Is there any issue with skinning most of my pelts and storing them in a chest freezer and at the end of the year thawing them out to flesh and board? I was using my downstairs bathroom as a pelt drying and storage room last year as it stays 55 degrees with the door closed and a fan on. Not able to do that this year and the only place I have to store them now is a very small 10x10 metal shed that does not have any heat to it. So it would be below freezing most of the fall and winter and probably would let a bit of moisture in, although it seems to stay dry in there. So that is a last resort option and I might be able to run an extension cord to the shed and keep a space heater on low with a fan to circulate air, but I was planning on freezing the pelts and then in March taking them out of flesh and board and possibly renting a storage unit to dry them in for a few weeks before selling. Or possibly asking another trapper in the area if I could use their facilities to dry the pelts at the end of the year for a small fee. So if I seal the pelts up nice and tight in the freezer skin side in, is that okay to freeze them for 4 months or so?

I freeze almost all my pelts until end of season. Only thing put up is muskrat. I roll from tail to nose. When time to thaw hang by nose and when unrolled time to flesh.

not in my opinion,lots of years i don't start put up till feb.-more trappin time.will say give yourself time to dry everything and have it gone by the time the fur bugs come out.

Freezing is fine. Make sure they are chilled before you freeze them.
When you lay them flat to roll them up, don't lay them as you see them on a stretcher board, lay them side to side. Mirror image, so to speak.
Keeps the rump from drying out in the freezer.

Should be a problem at all. In fact, there are quite a few trappers that freeze as they catch (after skinning) and then put up at the end of the season.

For short term (4 months is short term), rolling from tail to nose is fine. For longer term storage, you should roll from nose to tail. The nose will be one of the first places to freezer burn, which will make finishing the head difficult.

The only disadvantage of putting up and selling at the end of the season is that if the market tanks, you may not get as much for your pelts as you would have if you sold earlier. I know, I know, the market on most items is in the toilet, but I think the OP is targeting coyotes and that market is strong now but could see some adjustments by March.

They will still dry out in the shed, just takes a little longer, a fan will do wonders, but not absolutely needed

Thank you all. And yeah that is also the other thing, that it would save time (assuming I'm continuing to catch animals) in the evenings to just skin and freeze, rather than skinning and putting up and getting to bed at midnight.

What's the longest they can stay in the freezer if wrapped well? I've always been curious about that.

I know some one that has kept coyote, beaver, badger, etc in the freezer for several years and they have been just fine. No freezer burn.

Pelts were rolled very tight. Head and feet and tail inside the roll. Wrapped VERY well with multiple layers of plastic wrap. And I mean multiple layers!! The pelt should be cool before you roll.

Small pelts like mink and muskrat won’t keep as long.