Forrest
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Post by Forrest on Jan 10, 2012 11:51:37 GMT -5
I have never bothered putting up possum and usually discard them, However there have been a few the were unique in color or size and I decided to put them up. My question is how do you scrape a possum with out causing the hair to fall out? I clean scrape them like a coon and every time all the hair falls out. I assume there hair follicles are too close to the surface of the leather? Any tips are appreciated!
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Post by lyonch on Jan 10, 2012 12:00:10 GMT -5
Um i have a huge tip that will save you a lot of frustration forrest!!
Throw it away right after you catch it! Poof problem solved!! Next question please LOL. I seriously don't know since i have never skun one of them ugly stinking things, but i'm sure my internet fur handling abilities are superior to others if you give me some time to research LMAO!!
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Post by mark572 on Jan 10, 2012 12:12:31 GMT -5
Most of the tannery's recommends fleshing all animal from the tail to the head only to eliminate the problems of cutting off the hair follicles! I know nothing about possum but i do know this is the recommended way for fleshing!
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Post by hideman on Jan 11, 2012 10:52:40 GMT -5
FWIW, I fleshed and boarded a huge one yesterday due to his color and size. Fleshed him just like a coon, and was surprised that I didn't experience any of the hair pulling through the leather side, as like you, that's been my past experince with them as well. He went between 3 and 4XL on a 7.5" coon board! think he'll end up at Moyles.......
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Forrest
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Post by Forrest on Jan 11, 2012 10:57:08 GMT -5
Yeah I have fleshed some that turned out great and then I did a huge one the other day and every hair fell out in the areas I fleshed to the point it looked like finished leather! Do you remove the entire membrane? I clean scraped him pretty clean and think maybe I should have left the membrane on but I really have no clue as I have never in my life sold a grinner to a fur buyer so I am clueless as to how they want them put up? Thanks guys
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Post by Law Dog on Jan 11, 2012 10:59:25 GMT -5
Just a pain to get clean and not get the pull through! IMO
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Post by Furtrader on Jan 11, 2012 11:26:43 GMT -5
the first critter i flesh each year is a grinner... just to tune up the touch for a summer of not fleshing. but like you forrest, alot of the time the hair just falls out. but some come out good. not sure what causes the fall out on one but not the next... good thing their useless. would hate to be fleshing my otter and have the hair start fallin out.. .lol
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Post by minifoxer on Jan 12, 2012 12:24:17 GMT -5
I don't have much input to add, or experience, but I have heard about putting a sock, or something along that lines over the board, before placing possum over it to flesh. Just a thought.
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Post by richardfederation on Jan 12, 2012 13:01:23 GMT -5
That's just to protect the fleshing board from the nasty possum. LOL
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Post by hideman on Jan 13, 2012 16:21:56 GMT -5
Forrest, I fleshed this one CLEAN....the hair may all fall out when I take him off the board,LOL! I'm like you, I can't remember selling any, and I sure never take the time to put them up. The one I did was huge, and it was a slow day in the fur shed so I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained! I don't intend to make it a habit......
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Post by roostermandave on Jan 14, 2012 2:08:26 GMT -5
ok here you go, here comes the roosterman to the rescue ,1st of all,I am going to make a video soon on skinning them,so yall can see how its done! lol,you case them like u would a coon, but dont use a raw skinning board and dont scrape the hid to tight or you will remove the membraines and that is why you hair culls are falling out,always flesh them fresh dont even try to do them if u added them to the freezer a big no no,a;ways start at the base of the tail nub,and work one side at a time,slowly working ur way up to the fron leg area,once you get there dont worry about the fat on the hide,we will get to that in a min,ring the front paws like you would do any other fur bearer,always keep a grip on the hide as you are skinning,dont pull to much just enough pressure,once you have it skinned out, let the hide dry lil bit,if using a feshing knife do Not use the cutting edge,you dont have to scrub them close,once the hide begins to dry on the board go back with a knife and trim off the fats and spinkle borax on them, let them air dry out turning them once, only once then bruch softly witha hair brush not metal bur brush but a human hair brush, once the hid is dried out turn them back inside out and use dixie paiste helps soften once again use a hair brush softly just to fine tune the hide to make it look good, now for the big factor if you gonna save ur pelts of possums,never harvest possum hide in late winter ther eis to many hair folickles(guard hairs)that will fall out if brushing is done on them, what i usually do during this time is soak them fresh hide in warm water ,it cleans out the fur and makes the job alot easyier.myself fur is fur and I keep all my furs for hobby projects or sale.
