I posted on another thread. And had a lot of requests to explain how I get my coyotes to look that way. So figured its easier to make a thread than to respond each individually. Let me put my disclaimer in now. This is the way I do it, not trying to change the way anyone else does. Don't wanna hear the argument of "that's not how my cousins,sisters,wifes brother does it". Nor do I want to hear that's not condusive to production fur handling. So here is my stab at it.



So to get this result, here is how I begin.

Every coyote gets the same exact treatment in my shop. After skinning here is the process. I start by washing, I have a old maytag wringer/washer I have had for years. Toss in 2 or 3 coyotes and add my water. I use Mane and Tail shampoo for horses and livestock. I just squirt over the top of the fur, depending on my mood, 2 glugs, sometimes 3 or 4 glugs if I think they are super bloody. Turn it on and let them wash. I don't use Dawn dishsoap at all. It is such a good cleaner and degreaser you can honestly wash the shine out of a coyote with it. I wash for 5 or so minutes and then drain the basin. Add some more water, and dab some Cabbola horse conditioner in it and turn it on. Then drain and refill and rinse.

I wring the water out of each pelt, either by hand or the wringer and flip over the fence and let drip dry overnight, or if cold hang in shop and do the same. Following morning will take them and add about 15 gallons of clean basswood planer shavings to my fur drum.(Im a stretcher maker, so always a lot on hand). And then add about 2 cups of borax and throw a couple of coyotes in hair out and turn it on for 15 or so minutes. It dries them out and makes them fluffy again.

I then put them on the beam and scrape. Some sawdust will get in on the leather, but you will scrape it off during fleshing. Plus it helps your knife grip a little better during the process. After scraping, I remove the ear cartlidge. Nothing I hate worse is the stinky ear smell. As one of the Consignment Agents for the Colorado Fur Auction, there is always a few that can stink up the place. It takes just a couple of minutes to skin them out, and your pelt will dry much faster, and easier to pin your ears forward.



Should look something like that.

I then board my coyote. Leather out. Sew any holes at this time, trim front legs. Pin the way I want it, and trim excess off hind legs so everything is equal and pleasing to the eye. When ready to flip I do the exact same thing, replace my pins, and pin my ears forward and pin the eyes open so I can get my hangers in them when they are dry. And then I back comb everything, get that hair to stand up. Remove any burrs that are left, and work up any matts. And then I dry my coyotes nose down, that will help set the hair lying backwards.

A little side note on stretchers. And not a selling point because I make boards. I had a "ah ha" moment about a year ago. I was making some bottlenose coyote boards for a member on here. He wanted a special design he had for years. So thank you Mike McMurray for asking for those. After shipping Mikes I got to thinking about the boards. I had always noticed on my Pacific style boards I had always made that I was pulling the necks out of them. By that I mean making them thinner in the necks. I could picture the bottlenose not allowing that to happen, so I retrofitted my whole shop with them for coyotes. As you can see in the pic, the necks on those coyotes are good and full. A key in this trim market we have. I haven't looked back since. Granted those coyotes are big heavy silky dogs, but I honestly believe I couldn't get that look with my old style boards.



So you have your coyotes boarded. I leave them on there til I need another board usually.Nothing fancy there, about like watching paint dry.



So nows its close to sale or auction time. I bring in a few hangers worth and start the combing and brushing process. I take my fine toothed comb and really get in there and separate those hairs. Checking again for matts and burrs or little tuffs of fur that are poking up from bites or whatever.



One by one I comb and brush them.

And the final , when all brushed to my liking and tails fluffed up I start the drumming process. I own a Monstertom drum, he makes the best drums I know of. I clean my drum out with my shop vac, get all the dirt and grime out. And replace with a 3 part planer shavings. Oak,basswood,maple. Each has a different diameter and each breaks down at a different rate. I put that into the drum, call it 15 gallons.I then add warm water to it, mixing it in the drum until I can form a sawdust ball in my hand that will break when you touch it. I then add maybe a cup maybe 2 cups of a good quality paint thinner. Mix in drum. This is kind of a trial and error process. To much your coyotes are to oily. Don't let that freak you out, just add more sawdust. Usually a cup is about perfect. Toss in a couple of coyotes and let her run. 10 minutes usually is good enough. That paint thinner will add make any oils that were washed out get put back. And will make those guard hairs stand up and look like the top photo.

I realize your not gonna make a crap coyote look that good. I also know you can make a diamond coyote look like crap. Have some pride in your fur handling skills. Its good for you, its good for the buyer, and its good for the industry. I see so much fur that shows up and Colorado every year that just makes you shake your head. And then guys wonder why they were so far below the average. Hope it helps you guys. If your interested in shipping fur to Colorado let me know. I would gladly help market your fur at one of the premier State auctions.

Nice job. Looks great. Do you have a pic of the bottle nose stretcher for those who don't know.

