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I got my first coon today. I caught him in a mink box with a 120. Also got a mink.

Love catching them. Hate scraping em.

assateague wrote:Love catching them. Hate scraping em.

Gonna really suck since I don't have a beam or flesher

Yeah, you're SOL.

Damn boy, you're gonna have yourself a good pile of furs for that next auction, if you can get them all dried in time.
Don't forget about your bear bait sites.

I went down to the graders/shippers shed last week. He had some pretty good tips, the best of which was to use boards for coon, not stretchers. Looks like this off-season I'm gonna be making some boards. Then staple a piece of cardboard over the tail/butt instead of just stapling the hide. He assured me I'd get an extra 25% on the final grade if I did it this way. Also said to strip the ears of foxes like the tail. Said if I accidentally pull off an ear, it won't hurt the grade, but I'm having a tough time being ok with this one.

assateague wrote:I went down to the graders/shippers shed last week. He had some pretty good tips, the best of which was to use boards for coon, not stretchers. Looks like this off-season I'm gonna be making some boards. Then staple a piece of cardboard over the tail/butt instead of just stapling the hide. He assured me I'd get an extra 25% on the final grade if I did it this way. Also said to strip the ears of foxes like the tail. Said if I accidentally pull off an ear, it won't hurt the grade, but I'm having a tough time being ok with this one.

It's amazing the things that seem to matter so much to the graders.

I know. This guy is only a sorter, technically, but he's been employed by NAFA for about 35 years, so I trust what he says. The cardboard is to help get more grease out of the hindquarters (you'll be amazed how greasy a coon is), and help flatten the tail so it looks more appealing. I was not aware that even a little grease (even after dried) could make individual hairs slip, and lessen the value. So even if its good, buyers are going to cut you a little, because chances are good the hide may lose a half a grade by the time they process it. He also said wider hides were better than longer, which is contrary to everything ice been taught. He recommended 8" boards for coon, which is quite a bit wider than the 6" or so you get on a stretcher. I'd always been taught the "money cut" when skinning coons was necessary to get the extra length, but I'll try it his way next year.

assateague wrote:I know. This guy is only a sorter, technically, but he's been employed by NAFA for about 35 years, so I trust what he says. The cardboard is to help get more grease out of the hindquarters (you'll be amazed how greasy a coon is), and help flatten the tail so it looks more appealing. I was not aware that even a little grease (even after dried) could make individual hairs slip, and lessen the value. So even if its good, buyers are going to cut you a little, because chances are good the hide may lose a half a grade by the time they process it. He also said wider hides were better than longer, which is contrary to everything ice been taught. He recommended 8" boards for coon, which is quite a bit wider than the 6" or so you get on a stretcher. I'd always been taught the "money cut" when skinning coons was necessary to get the extra length, but I'll try it his way next year.

Yeah I think the nafa standards are 7.5 to 8. I will have to look again since they have 3 sizes. I have to make one so I need look again anyway. What's the best way to figure which board to use. I'm not sure how big my coon is but sure he's not the largest size

8 for the two smaller sizes and 9 for the larger

I'm going to get one 8 to use as a template, and cut the rest out of a sheet of 1/4 plywood. No way I'm paying $110 for a dozen boards.

assateague wrote:I'm going to get one 8 to use as a template, and cut the rest out of a sheet of 1/4 plywood. No way I'm paying $110 for a dozen boards.

The only thing that sucks about plywood is it don't take push pins well. Going to see what lowes has for soft wood. Not sure if they have basswood. But sure they have cedar or maybe even pine.

Use staples. I only use push pins for the ears on fox. I use a T-50 staple gun with 5/8" leg (flat, not chisel tip) staple. Split the crown of the staple with the edge of the hide (one leg in wood, one leg in hide. It should stay about 1/4" high, and they pull right out.

assateague wrote:Use staples. I only use push pins for the ears on fox. I use a T-50 staple gun with 5/8" leg (flat, not chisel tip) staple. Split the crown of the staple with the edge of the hide (one leg in wood, one leg in hide. It should stay about 1/4" high, and they pull right out.

Nice. I may have to try that.

Usually I use trim nails which work great but staples do work better today I caught a prime winter coon and I will be fleshing and boarding him up along with a skunk and a couple of rabbits I might have to make up some boards instead of using the stretchers. And does any one know if borax will effect the grade if if I send to nafa?

