So I know you can’t stack fresh skinned furs up in the freezer but how do you guys that catch a lot of coon do it? I can only put 3 wide across the freezer it is a 14.8 chest freezer. We have 2 of them we caught 7 coons today and got them all to fit with the smaller one in the freezer above the fridge in the shop. Tomorrow can I stack the cold ones up? I know I need to get more freezers or bigger ones.

I try to not put more than one layer per day, but if they are pretty cool temp wise, two layers seem to get frozen by the next day. I'll hang them over night after skinning if they are warm in front of a fan to cool them down... I also have 5 chest freezers. Upright freezers are the best for it though, but not as easy to get cheap. You just have to be sure not to stack too many or they won't freeze before they slip in the middle. I freeze them flat too. You can also get more in a layer if you roll them, but for sure don't put more than one layer rolled up, and no plastic bags.

I have just been laying them flat. We have a wire rack we built to dry wet critters on. It’s supposed to start cooling down so maybe I could put some on there over night to cool down

Why no plastic bags, ? I’ve done it numerous times and so far no issues..?

Once you get the hide off a coon you can let that hide lay around for days before it needs to be put in the freezer or fleshed and dried. Just make sure you turn it so it's fur out.
Why not just put them up it only takes 10 or 15 minutes to flesh one.

Can you let them hang a couple of days with the highs upper 60’s?

Yes, just keep them dry and out of the sun. I would just roll them up and Start with the nose end, so it is covered. It will be the first part to dry out. So, start with the nose end and roll up the hide then stick the tail up into the skirt area.
You should be good to go.

I like to fold the face in a bit after skinning if they are going to hang around a while or if going into the freezer flat. The head and face are the first to dry out if exposed to air, especially when using a fan. A dried out head/face can be a pain when you go to put them on a stretcher.

Its just unnecessary and insulates them from freezing that much longer.

Thanks Beav and Trapset. I forgot to mention folding or rolling the face inside.

I role them up tight and put the in a doubled plastic bag into the freezer. Been doing that for years.

if im putting fur in the freezer i roll from the nose and i dont flesh until putting on the board use to do hundreds of coon that way before the market went south

Dig down in the freezer and put a layer of fresh fur between two layers of frozen fur. It will freeze faster then laying on top. If a coon can lay out for days waiting to be fleshed, it can lay in the freezer for days waiting to freeze.

I like to let a layer chill for at least an hour or two before adding another layer. Never had any problems doing this.

I put a board and weights on them in the chest freezers until I get to the top.

I don’t know how to put them up. I really want to learn. Today we only had one so it wasn’t a big problem but yes I would love to have them worked up and hanging so I could do an end of the line pic with them

I do not bag them I just lay them out flat in the freezer. 2 layers usually freeze in a day. I don’t add any more until the double layer is frozen. The hides are in the freezer for a month or so before I start putting them up. So there is no need to bag.
Scrapping and boarding a coon usually takes 10-15 min, so I usually do them as I catch them, but some days I have to freeze them. I get tired:)
I can do about 12 before I’m wore out.
Also freezing them flat helps them thaw out faster.

What do you do with them after they are frozen backroadsarcher?

If I have a big catch I will just skin and then do the scraping the next day or even 2 days later,

There are lots of good YouTube videos on fleshing coon. And just know you’ll make a few mistakes but that’s part of the learning curve. I’ve fleshed a lot of coon but once in a while I’ll screw up and hit a nipple too hard or a burr I missed and put a hole in one. It happens. You could also check with your state’s trapper’s association and find an experienced trapper in your area. Most would be happy to give you a lesson or two in putting up fur.