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Post by cooncrazy on Jan 30, 2013 15:01:44 GMT -6
Never done it before. Wondering if it would be worth buying a beam and knife for next year. I'm sure I will probably risk ruining a few coon pelts next year but do you all think it would be worth it? What the average percentage of increased value if put up?
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Post by Chris O. on Jan 30, 2013 15:13:34 GMT -6
I just started fleshing this year, and it is worth it
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Post by riverbandit on Jan 30, 2013 15:40:39 GMT -6
Definitely worth it!
If its not too far, I'd be more than happy to have you come down and I'll help you out the best I can.
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Post by justwannano on Jan 30, 2013 16:04:59 GMT -6
You can make your beam.
That will give you a couple more bucks for a better knife ,stretchers and accessories.
just
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Post by bradphillips on Jan 30, 2013 19:07:53 GMT -6
For me the biggest benefit to having finished coon is that you have a product that is ready to sell. It can be thrown up on the table and if you don't like the price........ no big deal just put it back in the truck. If you thaw out coon to sell you have a limited time to get something done. I used to make runs every few days in early season, this gets old as well as being a waste of time and gas. Not to mention how cool it is to walk out to the fur shed and see your fur hanging from the ceiling.  |
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doubled
Active Trap Talker
Posts: 81
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Post by doubled on Jan 30, 2013 19:30:47 GMT -6
My first yr also and i love it. i am a carpenter with all the tools to.make anything out of wood so i.made.my own beam and wood strrtchers for coon.and.mink. i did use wire for coyote fox and muskrats. sent my fur up to the nafa auction and really excited to see them.sell. the guu that showed me how to do it is really good and said i will double my money for putting up my fur.
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Post by TRapper on Jan 30, 2013 21:28:01 GMT -6
going to learn to put up coon, coyote, and beaver in a couple weeks never done it
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Post by coontrapper15 on Jan 30, 2013 21:36:32 GMT -6
How much more do you get per coon if they're put up? Is it pretty hard to scrape coons if your set up for it. I've done it for ones that I tanned and it took a long time. I already skin everything and I'm just thinking about starting to put fur up.
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Post by riverbandit on Jan 30, 2013 21:42:16 GMT -6
Just like anything else. Repetition breeds efficiency.
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Post by ~ADC~ on Jan 30, 2013 22:07:16 GMT -6
There was a $8 difference between the put up coon average and the green just skinned coons the last time I sold. I'm sure its not that big always but I bet its $5 or more. Buyers can't measure them accurately and they don't know what they are getting without seeing the leather so they are way more cautious buying green.
~ADC~
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Post by bankrunner on Jan 30, 2013 23:57:02 GMT -6
Where are you at in ne iowa? I would be willing to drive over and show you if not too far.
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Post by coontrapper15 on Jan 31, 2013 8:51:18 GMT -6
I'm in Blairstown, but I doubt I would have the time to put up my fur in between checking traps in the morning, then school, then skinning after school, and sometimes working after school.
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Post by bankrunner on Jan 31, 2013 13:12:47 GMT -6
I'm in Blairstown, but I doubt I would have the time to put up my fur in between checking traps in the morning, then school, then skinning after school, and sometimes working after school. Put it in the freezer until weekends or xmas vacation. |
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cybball
Hyper-Active Trap Talker
Posts: 166
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Post by cybball on Jan 31, 2013 16:02:52 GMT -6
I skin, roll, and freeze. I have only put up one coon so far. Normally do that in February when there isn't much else to do. I just wouldn't have time to check traps, skin, and put up every day (mainly because I'm slow).  |
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Post by TexA on Jan 31, 2013 18:11:18 GMT -6
Skin 'em,
If you can't finish them in the next 3 or 4 days,
when it's below 40 degrees outside,
DON'T ROLL THEM -Lay them flat or hang them ..... & then freeze 'em. (or hang them outside in subzero temps over night and then lay 'em in the freezer.
