I've been to a couple of fur auctions now and have noticed some furs are always shown with the fur out (like coyote) and some with the fur in (like muskrat). Is there a reason for that or is it just the trappers preference? I've been drying all of my furs fur in until the skin is no longer sticky then I flip it so it will finish drying fur out. I did that with my fox and my skunks. My smaller critters like rock chucks I have dried both ways.

Grease is the issue being solved here with skin out as grease touching grease creates slippage from the heat that’s created. Predators are less fatty compared to water and some fatty land critters.

Not that slippage can’t happen if a predator is not properly semi dried and stretched while skin touches skin if turned fur side out to soon .

Need to do it based on your buyer's preference.

Buyers want to grade some animals fur out and other animals grease out (skin side out). This is the way buyers prefer them, so the way you should do them for the fur market.

Fur out

Coyote
Fox
Bobcat
Fisher
Marten
Wolf
Wolverine
Lynx

Grease out
Otter
Muskrat
Coon
Mink
Skunk
Weasel
Possum
Nutria

Badger individual buyers may have a preference, but the fur market as a whole does not, and they can be done either way, skunks, coon and weasel you will occasionally see done fur out and buyers will not usually dock you for this. Beaver are obviously done open so both sides are visible, but are classified as a "grease" fur. Rock chucks are a novelty item and I have seen done both ways, I don't know if there is a preference on them, they are going to the craft market, so it is probably up to the individual buyer. If you have a distinctly marked skunk, odd colored mink or coon, etc. that you think will go to the craft market, you may want to do them fur out to display this. I've also seen otters done fur out occasionally for the craft market. Ringtails I have seen very few and have seen them done both ways, not sure which way is preferred.

Thanks everyone! Makes good sense now. Bearcat thanks for the list that is very helpful. Still newer at this and wanting to make sure I am doing things the right way.

A pile of good info here….
https://www.furharvesters.com/pelthandling.html
YouTube is great, but beware some videos give terrible advise. Not sure where some learned their “tricks”…..lol.
Can’t go wrong with Gibbs Adventures. Been trapping for 2 or 3 hundred years, worked at NAFA, FHA and currently a buyer for GFW. He knows his fur.

Badgers as greasy as they are end up fur side you would think those greasy things would be the opposite but that might be more for grading I place thin wedges “ mink boards” mink wedges or wood laths to stop skin to skin contacts.

Fur in also in some species helps with fur primness detection by seeing the color of the hair roots, coons and rats are primarily the ones this is used on, but can also be helpful in otter and badgers !

If you stretch otter (and perhaps skunk) fur out some graders may assume you're trying to hide defects and downgrade accordingly.

My opinion, as a buyer, badger should be stretched one of two ways, depending on the fur quality.

If you have semi-heavy to heavy fur badger, they should be cased, fur out. That is the best way to show off the fur. If they are stretched open, the fur is too “bunched” together

If you have flatter type and hair badger, they should be stretched open. Best presentation of what fur is there, if they are stretched cased fur out, it emphasizes how “flat” they are.

Badger should never, never be stretched cased fur in. Even if you reach up inside, you can’t tell diddly squat about fur quality.

I won't even look at skunk fur in, as I'm always after color, prime to me is secondary on skunks, Badger is always fur out and cased, but I'm not one of those professional buyers either, I can afford to be picky as I don't buy as much, though what I buy is usually higher than those pro buyers as well !

First in line gets more and my people who now know me work hard to get what I'm after and I pay for that and I don't whine about doing so either, I appreciate their efforts to do so !!