Hello, hope im on the right page for this question, if not I apologize. Im a rookie trapper only my 2nd season this year, my question is about skinning. With my work schedule it is hard for me to find time to skin any animals when i do get some. I was wondering the time frame i have after the kill to start the skinning / fleshing process, how much time I can buy if I throw them in the fridge, and how much time i have if i put them into a deep freezer? Any info is greatly appreciated !

Where about are you? I am in Lycoming county, maybe we can help each other......jk

If cool weather,hang them in the woodshed for a day or two before skinning.If warm weather,skin right away.If they are frozen whole,leave them hang in a frozen state until you have time to thaw and skin and board.Then when skinned,you can put the skins in the freezer until you have a few days off to scrape, board and dry them.

I’ve been there too. With kids and job it’s tuff. Do what you can, and what’s suggested above. If you can buy a old freezer you can freeze whole and what you skinny your convenience

With out know the temperature during the day and night and the type of animals, it is hard to give much of an answer. It kind of like saying how long will ice last.

Speaking from experience you are going to have to suck it up and take the time to do your fur or find a buyer to buy in the round. I have a family and a job also. There are times I don't get done skinning until early morning and have to start over hours later. Good luck....

You can usually leave them for two to three days depending on the temperatures, however I would stress that you should get them skinned as soon as possible after the catch. You're skinning time two or three days later or if they are thawed back out will be two or three times that of a Fresh Catch. They really seem to get stiff which slows the process down quite a bit. If you have room in the freezer and it's something you have to do you can certainly freeze them and thaw them out later. If skinned, Just roll them for side out and bag them.

If you’re doing coyotes I would suggest skinning ASAP. If they aren’t frozen they get green belly pretty quickly, and if they have been frozen they’re a lot tougher to skin than if you do them warm. Then you can freeze the hide and flesh and board later. In cool weather on skunks, coon, beaver, and muskrat I’ve found I can get away with a little longer, trap check one night and skin the next after work if your states check laws allow you to do that.

Just FYI, rolled fur takes a long time to thaw enough to flesh. Best to lay flat if possible and you don't need a bag, just keep the fur off the side of the freezer. Don't ask why I know that. Parchment or newspaper make good dividers.

What critters are you catching Cody?

welcome cody all thee above is good advice ,it really depends on the animal

welcome young man.

Welcome to Tman Cody. As mentioned above it makes a difference what critters you are likely to be catching the most of.

I target red fox almost exclusively. Red fox peel super easy and take a minimum of fleshing. Even so, I like to skin them while they are warm, as soon as I get back to the fur shed. If I catch more than I can skin without being late to work I'll leave them hang until that evening but, as mentioned above, everything skins harder once it's cooled down. And skinning half-froze critters is just not that fun.

If you have enough freezer space I guess you could toss everything in there and get/ it out to thaw for a weekend skinning session.

Don't worry, you'll eventually figure out what works best for you.

Lets start with coon. A fresh killed coon can lay around In cool weather out of the sun for 2 days before skinning. Once It's skinned It can lay around for a Few more days before flashing and boarding. Just keep the fur out skin In cool shady area keep them roiled up and I have even placed a tarp over them to keep them from drying out.

The most important part Is getting things skinned as soon as possible. Once the skin Is off the carcass you have less chance of tainting.
Green belly, It's not a game changer. A mixture of water a nd household bleach wiped on the effected area will kill the Bactria and you will be good to go.

When I was trapping after work instead using my vacation to trap.check traps right after work and skin after that.1100 pm 1200 nites are common.
But you sound young you be good go for a while.

borax on green belly works too. hanging a coyote up by its back legs in a shady spot helps prevent green belly. With a little practice a just killed coyote coon or cat can be skinned in 5 minutes. Or less . A pair of coveralls to check traps in, leave a half hour earlier and skin as you go is my advice. Can build a skinning pole out of two inch square tubing. put it in the receiver hitch and leave it there. Lay your skinned hides under your vehicle wrapped in a tarp. cold ground plus shade means your skins are in great shape after work

Depends on the animal and temps. K9s go green belly fairly quickly. Rats a little longer. Coon and beaver can sit for a couple days if cool.

I personally skin the bigger stuff and just dry and toss the rats and mink the freezer. If dry, they don't stick together and are easily taken out at a later date. Be careful taking them out, though. Rat nails turn to razorblades in the freezer for some reason.

I always skin everything after running my line. Sometimes I wouldn't get in the house until near midnight. After skinning, I would freeze the hides until trapping season was over. I put up all my fur and would thaw some out when I knew I would have time to put it up. I did this until I had it all done.

Keep in mind that if you catch an animal then leave it sit for a couple of days there are drawbacks. One major problem is, if you continue to trap then you will catch more animals and get further and further behind. On the day you finally get a little time to skin and put up fur is the day you'll have your largest catch day, now you're further behind. Make every effort you can to skin as fast as you catch, skinned pelts can sit for a few days (depending on temps) this gives you a chance to put up fur during spare minutes, or freeze them if you have the space . Once pelts are in the freezer it gives you a chance to catch your breath and process when you have time. Don't let yourself get too far behind.