But If you decide to place In the freezer to stiffen up the fat I would put them In dry then remove them then If you see the need to wash them this would be the time to do It.

Thanks everyone. Good comments. I am re-thinking the washing every coon. I have not done this in the past. I guess I was trying to put some emphasis on the Pelt presentation side of things. However, I am sure the other aspects of fleshing, stretching and drying that I have improved since I started are probably way more important than cleaning them.

If a coon needs washing, I do it before skinning. A lot easier to dry that way. But I almost always put them in the freezer before fleshing. I like to flesh them as soon as they are flexible enough when thawing. A lot less mess that way IMO.

I'm very similar to QBD.

I pelt out almost everything the day I catch it. Coon, Coyote, and Beaver go in the fur 'fridge to harden up the fat. Next day after skinning I flesh the cold ones, then put the new ones in. I put most everything else on the boards immediately.

As for washing. I use a shop vac (with the paper bag and filter removed!) to go over critters after washing. I can get 90 percent of the real water out right then. Fans for an overnight and they tend to be dry enough to put in the fridge before I check in the morning.

Don't wash them unless really a muddy mess - just let it dry and comb it out.
Never had a problem with fleshing and anything going bad if I let them sit for 1 or 2 days.
I do usually turn them fur out but don't really think it makes a difference since they're so greasy.
When I say fur out - that's for drying if I have to wash them because they're a mess.

I'd just do everything at night after you done with work. Just letting them set a few hours does a good enough job for the fat by the time I get home or back from work is all I need.

If you do have to wash the coon, do it on the carcass then take a leaf blower too em, they do seem to dry better that way.

I skin, flesh, throw in washer on short cycle/cold water with small amount of soap, into dryer in "air fluff" cycle ( no heat) and into stretcher. I do this with coon, canines and bobcat