I wouldn't treat the hide in any way- pretty sure you'll take a big hit, of for nothing else, the fact that the borax may cause the hide to react badly with the tanning chemicals they use in China or wherever. Hell, it may make it dissolve- no telling what they use over there at the processors. And try stapling the cardboard over the butt/tail. I'm curious to see how that turns out. Guy said it makes the tail flatter and wider, and pulls the grease right out of it, then when you pull the "triangle" of cardboard off, the staples come right out with it.

I split all the tails and nail them open, and wipe the skins down with a rag when they start to sweat grease I think than covering it with cardboard would work or it might hold the grease in and cause it to rot. I will try it though and let you know how it turns out.

TrapperDev wrote:I split all the tails and nail them open, and wipe the skins down with a rag when they start to sweat grease I think than covering it with cardboard would work or it might hold the grease in and cause it to rot. I will try it though and let you know how it turns out.

I hear guys say that you can put borax on spots like the ears to keep from rotting. It supposedly will shake out easily. I just wipe it down often. I didn't use cardboard and I pleated my tail and rump. The nafa manual says to do it so I did

I pulled the cardboard off my coon and it works the only thing is that I had to peel it off and let that area dry because the cardboard holds in the grease and keeps it from drying. But it did help with the grease and today I put a skunk on the stretcher and it is the biggest one I have ever seen led alone caught. I shot it at five in the morning at five yards with a 22 mag because my flash light was going out but it scared the crap out of me when it let loose after I pulled the trigger. But he will make a nice hat since i got the stink out and he is on a # 5 coyote stretcher

The big hole in the head is from the 22 because I shot it with some new fragmenting ballistic tip bullet by horandy or something and was not expecting a baseball sized exit wound in the pelt.

That is a big ass skunk. I was just reading an article yesterday about a guy who injects them with denatured alcohol, which makes them die without spraying. He rigged up a syringe from tractor supply on a piece of pvc pipe, and moves very slowly. He gets to within about 7 feet, sticks them, and has never been sprayed. Says they fall over dead in about 10 seconds of being stuck in the chest.

While possibly a good idea, I don't see me trying it.

assateague wrote::lol:

That is a big ass skunk. I was just reading an article yesterday about a guy who injects them with denatured alcohol, which makes them die without spraying. He rigged up a syringe from tractor supply on a piece of pvc pipe, and moves very slowly. He gets to within about 7 feet, sticks them, and has never been sprayed. Says they fall over dead in about 10 seconds of being stuck in the chest.

While possibly a good idea, I don't see me trying it.

You prefer to throw your carhartt over them if I remember correctly

sent from a phancy fone

Not a skunk, Goldie. I shoot those bastards from as far away as I can and walk away. They get dealt with the next day.

The only reason I shot it was because it was in a leg hold but if I target skunk I use a cage trap wrapped up in cardboard with a bag over it so when you get one it can't see you pull the bag over it then you just spray a rag full of starting fluid throw it in there zip tie the bag and run. They don't spay but be careful taking them out because they might just be sleeping and you will get a big surprise.

TrapperDev wrote:The only reason I shot it was because it was in a leg hold but if I target skunk I use a cage trap wrapped up in cardboard with a bag over it so when you get one it can't see you pull the bag over it then you just spray a rag full of starting fluid throw it in there zip tie the bag and run. They don't spay but be careful taking them out because they might just be sleeping and you will get a big surprise.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
I just pictured this whole thing happening with your dad sitting in the truck (windows rolled up) laughing.

3legged_lab wrote:

TrapperDev wrote:The only reason I shot it was because it was in a leg hold but if I target skunk I use a cage trap wrapped up in cardboard with a bag over it so when you get one it can't see you pull the bag over it then you just spray a rag full of starting fluid throw it in there zip tie the bag and run. They don't spay but be careful taking them out because they might just be sleeping and you will get a big surprise.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
I just pictured this whole thing happening with your dad sitting in the truck (windows rolled up) laughing.

I take part in the skunk ethering, it's about as much excitement as an old married guy gets lol

No thanks! This guy would be in the truck.

That's a nice skunk! There are a lot of guys that use acetone with the syringe on a pipe. I don't think it's to much of a prob with a leg hold caught skunk. Just keep there butt facing anywhere other then YOU. They don't seem to move that fast. So far the three I caught I killed 2 of them with a stick. One sprayed.