If the critter you catch is really muddy, when do you clean him up? I'd assume wash em before skinning? How do you dry them enough before skinning? How dry do they have to be? Seems like if you put up a coon with the fur too wet, that moisture in the fur would lead to slippage????

Skin em an hang em in front of a fan or put them in a fur drum --- the way to go !

My experience if you have the time, it is easiest and best do dry almost everything while still on the carcass. Always put your fur up when it is dry. The fur looks much better, and you do not have to worry about and rotting going on.

Wash the coon ASAP. Squegee with your hands as much of the water out of the coon.
Hang the carcass coon head up, and brush the fur up.
Put fan on the coon and it should dry in 1/2-1 full day.

cheap electric leaf blower will speed things up

Air comrpessors work too

What temps are you hanging these coon in so that they don't go bad/ hair slip? I'd guess 50-60 degrees? How long can you let em dry? My shop can get real hot in a hurry and I'd bet that 80 degrees will be too warm, which happens if I leave and forget to turn things down.

In the fall here, just whatever temp it is. Circulating air and hanging them up is much more important than temperature.
Probably around 50* is right. Try not to get it warm. At 50* they will be fine hanging for a day or two.

In the fur shed i work in we keep it about 65 degrees and have fans blowing to circulate air. When we get muddy coon in we wash with garden hose and hang to dry in fromt of fan usually within 4 to 5 hours its ready to skin . I personally wouldnt let it get any warmer just because i wouldnt want the pelt to turn green from the heat in the belly area even though we do cut a window in the belly.

How bout yotes and fox... same time maby 1-2 days hanging to dry?

Do you just rinse em off or wash em with soap and water too?

What happens if you get the pelt bloody when skinning (cuz I usually do)... do you re wash it and dry it?

yotes and fox turn green in the belly area real fast. i wouldn't leave them for more than a day. i use a rag on the beam as i'm fleshing.

How bout yotes and fox... same time maby 1-2 days hanging to dry?

NO! Skin them right away. Enzymes in their stomach are meant to process meat, and they will spoil in the belly right away. If you need to keep them for any time, lay them on their back so the stomach is away from the skin

Do you just rinse em off or wash em with soap and water too?

I dont wash anything, but some do it with their Coyotes and Fox. Everything else you will likely loose value if you start washing them with soap and water. Soap will cut the natural oils in the fur, and the fir will not look as good. With coon the fur will tend to matt up and not look as good.

What happens if you get the pelt bloody when skinning (cuz I usually do)... do you re wash it and dry it?

For blood, I usualy try not to get any on the pelt. Use paper towels while skinning to stop bleeding if you can. If you do get them bloddy just blot the blood in the area, or if there is a lot just wash the spot, not the whole pelt.

Thanks all.

A couple of the guys on the wilderness side washed skinned pelts in the home washing machine. Fluffed up and dried fine after washing. Look in the archives over there and you should be able to find it.

-TJ

after cleaning fur up hang critters up by the front legs so water don't stay in there ears takes shorter time to dry

I brush out what will come out, to include and burrs etc. Then I skin them. If bloody I rinse in a bucket of cold water and snap dry. Then hang in front of a fan till time flesh then for the stretcher. If a little dampness remains I use old rags to finish drying. I don't do hundreds of coon so I can take the time to do it this way. Tom

If you flesh a wet/damp pelt, you'll be amazed at how much moisture gets pushed out of the pelt by your fleshing knife acting as a squeege.

I've washed pelts such as coyote and beaver, and literally drown otter pelts before fleshing and fleshed them wet. The knife action will remove most of this moisture (you'll see the water in the pelt running down your beam). Except for the otter pelts I do wring excess water out, but depend on the knife to remove the rest.

After fleshing, I'm left with a only slightly damp pelt that will dry in a very short time when hung in front of a fan.

You can also rinse the coon (or pelt if you skin on location) in the creek at the trap location. Wrap the coon or pelt in newspaper for the ride home and many will be nearly dry when you arrive home.

just skin them bloody or muddy after you are done wash in bucket of water hang by nose and ring the water out nose to tail or if you can find one of those old ringer type washers they work the best

I typically will wash the coons in a stream of lake etc. right after dispatch. When the body is still warm the body heat will help dry the fur some even b4 getting home. If the fur is really wet yet say drown type fur then I use a Sears wet and dry vac and that really takes a lot of the excess water out and then I will try to hang them up or lay them on my wire cage traps and use fans to blow on them and the air current drys them pretty fast.
Most times the only real washing I do after skining is when and if some blood is on the fur and then I wash the area, wring it as dry as I can and use the fans to dry as quickly as possible.
I don't like getting the flesh side wet if I still have to flesh the pelt, it makes the job harder, slower and messier.

Bryce

If you have to wash a pelt, I've found the best thing to use is dog shampoo.