PM sent.

Nice job CC
I got CC cat stretchers they will make you money.

Great post! Thanks Good looking fur

When you hang to dry do you hang nose up or down?

Great info, thanks for sharing.

Nose down

Thanks for posting this!! Great information and beautiful furs!

Nice work nice results.

Thanks Colorado I send my coyotes down to you guys but I can’t get them to look that good I also like to take pride in my finished product

We will be calling you in a couple of weeks for sure!!!! Thanks for the support!!!!!

Excellent post..many coyote trapper could profit from this post..

Good post. I am sure it will be helpful to a lot of folks.
The best fur handling I have seen on coyotes was when I went to Zaggers Coyote U.
Thanks for sharing

Nice looking work and helpful tips.

Cat boards are hands down the best I have used.

Thanks Scott!!!!

Thank you for your time & sharing.

Archive material!

Thank you for the lesson.

Well done article Sir!!!

Good stuff coloradocat !

Are we feeling a little generous this Holliday Season ?

Now that is a good explanation!!! Thank you !!

Would It be possible to just spray on those chemicals and let them soak for awhile and then blot and brush or comb it out. I just can't get my head around to the washing bit.

Really?

Archive

Why not.

I spray on Oxi magic and It takes blood stains out In seconds. Just spray let It set for second or 2 and then blot It out.

Thanks guys!!!!!

I think at times we just don't put enough effort into educating about fur handling. We spend our time teaching trapping, and defending trapping, but very rarely do we go into the meat and potatoes of how to do it right.

I wouldn't expect guys to go through the effort of doing what I do. Which, once your set up really isn't time consuming. But it certainly gives guys the idea of what can be achieved with a little effort.

A cpl of questions.

First where do I contact you about your stretchers?

2nd when you say drum, the same as a tumbler? Correct?

Since we don't all have the amount of wood shavings you have, what would you recommend for use instead?

Your fur looks fantastic. I hope I can come near to doing as good a job. I know that I won't even trap anymore unless I can make the pelts look the best they can. Seems the smartest thing to do now a days.

Is that how the fur looks after being drummed at Nafa too?

Well if your not going to make an effort to wash the fur, the rest of the process is fruitless.

I have a bottle of Coyote magic I could sell you... just spray it on!

Just PM me on boards. Drum/Tumbler is the same. Find a local cabinet shop, they would be more the welcome to supply you in shavings. Takes up a lot of dumpster room. And thank you.

With all due respect guys, I think wanting to be able to just spray something on it is defeating the purpose.

We wash our own hair and bodies for a reason. Its to make things clean. I have certainly met people in my life who probably didn't have many of those washings, but regardless they could certainly use it.

Trying to circumvent the labor is exactly that, avoiding the work that is needed to make it right.

Like he said guys Mane and Tail its not that expensive . it makes shine ,fluffs, detangles and cleans all in one even makes stinky coyotes smell good shure beets a spray in my opinion.

ttt

Excellent post Coloradocat. Very detailed write up with TONS of good info. I use a very similar process (not quite as involved), minus the finish work you do with the thinner. Your fur looks great and I bet you are very proud when taking it to auction. I agree we need to take pride in the fur we put up and do our best to bring the nicest fur to auction, why waste our time catching and skinning only to not put it up well? you probably know my uncle as he has trapped here in eastern Colorado since the mid 70's and puts up coyotes much like you. Do you go to the Hugo auction every year? Maybe we can meet up in February?

Im one of 2 Fur Consignment Agents for the Colorado Auction. If he brings fur, I probably know him. Otis

I admire your work. But there are 10 different ways of doing something to get the same results. The old saying Is work smarter then harder. If we didn't find new ways of doing things we would still be living In caves.

I get Beav. Wish I knew of the magical answer. But I don't.

I guess in theory the way most guys finish there cats in a borax rub is as close to what you are asking. Im always trying something new to see if its the new brightner or whitener. As of yet I haven't found that product.

A good washing is hard to beat. Just getting that dirt and grime and dander out of them is a huge plus. Im not advocating everyone wash, its a chore unless your set up for it. Although I have washed many a coyote in a 5 gallon bucket.

Good genetics helps a lot too, ours look much worse than those nice pale ones, yours sure look good

Kinda like coons out of the triangle!!!!!!LOL

Those are fine looking pelts! Can definitely tell you've done that a time or two.

Gracias!!!

How is someone going to “dab” out the dirt, grime, pee, horsecrao and etc that is in the pelt

Well I got a response from a ranch fur processor and he says I can do It.
I just don't want to submerged those hides and get them saturated. I'm not buying a washer machine or building a tumbler. So I'm looking Into a alternative method. So If that's wrong so be It.

Stanley steamer can come into my house wet down the rug and then get after It with their machine and remove dirt like you can't believe. And they are not washing my carpeting and rolling It up and drumming It.So why can't I do that?

