Thanks for sharing. That was pretty informative.

X2. Good info for a newbie like me! Appreciate any fur handling videos like this.

Thanks for posting... That cartilage trick was nice!

Yes that ear cartilage part was a real great tip. Sometimes something so simple is so hard to see.

Bryce

Thanks for posting gibb, excellent video.

After all the complaining and finally getting his wish for a totally free video will this be the end of Walleyed's NAFA bashing?

The thing I need to know is the lengths( an actual measurement in inches or centimeters) of the guard hair and underfur that makes a semi into a heavy. A little more information on belly coloring would be useful. Thanks!


P.S. Serge is looking old. Should have found a prime fox (thicker skinned) to flesh.

I have always struggled with ear cartilage that looks like a great system. Ill try It on the next yote.

On fox it is super easy to peel the ears, coyotes need more elbow grease and a little more knife work before you try using this method.
The fresher the better.
On coyotes use a sharp knife to expose the cartilage at the base then use the steel rod.
Jim

Poor Serge, everyone telling him he’s old , my 8 year old daughter and Serge where having a conversation about how old she was and she said 8 , Serge said wow your old , she promptly looked at him and said no , your old lmao , and now here your picking on him Dirt lol

Interesting and informative video. Thanks for posting.

Why does the narrator say at 24:07 that there is only one size board used for red fox? I made my boards based on NAFA patterns and I have large and small red fox boards. Has something changed?

Good video. Informative. More informative than anything I've seen so far as it pertains to the grading of coyotes and foxes by NAFA. Thanks for posting.

I was pretty amazed at some of the poor quality fur sent in, and some of the badly put-up fur. This is an area that I see the country buyer is more beneficial to the trapper in being able to point out these type issues at the point of sale (especially with younger trappers or those just starting). I have often times wondered if some of the "very nice fur" sent in and then graded as damaged isn't the result of the pelt degrading due to poor handling or storage weeks or months before being sent in and graded, such as when too much fat is left on the hide. I also don't think most trappers realize that they can comb a pelt, like a coyote, and it can appear perfectly fine. But throw it in a fur drum and suddenly all those little bites and unseen sores become visible as the hair comes out at those spots. Even the little popping of the fur on the table a buyer does in the country or at a state auction, can pop those little spots up, while combing the pelt revealed little damage to no damage.

I'm glad to see more videos like this coming out educating us trappers to what the industry wants and needs. Thanks again.

Because you only need one.

Those fox don't look uniform,the arctics look too wide and the reds are too narrow in the hips.I would definitely use two different sized boards for large and small fox,so you don't have some that look too short and wide and others that wrinkle and get hair slip in the skirt area.

These are the NAFA patterns I made my boards with. They are listed in the 2012 NAFA Pelt Handling Manual (They are the same dimensions I made mine from ten years prior):



Generally, any red fox weighing less than ten pounds goes on a small board, reds heavier than ten pounds go on large boards.





I'm going to be making a bunch of new boards out of a pile of basswood I've had rough cut and stickered for the last few years. Making one pattern instead of two wouldn't bother me.

It looks like you are using a smaller, narrower board? What are the dimensions.

Boco, doesn't FHA list only one board for red fox and I believe it's narrower than even the small NAFA pattern?

I looked it up. FHA red fox board dimensions are 60" long X 5.25" at the base. That is the only board they list.

NAFA boards (shown above) are 66" long X 6.5" at the base for small red fox boards and 66" X 7" at the base for large red fox boards.

If I were to make just one board for red fox it would probably be the NAFA small board.

I don't go by the auction house sizes.They are just a guide for proper shape.ie:ratio of width to length.There are big differences in sections of fox,I make my own boards to fit my section to keep the pelts a natural shape.The FHA fox board is much too narrow for my section of fox.
Too narrow a board especially at the butt on hvy fox will cause slippage from the skin folding in on itself and not drying properly.
Conversely too wide thins out the fur especially on the veil and could also lose you a size on a skin depending on your section of fox.I don't worry about size, as the section of fox here will never measure under 28 in.

I understand everything you are saying Boco.

I think the FHA boards would be too narrow for my reds as well. My fox average about 11 pounds for females and 12 pounds for males. I used the NAFA patterns when I originally built my boards because it was one of the few published dimensions for stretchers I could find. They work pretty good for my size fox. The larger fox will have some pleating in the butt area but not enough to cause the skin to fold in on itself and slippage. I don't worry about the 28" cut off between small/medium and large/extra large either. I've never had a fox less than 28" in length.

The one problem I have with the NAFA pattern is that the neck/shoulder area is too wide on both sizes. They overstretch and thin the neck and shoulder fur. I know I lose money because of it. A Tman member sent me a "bottle-nose" pattern of his own design he claims addresses that issue. I'm going to experiment with that pattern when I make my new boards this spring.

I like the idea of one size. I think I could make a 6"-6.5" board work good for all the reds I catch.

Do you ever weigh your reds? I'm curious about the size you are catching in your area.

The largest wild fox in North America come from the Ungava bay region of Northern Quebec and fit on the narrow stretcher no problem. I have used this size stretcher since 1988 and have never had a problem. If you ever have the change visit the auction and look at the ranch fur collection. The narrow stretchers work.


Wild red beside a ranch blue fox.

You can use whatever board you want!

I like how when NAFA talks about boards they give lengths in inches not terms like longer and shorter. I wish they would define length of guard hair with units like inches and centimeters. I would find that useful.