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Post by sniperbbb on Jan 14, 2012 20:14:06 GMT -5
It also helps sometimes to place a towel under the pelt when fleshing to help from over fleshing.
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Forrest
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Post by Forrest on Jan 14, 2012 20:34:09 GMT -5
I think I will continue throwing them in the ditch. lol
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Post by bill1958 on Jan 14, 2012 23:45:10 GMT -5
lmao dave buddy you must be bored thats a lot of money and time spent for a $2.00 possum even if you get that much for it. lol
did you guys ever nose skin a possum they are the only animal that i know of that the animals body can goe threw it's mouth.first off cut the tail off and then start cutting a long the lips and work your way down till the end.the finish product will look like a hand bag. makes it a lot easier to flesh.
the last time i skinned a possum i was 8 or 9 at the time . you know kids they get board so lol . i just did it out of coursity
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Post by sniperbbb on Jan 15, 2012 12:50:41 GMT -5
I have head of guys nose skinning mink.
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Post by Forrest on Jan 15, 2012 13:36:21 GMT -5
I have seen weasels skinned head first to avoid blood on the fur...
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Post by bill1958 on Jan 15, 2012 13:47:07 GMT -5
thanks guys i did not know that about weasels or mink..i did do a possum that way once and only once.possums hit the meat market with the fur on
they like to burn the hair off of possums as for eating i don't think i could eat a over size rat
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Post by Forrest on Jan 15, 2012 13:49:54 GMT -5
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Post by lyonch on Jan 16, 2012 10:12:57 GMT -5
did you guys ever nose skin a possum they are the only animal that i know of that the animals body can goe threw it's mouth.first off cut the tail off and then start cutting a long the lips and work your way down till the end.the finish product will look like a hand bag. makes it a lot easier to flesh. Bill - there is a guy in MN (tim anderson) that claims he skins every coyote from the mouth. This supposedly helps him to clean skin a winter coyote pelt so he doesn't have to flesh it. Now i have not seen this done myself, but haven't dissmissed it though either.
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Forrest
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Post by Forrest on Jan 16, 2012 10:28:08 GMT -5
Wonder how he pulls over the shoulders? Seems a coyotes mouth would be too small but?. On animals that have extra large mouths "Grinners" or built like a weasel I can visualize but a coyote! I would love to see how that is done... Now you got me thinking Chris!
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Post by bill1958 on Jan 16, 2012 10:31:50 GMT -5
thanks chris but by the time you skin it that way i, woumder if it would be worth it. ,i think the next ime i skin a yote ,i will try that to see how well it worked as for clean skinning,might take a picture of how it looks ,for you all to judge. out of being bord more then any thing.sure hate staying in the house and the doctors office
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Post by lyonch on Jan 16, 2012 10:50:17 GMT -5
I agree bill! That would be way too time consuming for me. I know tim mentioned to me that he has a lot of time on his hands and really likes doing it that way. I should have asked him this, but i would think that you would have to cut the bottom jaw flap of skin off in order to get the carcass around the chest to slid through the mouth.
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Post by bill1958 on Jan 16, 2012 11:51:03 GMT -5
chris if you have to cut the jaw then the animal did not eat it self as i say.now a possum you just skin nose first
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Post by lyonch on Jan 16, 2012 11:53:07 GMT -5
Give it a try bill and let me know how it goes. I would like to see some confirmation on this. I'm not calling tim anderson a liar, but i would like to see some light shed on it.
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Post by bill1958 on Jan 16, 2012 12:59:09 GMT -5
thats the plan because if it works with skinning with no fleshing,who knows it might be worth it if the jaw don't have to be cutmnot wanting to prove no one a lier.just coursity is all and i will take pictures
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Post by hoosiercooner on Jan 16, 2012 16:12:53 GMT -5
Do you guys have some pics of put up possums?
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Post by treeman on Jan 28, 2012 17:13:59 GMT -5
roosterman is telling you the way,be careful around the false belly.
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