Skinning, flesing, drying the mink!

[davidlt89]

well, I have skun plenty of deer and bear, but decided to try the mink I got a couple weeks ago. You may remember the mink was caught in a 330 conibears and one of the front legs was eaten off before I got there. I took it out of the freezer this morning and hung it up to thaw. after hanging for two hours I lopped off the head and put it with the beaver the skull I am going to do. I also have my otter in back of the truck and will take that skull also.

I let the mink hang for about 8 hours and then washed some blood off it and commenced to skin it. since the front leg was eaten off, I tried to square it off at the other leg, cutting it off. having the front leg eaten off meant it could not be cased so I started to skin it like a beaver, then realized I needed to split the legs!!!!

I cut down the tail about 3 inches and tried to pull the bone off only to have the last inch or two seperate from what I was pulling on. I then skinned it all the way off and fleshed it with one of my other knives.

I then tacked it to some board laying around and lifted it off the board a little and have it drying down cellar right now. I will order a tanning kit in a couple months and try my hand at tanning.

all in all, not to bad for the first time I believe. Certainly not an "experienced" job, but we all got to learn sometime. I only cut through the hide once which is way better than i have ever done on a deer.

here it is on the board!!! more to come once the tanning kit arrives. God Bless.

[davidlt89]

here the mink all dry!!! i will obtain a tanning kit down the road and hopefully soften it up. God Bless.

[gitano]

I cut down the tail about 3 inches and tried to pull the bone off only to have the last inch or two seperate from what I was pulling on.

A VERY common error. As you now know, you MUST cut all the way to the VERY END of an animal's tail if you want to preserve it. "No end" on tails is the single-most common way that a skin gets ruined for taxidermy. AND it will lower the value even for non-taxidermy-destined skins.

That looks like a good job to me. I'm keenly interested in what your perspective on tanning will be after tanning this skin.

Paul

Have a look at the comments on post number 10 in this thread: http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15282&highlight=Reynard

Paul

[davidlt89]

I'm keenly interested in what your perspective on tanning will be after tanning this skin.

After I did up the beaver today, my friend pretty much has me convinced to put the mink in with that and send it off to the tanning factory!!! I am gonna skin a raccoon tomorrow also, so I may send all 3. Would be cost less to have the mink done at the factory than the tanning kit!!!! we will see! God bless.

[buckshot roberts]

can't wate to see'm all done...........if you have any left over, I'll to get one your skins for my man cave.............Ron

[davidlt89]

if you have any left over, I'll to get one your skins for my man cave.............Ron

Beaver skins are starting to go he other way now, no longer prime. I believe I will start keeping what I get now, maybe there is one for you Ron!!! God Bless.

[recoil junky]

Just so's you know David, the past tense of skin is skint

I will skin, I have skint

RJ

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

UK skint = potless = no money...

[gitano]

Just so's you know David, the past tense of skin is skint

I will skin, I have skint

RJ

Paul

[JaDub]

I DONE Skint............  past tense.