# raw skins



## BuckBuster76 (Jan 26, 2010)

Just looking for some advice for next season. What is the best way to prepare/preserve raw skins for selling? Talking about muskrat and **** mostly.


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## SNAREMAN (Dec 10, 2006)

You can sell fur 3 ways,1:in the round (whole animal)2:Green (skin only)3ut-up (skined,fleshed,streched and dryed) To get top price on your fur you will have to sell put-up.You will need a good fleshing knife, strechers and a fleshing board.Skin the animal,lay the skin on your board and scrape all the fat/meat off.Then put skin (fur side in for most animals)on strechers and allow to dry (do NOT salt)once dry remove them from strechers and they are ready to sell.


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## BuckBuster76 (Jan 26, 2010)

I did flesh and dry a couple of **** last year but for the place i am living now i am limited on space and it got pretty messy. What would be the best way to prepare and store a green **** or rat skin for fleshing later or selling at a later time? Somebody told me to skin them, then roll up the skin fur side out and freeze it but i am not sure.


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## SNAREMAN (Dec 10, 2006)

I have rolled-up skins(fur out) and froze them for the summer with no problems.Don't know if they even make one big enough,but I guess the best way to freeze skins would be with a big vaccume-sealer.Its the air that cause's freezer-burn,not the cold.


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## springdale (Dec 19, 2007)

I salt dry mine if gonna keep them, I had 2 mink salt dryed for over 2 years and sent them in for tanning came back just like new! If you keep them in a dry enviroment after salted dryed they'll last a LOOOOOOONG time.

Mark

This is mainly if your getting them tanned and keeping the furs, for selling I would never salt!


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## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

SNAREMAN said:


> You can sell fur 3 ways,1:in the round (whole animal)2:Green (skin only)3ut-up (skined,fleshed,streched and dryed) To get top price on your fur you will have to sell put-up.You will need a good fleshing knife, strechers and a fleshing board.Skin the animal,lay the skin on your board and scrape all the fat/meat off.Then put skin (fur side in for most animals)on strechers and allow to dry (do NOT salt)once dry remove them from strechers and they are ready to sell.





> I have rolled-up skins(fur out) and froze them for the summer with no problems.Don't know if they even make one big enough,but I guess the best way to freeze skins would be with a big vaccume-sealer.Its the air that cause's freezer-burn,not the cold


Well said!


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## BuckBuster76 (Jan 26, 2010)

do you flesh the skins before you salt them?


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## Beaverhunter2 (Jan 22, 2005)

Here's a link to the MTPCA Education Page:

http://www.mtpca.com/education.html

You can click on the link to the Michigan Trapper Education manual and get some info on fur handling. 

One tip- if you're freezing green fur, be sure to put on the outside of the bag what it is. It's easy to lose track.

John


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## springdale (Dec 19, 2007)

BuckBuster76 said:


> do you flesh the skins before you salt them?


Yes I do flesh them first, then salt heavy drain for 24 hr, shake off salt re-salt drain 2 days and hang them to dry. They'll get so had you cant bend them, but rehydrateing is easy, or you can send them as is to the tannery.

Most of my stuff is for taxidermy, so I dont hang them too long because they get so stiff trying to package them is a pain.

mark


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## BuckBuster76 (Jan 26, 2010)

Thanks for all the tips and info, just what i was looking for. I saw the picks of the furs that were tanned. They looked great. What taxidermist did u use?


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## skullman (Dec 9, 2008)

Rolling them up fur out double bags them, try to remove all the air possible. If you plan on keeping them for a long peroid of time add water and freeze.

Denis


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## apostle423 (Jan 22, 2008)

Any one have any photo's of what they look like rolled up fur out? Sorry to sound ignorant, but if you never saw one your not sure you are doing it right.
Also would it be ok to just lay them out flat "Kind of like they were on a stretcher but not" and freeze them that way. I find it easier to get all the air out if I do it that way. I was afraid that this way might put a crease in them.

Thanks


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## skullman (Dec 9, 2008)

Once you got your skins laying there, roll them up in a ball (head to tail). Dont worry about the grease.

Denis


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