They will thaw out a whole lot faster if they're not rolled....
If you've never fleshed before, save your POSSUMS and practice on them. If you can flesh them without cutting a hole in them, you'll do just fine on the coons. It takes a "tender hand" to do those grinners!
Cut a big "A", across the back side of their leg/ankle and then up to the middle of their belly (above the pouch) and back down to the other leg/ankle. The pouch area isn't any good for anything anyway!
Flesh em on a regular sized beam.......
Put 'em on a RAT BOARD or SMALL COON BOARD, whatever they will fit on.......
If you "cut 'em up" you're not out anything?"!"
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Post by cooncrazy on Jan 31, 2013 23:04:48 GMT -6
Hey thanks Tex, never thought of that. Great idea. Especially since I think I caught every stinking possum in the tristate area this year! I'll definitely give that a try next year those little devils show up grinning at me every morning.
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Post by medicdano on Feb 4, 2013 7:00:54 GMT -6
Skin 'em, If you can't finish them in the next 3 or 4 days, when it's below 40 degrees outside, DON'T ROLL THEM -Lay them flat or hang them ..... & then freeze 'em. (or hang them outside in subzero temps over night and then lay 'em in the freezer. They will thaw out a whole lot faster if they're not rolled.... quote] Not true. If you roll them (and I roll everything I freeze) roll them tail first. When they come out of the freezer then hang them on a nail by the nose. They unroll as they thaw. And when you roll you are less prone to freezer burn also. All the wives tales about how the pelt won't freeze in the middle when rolled is only true if you stack a bunch of warm hides in the freezer in a pile or if your freezer ain't very cold. Mine is set at -5, and a couple days this year I put 20 warm hides in there with out issue. |
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cybball
Hyper-Active Trap Talker
Posts: 166
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Post by cybball on Feb 4, 2013 13:29:49 GMT -6
I've been told both ways. I roll mine, and they come out fine. Just put up 5 more that unrolled over the last 2 days out in the garage. Tail end was barely thawed and the nose end was ice cold. Not saying it's the right way, it just seems to work fine for me without problems. Then again, I don't catch that many in a season, so I'm not piling 30 into the freezer at one time. More like 1-4 at a time for me.
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Post by riverbandit on Feb 4, 2013 15:27:03 GMT -6
For all you guys that think rolling is fine, stick a thermometer in the middle of that roll and get back to me on how long that center takes to freeze. Rolling is the absolute worst way to freeze a pelt. Only thing worse is rolling it and placing it in a plastic bag. www.gfwco.com read under care of pelts. They know more about how to properly freeze a pelt than any one on here. |
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Post by justwannano on Feb 4, 2013 16:00:01 GMT -6
I rolled my green coon ( actually everything) and put them in plastic bags and froze them for many years and sold to the same guy for many years. I believe I always got the prevailing price for them. The buyer handled thousands of hides so they must not have been hurt.
Might be better to freeze flat if you got the room but that ain't always possible.
Don't thaw them in plastic.
just
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Post by grinnergetter on Feb 4, 2013 23:02:13 GMT -6
We have also rolled and put in plastic and frozen them for many years and taken them out of the plastic to thaw them and averaged 27.50 on green coon at the ITA auction this year. Right or wrong this method has worked for us. We have two freezers and spread out the daily catch and have had no problems or feel we have been discounted on the prices we have received.
