The tools I use for weasel skinning:




Splitting tails is made easy with the aid of a tail splitting guide and a small fur pelting knife or scalpel. Just insert the splitting guide into the tail as far “as it will easily go”. This will be only an inch or so. Then with a “little” pressure on the guide, while lifting it up slightly, make short strokes with the knife. As the hide splits, the guide will penetrate the tail a little further with each short stroke. A more suitable splitting guide for weasel and squirrel tails can be made from an old umbrella rib. The ribs (or umbrella stays) have a groove to place tip of knife in.

A retired mink rancher gave me that knife the ground down points are the best I've used for opening cuts on any small furbearer. BC's blade looks skookum too.

I did however quit trying to split ermine tails. They come back from Moyles intact, no slipping, and most important black tips intact.

bctomcat- I initially skin my tails down the tail shaft base farther- impressive that you pull that distance when stripping without popping the tail off

Short tails strip easily with just the fingers when fresh. If the tail gets dried-out from hanging around in the cold for more than a few days then it's a lot tougher or impossible to not break it unless you rehydrate it but even then not a sure bet.

Never had trouble with stripping or splitting weasel tails.
Red squirrel are tricky.

I do the same procedure for splitting squirrel tails with no problem.

Splitting them is not the problem,the tail bone tend to rip off the body when stripping.(not the fur-the bone).
I use a needle knife to split the tail with the bone still in then strip the bone out from the tip to base.I need perfect tails on them for my squirrel market.

I didnt think they normally cache food but he cleaned out the whole nest of eggs, so he must of been saving them for later.


I dont split the tails on Ermin they tan just fine.

Caught one today! Always an exciting sight, especially when the kids are with.

Squirrel with high density numbers are always fighting and the tails have scars...a QUICK check with you fingers will show bumps in the tail and these will not finger nail extract easily

Ttt