Actually they are pushing water into and through your carpet.

Regardless, I’m curious if you find a way to actually dab out everything that is in a coyote pelt. If you do that’s great. A once over rub of sorts may be all you need to do for wherever you choose to sell. I’m not insinuating that any one method should be used. But rather, how does one truly clean without washing?

Easy to wash for me, I use a rubbermaid mop bucket with a wringer on it down wringer worked best on furs, right now I only have a side wringer

Beav, Hydrophobia is the fear of water. You can pick up those old wringer washers for next to nothing on a garage sale. Got mine for free just to haul it out of a basement.
When is Boco gonna chime in and say you can do all that with an air compressor?

Man coloradocat - those looks just great!
It's a process, but the results are definitely eye appealing!

I wash all my fur in a 5 gal bucket with a little dawn just to clean them up (mud, blood, dirt, anything else!) Some trappers don't and that's fine - just me.
For the really greasy critters like coons, I'll throw some sawdust on the flesh side while they dry - fur out. Let them dry and then flesh

That is some rice work - and thanks for sharing!

Incredible looking fur ! No magic spray gonna net results like that

Well I'm going to find a way with out washing.
But to be fair those were some good looking coyotes even before he washed them.

Please provide photos

Those are great looking coyotes. I could wash mine in unicorn pee, tumble with pixie dust and they're still 3 dollar furs. So I guess I agree that they have to be good to begin with.

There would be no doubt Beav, if you got your hands on the right fur chemicals you could come really close with just a drum,media, and chemical.

I would suspect the cat guru Michael Pappas could teach us all on how to prep in a tumbler. Might not be able to afford the chemicals on a trappers budget though.

No doubt.

Mighty fine fur work there my friend, I also can vouch for Colorado cats Stretchers. I have 3 dozen of them and they present the pelt perfectly. It’s always a pleasure working with a quality product

Nice looking coyotes coloradocat.
I'll chime in now walleye.
I wash very few pelts as they don't need it.
I'll put mine up against anyones washed or not.All species.

I get that the winters are long up there, but......

That's a little too much info there.

Thanks guys!!!!

Wanna go head to head on spotted skunks and ringtail cats? Im ribbing you.

If I had some I would give it a try,lol.

Was just pulling your chain Boco! I've seen your work and it is excellent, My MN mutts need all the help they can get so I'll keep on washing, but I still wouldn't put them up against yours.

I am looking for coyotes to consign to the Colorado Fur Auction. Or any fur for that matter. If you ever had any interest in trying Colorado please PM me, or call Otis 970-812-7473

What OT is not mentioning is that his section of coyote is not that great to begin with, and he's able to make them appear far better than they actually are. To be sure he gets a few good ones!

Beav, Remember that animals raised/ranched for their fur generally live in wire bottom cages so the poop and urine drops through the bottom of the cage, they also have nice clean regularly changed sawdust in a box to curl up in. Not many coyotes have these accommodations and probably curl up with a dead critter or horse turd every night. I would suspect that the method of fur handling that works for a rancher might well be modified at least a little to put up a clean coyote.

Ttt
Figured folks are now busy putting up Fur and a post like this could be helpful

TTT

That's not how my aunt's husband's brother does his coyotes!

Awesome post, and awesome coyotes. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the post.Have you ever tried to take the ear cartlidge out while skinning them?I was doing them like you do and then tried using a sharpening steel pushed under the ear while skinning and it`s a lot quicker I think.

Good job old boy,,they look beautifull,,,BUT,,thats not how my wifes cousins friends boyfriends aunt seen it done on a tv show one time !!!!!!

Thanks for the info. Really good

Pretty much how I handle my coyotes, except for the thinner. I also use an old wringer washer, made a tumbler out of a dryer. I use corn cob horse bedding. Amazing how they come out of there. I get compliments everytime I go to the buyer.

Paying attention to detail always shows!

following for later

Thought I would bring this to the top for the guys who attended John Grahams Coyote Days. This is in a nutshell of what myself and Monstertom spoke of in our demo up there. Its getting closer everyday!!!!!

Todd and Otis put on an incredible 2 part demo at John Graham's Coyote Days. They shared info that can help virtually anyone putting up fur, no doubt a lot of trial and error along the way to end up with the process they shared.
Todd is quite the builder, his tumblers, his way of attaching fur to his skinner and the way he designed it to "release" the fur is well thought out!!

Congrats guys, very very well done!!!

It's fairly amazing what comes out of a coyote hide with just a 5 minute soak and stir in a 5 gallon bucket of plain water. Add mane and tail and then after it's clean, comb it out, comb it backwards and dry it nose down and it almost looks as good as the ones pictured. Walk through a fur sale and it's plainly obvious which coyotes were washed and which weren't.

TTT

Thanks Coloradocat. I learned some things from your very informative posts. Nice job!