# how to skin squirrel?



## bigshot846 (Apr 30, 2008)

how do i skin a squirrel for a lifesize mount?


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## chris_kreiner (Sep 6, 2006)

Make a dorsal incision, which is from the neck to the base of the tail. Skin the squirrel through there, all the way down to the toes, becareful pulling the tail, you may choose to make an incision on the under side of the tail all the way to the tip to insure it gets well salted and tanned. Good luck.


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## LyonArmonial (Nov 17, 2008)

hey chris....i believe for smaller furbearers you were supposed to case skin


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## LyonArmonial (Nov 17, 2008)

http://www.furharvesters.com/PDF/pelthandling.pdf

bigshot, take a look here if you have any more questions


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

Don't dry it out, thats for trappers that have no idea what a taxidermist needs are. :lol:


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## chris_kreiner (Sep 6, 2006)

LyonArmonial said:


> hey chris....i believe for smaller furbearers you were supposed to case skin


For a pelt yes but for a full body mount it would be difficult if not impossible to mount through a case skinned animal thus the reason for a dorsal cut. Also if he is going to do a full body mount it is nice to have the paws attached isn't it. If this animal is going to be taken to a taxidermist it is best not skinned, leave it to the taxidermist to skin. If this is for practice to get into taxidermy skin as I mentioned earlier.


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## LyonArmonial (Nov 17, 2008)

*nods* i agree with you on that part...if your unsure on what to do, send it to the taxidermist in the round. how you cut depends on what you plan on doing...if the squirrel is crouching, cut along the belly. if you want it standing (holding something), best to do it along the back where no one will see it. but again, the easiest thing to do is just send it in whole. but you might wanna freeze it first so it survives the journey

hey chris...i've seen taxidermists who can mount using a case skin...they just stitch up the back end and shoot foam into it through the vent hole.


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## chris_kreiner (Sep 6, 2006)

LyonArmonial said:


> hey chris...i've seen taxidermists who can mount using a case skin...they just stitch up the back end and shoot foam into it through the vent hole.


I mounted a fox that was case skinned but I still ended up dosal cutting so it would slide over the form. I have never heard of filling a hide with foam. It seems like it would be difficult to control the expansion and keep it looking like the animal you are mounting. But to each his own I guess.


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## neil duffey (Feb 22, 2004)

filling a hide w/ foam w/ no form just sounds a little lazy. and in my opinion pretty ndificult to get the anatomy correct... almost impossible, as the foam cures too quick. dorsal cut is best... i aggree 100% w/ everything chris has said. case skin would still need some relife cuts. the tighter areas of the skin wouldnt alow the wider areas of the form to pass w/ out em.


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

Photos for Tips post 

I case skin everything that I can, Turkeys, Fox, Coyote, Bobcat etc. Where I have to sew, I'd rather it be in a spot that's going to be less visible. In fact there are 2 separate posts at the top of the this forum header, in one I show a small laying dead red squirrel. 
Since there is NOT a form for this I opted to make my own with foam in a can. I did carve a head out of foam first. After 17 years full time in the trade, I guess that I picked up a few tricks. 
I don't know about being lazy, I seen it as improvising, adapting and thus I over came an obstacle. I wasn't about to tell my long time client , "Sorry but what you want can't be done!" So I guess I did the impossible.
Take a look and if you think it's not up to anyones standards and can do better, feel free to blast away at me.

What it comes down to is, there is more than one way to skin a squirrel.

Mitch


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## LyonArmonial (Nov 17, 2008)

*looks at mitch and nods* i knew you were lurking around somewhere!


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## sullyxlh (Oct 28, 2004)

As an alternative to skinning
what's the opinions on freeze drying them?
I've seen a few mounts of small specimens and they looked great,
bout the only thing I noticed is they seems a little more delicate to handle.


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## neil duffey (Feb 22, 2004)

mitch a limp dead squirrel in the mouth of a predator is fine for foam in a can... because it give you exactly what your are looking for... that wasnt a jab at you and im sorry if you took it that way. the animal being in the mouth of the predator dead is going to be limp and lifeless hence that would be a fine way to do it. my point was a live, anatomically correct, detailed live squirrel, it would not be acceptable, in my rational thinking. of course if any one can pull it off... id love to see it. maybe it can be done in sections? idk. perhaps my inexperience is getting the best of me, but it just doesn't seam like it would work or be worth the time trying.


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

It's always worth trying, that's how new innovations become a standard way of doing things. The problem is finding the time and specimens to refine the techniques.

Mitch


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

sullyxlh said:


> As an alternative to skinning
> what's the opinions on freeze drying them?
> I've seen a few mounts of small specimens and they looked great,
> bout the only thing I noticed is they seems a little more delicate to handle.


The down side to freeze drying is bugs down the road, fat is still inside, inerd's still need to come out and replaced with filler, you just don't freeze the guts and all. Best to place FD mounts in a glass box.


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