1. Do you have to flesh a squirrel after skinning?

2. The Fur Harvesters Auction pelting manuals states "skin carefully around the eyes, ears, lips and nose."

Is there a trick to this? Because it sounds like precision work; in other words, something I'd mess-up.

Just case them like any other pelt and flesh. I stretch mine on mink boards.

i have put up a few on muskrat boards, just flesh them like you do your rats, they are not hard to skin, or at least i never had any trouble with it.

Where do you sell put up squirells, I know that mepps buys the tails, but the entire pelt?

They all want them with the tail on, bone in, so they can sell the tails to Mepps.

personally (this is only an opinion) i don't really waste time w/ squirrel hides. unless you get them in massive amounts, i don't see the point. i only hunted 2 this year. so i just ate them

i sell mine to a buyer near here, flesh them like fleshing a mink, leave the saddle on .... mainly just a bit of fat to remove after skinning .... fox squirrels i put on male mink boards, grays go on female mink boards ... dont bring much money ... a couple bucks, add to that the meat in the freezer ... heck, sounds like it would be a wise choice to trap squirrels rather than coon this season .... LMAO ..... oops, forgot .... i strip the tail as well

where does FHA. state bone in...????
has anyone seen this as I do mine striped...just asking???
fireguy

I think that the bone in applies to when you are selling just the tail to Mepps.

The squirrel pelts I have seen at NAFA have had the tail bone removed (for the most part).

Pretty sure the fur market pelts (FHA, NAFA) are the red/pine squirrels. I only send the reds up to the auctions. I always take the bone out, split the tail, and dry them on wood boards (there are squirrel boards you can get that fit the reds well).

one more question ...when boarded do i cut the front legs short and stich or tack..( like coons) ??
fireguy...

All the ads I've seen in the trapping mag's say "Tail on, bone in" Don't know about the Auction houses.

Here is the FHA manual. http://www.furharvesters.com/PDF/pelthandling.pdf
Look at page 24.
I put up red squirrels like a weasel. I either tack the back legs or use a clothes-pin. The front legs don't need to be long. The tail is split and held open with square of screen. The bone-in stuff is for the fly-tying trade and mainly for grays and fox squirrels. If you are in Ontario, I assume you are dealing with red squirrels.

thanks roberts

yes it is reds and i just here to much about just tossing them..and just thought skinning and boarding is the right thing to do...now i dont target them but do get them in my boxes for coons ..220 sure does a job on them..lol
i have some boards and have everything going good but just could not find if i cut the front legs short and just paperclip closed till dry (like my coons) or if they were left long...the manual does not really say about the front legs ...
thanks fireguy

I've been stripping my gray squirrel tails. Why does it matter to fly tiers whether it's bone in or out?

hi wolfman

just wondering what you guys do with the grays ???? as up here our auctions only want the reds...
I'm just learning...
fireguy07

Fireguy, just paperclip the front legs like you do the coon. Those little reds are real easy to put up and if you are catching them anyway, you might as well use them.

thanks roberts

thats hat i needed to know...
and ya I dont get many I think 6-7 so far but like you said i am doing them anyways and they skin real easy...
thanks again fireguy

fg, I don't know if they will take the grays. It's my first year doing it, just for fun. I thought the guys at our auction might get a kick out of it.

well i dont do mine for fur money i mainly do it for fun and tan them i board mine like you would a beaver or if it is big i use mink boards.i here people say they are a waste of time but iam up to 24 squirrels and havent lost anytime yet as long as your havin fun you can never waste time.

what do you get for squirrels at the auction? i get a ton of squirrels around here and even a buck or two wouldnt be bad for them.

FHA...last sale ave...was $1.67....top$2.20
not really in it for the money but just cant waist the fur so i am doing them up...

fireguy i sell both gray and fox squirrels ... as far as what he is doing with them, i really dont care ... LOL

When I do red squirrels I de-bone the tail and put them on actual squirrel stretchers. XXL squirrels go on the female mink boards. You can flesh them on the board with a spoon, not much to it.

They do make fine capes and things as garments, so I just remind myself that it isn't much time or effort to keep something from going to waste.

Just don't expect big money from them!

They make camel hair brushes out of them.
One question not mentioned: fun in or out on a sretcher?

fur in, like mink

I would have never thought that there would be a market on those little red devils... I have been trying out new 22mag shell on them...almost skinned out with bone in tail if you hit them right...

as for the fly tyers...that was my first fly tying material when I was little. I couldnt see paying for them, but I guess that is why we actually have a hobby/job and this site!!! Sometimes it is good for others to "Spread the wealth"! I can see Mepps buying them (I wish I knew that when I was younger...had about 20 of them once)

if you are in mo and you are selling squirrels in the fur market, you better recheck the regs and call your local CO, cause it is illegal.

joshua we have been selling for years
its not illegal here in mo
all the fur buyers are buying and we give our liscense # to them with what we sold and the CO's check their info all the time
if it was illeagle i have some friens that would be in big trouble cause they sell around 300 each year