I wash all the coyotes after fleshing using the 5 gal buckets. 5 buckets, 1 for prerinse, 2 soapy, 2 plain rinse. They are set up in a line and each coyote goes thru the cycle. Change the water in the prerinse for each coyote and the water in the other 4 after 2 coyotes go thru the line. Hang the hides and let drip until all the coyotes are done getting washed. Squeeze out excess water and snap them several times. Hang up overnight to dry fur enough to board. Put them on the stretcher hide out and flip next day. It’s a process that works for me!

Old Coy,

Interesting process. Similar to what I do. How do you squeeze out the water? I use a mop ringer. Do you have a heated room to hang your pelts to dry?
Or are you running fans to help speed up the fur drying ? I do use a window fan to dry the leather side when boarded. (dry to the touch then flip),

That’s the real question.

I can make very strong arguments for washing, and very strong arguments to not wash.

Coyote quality and market. No sense putting to much time into turd coyotes in a poor market. I’m much more apt to put more time in a good coyote than a turd.

Coyotes snared off snow that are cared for properly probably won’t need washed. Weekend warrior contest coyotes blown to smithereens and piled in bloody heaps, coyotes trapped in wet muddy conditions, washing is a given.

Convenience. If you have a real, plumbed in washing machine that does all the work for you while you do something else, has spin cycles to remove most of the water, by all means wash em all. Reading some of these time and labor intensive bucket methods, I’m thinking screw that!

For all but the bloodiest and muddiest, I can accomplish most of what a water wash accomplishes, with a proper, final fur out drumming recipe and procedure.

TK - Hand squeeze, wood heated garage with fans to help dry, not a constant climate control like you have.
I don’t use a tumbler to finish before sale. If a coyote gets skinned they go through the same process. It’s just a personal preference for me, not for everyone.

Boone I tend to agree with you,,, I still use buckets to wash 30 gallon drum warm water and soap wash or more like let sit for 10 15minutes stir take out and rinse. Let hang and dry a bit. Then go on from there. But I do not trap and put fur together it's one or the other lol.

i just let the wife know i have a few really bloody or muddy critters and she takes them and throws them in the washer. i dont know what she uses but they come out nice and clean and actually smell good. my wife is not like most wives so i dont suggest you just borrow the wifes washer when you need to best to ask first or do it while she is out for the day lol. she washes after i skin.