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mink99
Active Trap Talker
Posts: 99
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Post by mink99 on Feb 4, 2013 23:35:23 GMT -6
For all you guys that think rolling is fine, stick a thermometer in the middle of that roll and get back to me on how long that center takes to freeze. Rolling is the absolute worst way to freeze a pelt. Only thing worse is rolling it and placing it in a plastic bag. www.gfwco.com read under care of pelts. They know more about how to properly freeze a pelt than any one on here. Not true. I roll all my fur and have for years. Rolling is by far the best way to store fur for long periods of time. The most important thing when storing fur is that the pelt is cool. Never put warm pelts into a freezer rolled, flat, or otherwise. Always cool the pelt first. Never stack pelts either, keep in single layer for 24 hours. |
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Post by TRapper on Feb 4, 2013 23:40:52 GMT -6
i freeze mine flat and laid out length wise on boards and other coon that are solid frozen, they freeze very, very quickly this way and also thaw out very quickly as well Attachments:
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mink99
Active Trap Talker
Posts: 99
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Post by mink99 on Feb 4, 2013 23:44:54 GMT -6
i freeze mine flat and laid out length wise on boards and other coon that are solid frozen, they freeze very, very quickly this way and also thaw out very quickly as well Nothing wrong with that way either. |
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Post by LLLTrapper on Feb 5, 2013 5:49:29 GMT -6
Why would one of the biggest buyers of fur in N. America tell you to freeze them flat and to NOT roll them if it wasn't the best way? I have seen this posted so many times it is funny. For you guys out there that sell green skinned listen to the experts on this. I am just going to say if you think you can freeze a rolled up ball faster than you can freeze a flat fur you are kidding yourself.
When you start finding tainted spots when you finish them you can thank those that do their own thing. Personally I freeze my fur flat in many freezers and never layer coon I am freezing more than two deep. I then stack them in my bigger freezer like cord wood until we are ready to finish them. Lay them out on the floor in the morning and they will be ready for you after you run your line. As far as plastic , well it isn't needed. Also plastic draws moisture and frost. That is leather and furs worst enemy. If you all have done it for years and have never had a problem that is good but that is not how any of the big fur handlers suggest. LLL
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Post by riverbandit on Feb 5, 2013 8:05:09 GMT -6
The thing is for those that roll, and put in plastic, and think they aren't having any problems, you aren't following that pelt all the way through dressing. Some may dress fine. Others will lose large patches of fur due to moisture penetration of leather, and taint due to freezing too slow. This is coming from the largest buyer of wild fur in N America, who dresses hundreds of thousands of skins annually. They should know.
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Post by justwannano on Feb 5, 2013 11:12:52 GMT -6
I won't argue with you but here is my thinking.
Even rolled up in the freezer its better than laying around unskinned. If you follow your reasoning those who freeze the whole animal and skin later will have the same fur problems you are referring to.
Its colder in that freezer than outside most of the time and the cold will penetrate the whole thing.
And its probably the only way a kid can freeze fur on account of mom ain't gonna particularly like it being in her freezer anyway.
just
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Post by LLLTrapper on Feb 5, 2013 13:10:45 GMT -6
i freeze mine flat and laid out length wise on boards and other coon that are solid frozen, they freeze very, very quickly this way and also thaw out very quickly as well Rolling the tail under and the nose under will prevent leather from freezer burning and drying out to much IF you keep them in there for extended periods. If they are only in the freezer for a short period while you catch up then that works well imho. You will be able to get more in at a time also because then you can go the short way. LLL |
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Post by riverbandit on Feb 5, 2013 13:27:16 GMT -6
Just, please explain how freezing a carcass, and freezing a rolled pelt are the same? The entire pelt on a carcass is going to be the first thing to freeze since the actual pelt is closest to the freezing temps. A rolled pelt will freeze at different rates. No comparison what so ever.
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Post by justwannano on Feb 5, 2013 13:32:34 GMT -6
Just, please explain how freezing a carcass, and freezing a rolled pelt are the same? The entire pelt on a carcass is going to be the first thing to freeze since the actual pelt is closest to the freezing temps. A rolled pelt will freeze at different rates. No comparison what so ever. Q/Others will lose large patches of fur due to moisture penetration of leather, and taint due to freezing too slow. /Q Body heat will cause leather to freeze much more slowly than a rolled pelt. So does that mean I don't freeze them whole? NOPE I do both. It just doesn't make much if any difference. just |
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