I home tanned some hides this year for the first time. I sure need some practice, mine didn’t turn out as nice ask yours. Thanks for the post.

Great tutorial! You are helping out a lot of folks with this information with the fur market tanked!

Thanks,

Chris

Hey,no problem,Chris.
Huntall,i seen your question about coyote-as far as thinning the leather it would depend on the final use for the skin.For mitts or a wallhanger it wouldnt be necessary.Just make sure the skins are fleshed well,they can be fleshed before drying,then you can flesh any spots you missed any time during the pickle or tanning process.
it is best to flesh any skins for tanning very well right after skinning and before drying.This will keep a lot of the fat and grease out of the leather,which has to be dealt with and removed sometime before tanning.

Very professional looking work,Boco.Nice!

When you start off tanning fur there is a bit of a learning curve that takes some trial and error.
Thats why its best to start off on small,easy to tan skins.
Larger beaver are one of the most difficult to get good results.
Groundhog skins are good to practice on-their hide is thick in the neck and shoulders and thin in the flanks and hips.
Good to hone your tanning skills on.

Great post Boco.

Great thread Boco. I will definitely be trying this out.

Thank you for taking the time to do the write up and the pictures.

No problem,Guys,
When I get tired of BS'ing on the main forum,I come here and post something useful maybe once in a while,lol.

for the tanning oil what do you use? I see neatsfoot oil and also a orange bottle hide tanning formula, but that sounds like it is the whole deal

Great post! I appreciate the knowledge you share with other trappers.

I have used all different kinds of tanning oil.The stuff I have right now is a BASF product called PSE.I will soon be out and will just purchase whatever tanning oil is available.

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

Just finished off an otter and a few weasels.

Nice

love this thread

Nice write up baco.I wish I had your fur handling skills.

saw a couple beetles yesterday while puttin the last of the fur in the freezer.in your opinion,does freezing kill the bugs??i always thought it did but had a guy tryin to tell me it won't.what say you?

It definitely slows their sex drive!

Chris

The bugs could go dormant in the freezer,they wont be eating your skins or multiplying.They may resume their activity when you pull the skins out at a later date.
If I see sign of beetles,I grab the can of raid and give the dry skins a good spray before bagging and into the freezer.