When you catch your prey, don’t you want to draw out the prize with your hands? You can only do so if you know how to take your trophy in its complete glory. And this is why you need to learn how to skin a fox.
The job may be a little complicated and arduous, but it is not impossible. And why wouldn’t it be when you need to carefully remove the fur from the body in the neatest and most efficient manner! So this article is all about fox skinning tips that will help you speed up the process, even if it’s your first time.
I remember when I first caught a fox; I began the skinning process from the head of the animal to the tail. And this resulted in fur damage. Now, you don’t want that, do you?
So I’ve shared a whole other approach with you here that’s entirely different from what I tried to do the first time I caught a fox. This particular fox skinning technique has been successfully carried out for many years. It is the best when it comes to preserving the beautiful animal’s pelt.
The method
1.Prepare the Workspace
Before you begin the skinning process, properly lay out the tarp. You can also use other materials like plastic sheets or garbage bags. Lay out the tarp flat against the floor.
This tarp should be right below the hanging fox. Keep all your tools outside so you can easily access them. And please make sure that the furniture or other valuable items have been pushed away from your workspace area.
2.Wear the Right Clothes
If you want to spill blood or dirt on your clothes or your skin, then don’t worry about wearing the right kind of clothing. Appropriate clothing such as rubber boots, full-sleeved shirt, full-length pants, and rubber gloves need to be worn. Some of us also like to keep our eyes protected, so we wear safety goggles as well.
3.Hang Your Prey
One of the best fox skinning tips is to skin your prey as soon as you trap or kill it. Failing to do so will drive your catch into rigor mortis. And this will make skinning a fox for tanning an even more challenging task. The pelt’s natural quality will also start to deteriorate.
So if you want to avoid all this, then make sure that the fox doesn’t contain any surplus water. Once the fox is dry, hang it by the legs. Hooking the fox tends to ruin the skin, so it’s best to avoid that. Instead, you can just tie one leg of the fox to the ceiling. Make sure that it’s not too high. You want the process to be quick, easy, and comfortable, don’t you?
4.How to Skin a Fox? Begin With the Feet
Skinning the feet is the first thing that you need to do. Use your knife to start peeling from the paws’ pads till the back of the fox’s front legs. And then stop once you reach the armpit region. If you want this incision to be 100% precise, then please make sure that you use a sharp knife.
After the cut, pull out the fox’s skin and detach the fur from the bones of the animal. What you need to be cutting over here are only the parts that are necessary. In this case, those parts or part is the animal’s membrane that connects the fur with the muscles.
Skinning the feet is a lengthy procedure because of all the tiny bones. So don’t lose your patience. Just remember that you need to gently pull out the fur from the fox by cutting it off from the muscles and bones of the animal’s body. If you follow this instruction thoroughly, the process will become easier.
5.How to Skin a Fox? Move to the Hind Legs
The next cut needs to be made in the hind legs. Cut from the paws till the anus of the fox. Then once again, gently pull the fox’s skin from its bones. The fur also needs to be pulled back while you’re cutting off the membrane of the animal that connects the fur to the muscles.
6.How to Skin a Fox Tail?
Pulling out the tail is a procedure that requires you to grasp the tailbone of the fox and slowly remove the pelt. It needs to be gently separated from the fox’s muscles underneath. Carry out this process slowly and very carefully. Failing to do so might lead to pulling out the animal’s tail completely.
If, at any point in time, you feel that the process is not smooth, please don’t tug on the fox’s tail. In such a situation, you can make a tiny cut on the part of the membrane that is causing difficulty. After making this small incision, cut straight from the tail’s tip till the bottom.
7.Pull Out the Remaining Pelt
After skinning the most vulnerable spots of the animal, you need to pull out the rest of the hide from the fox’s hind legs. Grasp the fur and tug the pelt all the way down till the ears.
Once you reach the ears, cut the membrane till the fur of the animal pulls free. Then carefully cut the animal’s cartilage. You need to make this particular cut at the spot where the cartilage meets the skull.
Moving to the eyes; cut along the lower eyelids. Then the lips. Remember that you need to continue to keep pulling off the pelt till the fur of the fox has been separated from the entire body.
8.The Last Step Before Tanning
Skinning a fox for tanning requires you to stretch the fur with the help of a stretcher. During the stretching process, remember that the pelt should be on the outside. Then keep the stretcher in a dry and cool place. This helps in speeding up the drying process.
One of the best fox skinning tips when it comes to drying the fur is to apply salt to the fur. This contributes to removing all the remaining moisture from your hide. And if you’re not skinning a fox for tanning it in the near future, then roll the expensive fur and store it in a plastic bag. Put the bag in the freezer and let it freeze.
HOW TO SKIN A FOX OR COYOTE!!!
Conclusion
Learning how to skin a fox requires you to have tons of patience. To master the skinning skill, you’ll take some time and lots of practice. So don’t feel too bad if your first few tries don’t turn out to be huge successes.
It took me a couple of tries too to be able to skin a fox properly. So don’t be discouraged easily. Just make sure that you stick to the instructions mentioned above.
I hope you enjoyed reading the article. What do you think about the fox skinning process? Have I missed out on anything? Please feel free to share your thoughts below.
Thank you for reading! Happy skinning!
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