my son caught a really nice otter that i want to get tanned with the feet on but I'm not sure how to do it as I've never skinned anything with feet on. case skin it? open the belly like a beaver? does anyone know anyone close to northern Illinois that i could pay to teach me? or i could send it off to them. have my cites tag for it.

i should also say i have never put fur up but i do have everything i need to do it. beam necker 600 and boards. thank you for your time fellas.

forgot to say i have skinned a pile of fur from beaver yotes coons muskrat otter mink oppsums deer hogs and skunks . harvest my own glands. so i do know my way around a knife and a critter pretty well. just never done feet before.

Case skin is fine. Sometimes I split the leg just above the foot for a little, sometimes I peel it without splitting.

Otter are tough to flesh, not what I'd want to learn on, but it can be done. Lots of tricks to getting the tails done easier, do a search and you should find some threads on it.

thanks k snow i appreciate the reply. i have about a dozen coons im gonna start to flesh tonight as well as a few beaver in the freezer. wont be a huge lose if i screw up a few coons while learning the knife sharp side and dull side and when to use them.

Take your time. A Havalon is good to use but I find 2 Exacto knives, one with a pointed blade and one with a sharp chisel blade most useful for feet and toes for most furbearers. You need to get each toe down to the last knuckle, which has the claw attached. And as beaverpeeler shows in his picture, make sure air can circulate around the toe skin to prevent rot.