Thanks for the replies everyone! I actually picked the coon up March 31 which is the last day of the season here but it is completely legal to pick up a roadkill coon here out of season. Deer is a different story.
I averaged $15 cad on my coons this year and this one looks good. Maybe they stay good a little longer up here? I have no idea. I know the ice and snow isn’t gone yet and this guy looks good so I grabbed him.
I will thaw and skin him and freeze again. Thanks again

I hope It works out for you.

Why? Did you see the raccoon in person? How do you know it isn't worth skinning?[/quote]



The average coon brought about $10.00 last season. A coon picked up at this time of the year Is starting to break down so even though I haven't seen It I know fur.[/quote
]Coon averaged ten bucks this season? That must mean a whole bunch sold for 20.00 then

Think what you want, coon at this time of the year are junk but If you want to pick them up go for It.

Good job Nova..........these guys need some good after season entertainment;

My comment was to pick it up freeze it and use some as bait in your lobster pots and I'll come to get half the catch next fall.

That coon probably just got up from winter's little nappy, always look at the neck area for bites then you make your freezer commentment.

I have sold a fair number of coon taken later than this, and there was a $2 difference between fall and spring coon the year I split them. I put them on the same sale in separate accounts, they sold 100%. I got $20 for the spring coon and $22 for the fall coon. So are they worth skinning? I did not put up every spring coon, but I was skinning coon through April and into May. I am not saying they are all good, but if the backs were good, I put them up.

I would think they are junk now. U get fined pick up coon after season or could, $200 a coon plus, mid Jan, the boars start look rough

Unless you dress all of your fur as well, you'll never know if there were issues or not. Moisture penetration into leather won't become apparent until the dressing process when the fur completely comes out in the affected areas. Tainted regions from freezing too slowly, and thawing slowly will react in the same way. I don't care how you handle your fur, but I'd rather have the end user have a product that can be used completely. Its good for the industry as a whole.

I tan hundreds of skins that are rolled and frozen in plastic.Perfect condition every one.
Somebodys feeding you a crock plugger.

Boco, no one is feeding him a crock, I've seen it myself, rolled fur does not save as well as flat fur, any one who does their own prep and then sends it to tan and it returns learns good lessons. You just never do anything wrong, LOL

Talking about it on a forum does not teach one anything,

I did an experiment on year to test it and rolled and flat froze both and with out a doubt the rolled did not freeze as well as the flat, did some of it tan well yea, but more of it slipped than the flat fur did, these were all prepped by my self as well.

Yea I never had professional training, but you do enough of them you learn quickly which will and will not slip due to errors

If it works for you fine, but freezing flat is much safer in the long haul for freezing to sell than rolling is, and never put them in plastic bags ! Paper wrap them or layer them with papers between layers.

I roll bears and wolves same way in plastic bags.Plastic bags are key to prevent frost burn.It is air that causes frost burn,and with strong plastic bags you can squeeze out the air before you tie them.Never any problem when they come back from the tannery.Maybe yours are half rotten to begin with.
Heres a pic to help those on the forum who want to know.
When I roll bears and wolves for freezing I make sure the feet are on top,that way they thaw out first,and I can skin them out at my leisure while the rest of the hide is thawing out.
That's what has worked perfectly for me for the last 45 years of doing it that way.

I also roll the skins that I am going to tan later on in late summer. I just don't want freezer burn. Never have had a problem.
. When I'm harvesting Coon I freeze them flat. As they will not be there but a couple 3 months or so. Plus they have to be flat, one or two layers at a time, or they will not freeze quickly enough.

Boco I'll give you one thing your not short on ego LOL

You think cause you been trained, taught, that your way is the only way to do things, just cause it works, LOL

You think your the only one who has not done things for many years and their way works as well ?

I will put my put up against yours any day, I absolutely know how I do mine works just as well, and they thaw out quicker as well, I've done them both ways, plastic as well, vacuum packed air out to, always better to simply flatten them and paper wrap, never had any freezer burn, your just going to have to believe me, instead of saying everything is poor just to make your self look like a pro !

No wonder there are problems between our countries with such attitude !

[quote=Northof50]Good job Nova..........these guys need some good after season entertainment;

My comment was to pick it up freeze it and use some as bait in your lobster pots and I'll come to get half the catch next fall.


Nova who are you going to get as second mate. these guys are beating a dead horse now.

20 bucks is 20 bucks for a DOR all day long, well I get a few fleas and ticks off them and another 50$ tax receipt for the specimens,All night long....

Easy there Gritguy-I explained how it works for me.And was just trying to figure out why your fur comes back from the tanner rotten if its frozen rolled since it has never ever been an issue for the many decades I have been doing it that way.The only time I will freeze flat is for short term-like a week or less.Otherwise there will be freezerburn if froze flat longer term.
You sound like an oversensitive snowflake getting irked for nothing.

I skin my fur leaving all fat gristle, etc on the leather. I roll the fur, nose in, and put each individual hide in a plastic bag you get at the store. After that, I put each hide into a large dog food bag that is also plastic and has a zip tie across the top and try to squeeze out the air. I've kept fur that way for as long as a year without any problem. I've never tried the flat storage method some of you are referring to. So, I can't comment on that.

Just roll it freze it . It will flesh twice as easy anyway. IF it was good when you froze it it will be good next season ...................................

Boco you said rotten, I never did, not only are you egotistical but can’t read very well and put words into others statements !
Most who are freezing never see their pelts again and don’t really have any idea if they
tanned out well or not. Unless one has for a while they would not have a clue.
Pelts can be worked down after being frozen for a long time and still look fine
The only way to make sure is to have seen them after tanning, even pros have bad days
And will have slips or thin spots
I don’t doubt your ability I doubt your ability to recognize that there are actully others
Out side of your area who can do just as well of work as you do, and do it differently !

I think groeny's recommendation has more to do with how he buys them and who he buys them from. Since he wants them presented thawed you have more potential for problems in the whole freeze thaw, ride around in the truck, wait in a pile to be processed, or refroze and thawed again to be processed. I'm not sure the advice is intended for long term storage?

For example:

"Selling Green (skinned)

The tail bone should always be removed from all skinned raccoon.

Always dry animals in the carcass completely before skinning.

When skinning, cut from back foot to back foot. Then case out like a rabbit. (Except beaver, which is skinned up the belly).

Skinned fur must be sold immediately or quick-frozen.

Always freeze the fur FLAT, fur-side OUT, with no exposed flesh.

NEVER roll furs. NEVER freeze or thaw furs in plastic.

Thaw larger animals with heavy flesh (coyote, raccoon, beaver, badger) 5-6 hours in a cool room or until partially thawed before selling,except in NC, SC & GA where you should sell them frozen.

NEVER thaw so long that grease melts or skins become slimy. Keep them cold. Keep them away from sunlight.

Muskrats should be frozen FLAT and NOT thawed before seeing the buyer.

ALWAYS error on the side of selling something too frozen rather than too thawed."