If you mess up a little bit on skinning the ears and eyes of a pelt how big of a deal is that? Does it make your pelt worth less or do they not really use the head area of the pelt for anything?

Most don't use the head/face unless it's for the craft market. But they look at it as how the whole fur has been handled. The nicer the obvious looks the better chance the rest has been handled properly. Low fur prices is a good time to learn from your mistakes.

Not too big of a deal, but you probably won’t win “Fur handler of the Year” at your State sale.

If your down graded by your fur buyer for those mistakes your getting screwed by your fur buyer. Find a new buyer or ship your fur.

However, if you bring in a bunch of pelts with screwed up eyes and ears, the buyer might inspect your pelts a little closer.

That's true but If the head area Is the only problem then you shouldn't be down graded. But a slick fur buyer will down grade you with out you even knowing It. I would take In some hides with out any face damage Then later on take In some of those face damaged furs and see how he treats you. But of course the hides have to be comparebale In size and primness to see the difference.

If a buyer is nit picking about the face I'd find a different buyer.

Large holes around the head could be downgraded,not because they necessarily use that fur but because it can in a lot of cases lead to blowout during the dressing process.Why rotten ears on coyote etc are downgraded.

Thanks for all the replies fellas I appreciate it. Just to be more clear I HAVE NOT been messed over or cheated on hide grades or prices by a fur buyer. It was more of just a question of WHAT IF I mess up the face will a buyer care. Thanks again guys yall are a great help!

You can cut the ears off on your coyotes with no problems

I got bit once doing that

330 we are taking the fur market not the live market.

as Boco says about the ears and slippage is so true

There was a fur buyer that went to all the western sales that bought cheap coyotes. He would downgrade or simply not bid on coyotes without ears. He had a market for coyote faces, I think mostly for those face on mountain man style hats. But I know I was helping load up his furs after an auction one time and he said that he knocked 5-10 dollars off earless coyotes, because he could get that for every coyote face with ears, and if it was a 5 dollar coyote and someone had cut the ears off it, he didn't bother to bid on it.

So far, on fox & coyotes I’ve been using a screwdriver method. I usually get a 3/4” strip of ear on the pelt to the tip and there’s a bit of it left on the carcass. Is this how you do it?