# skinning in the field



## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

After skinning a 2nd semi-frozen animal I discovered it's something I never want to have to do again. Does anyone on here skin coyotes in the field? If so any tips? Since there is not many trees here I was thinking of tying the coyote to a fence post but was wondering if it would be better to get those deer hangers that attach into your hitch?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Dont you have a place to thaw them out?

Far easier than skinning in the field, especially when its balls cold out.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

I agree, let it freeze, then thaw it out and skin it. no sense in freezing your hands off, even if it's hot. Hang them by a back foot, it'll allow the guts to sit further into the rib cage and it won't turn the belly as green.

xdeano


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

The garage is unheated. I do thaw them inside but I like to skin them before they are fully thawed. The reason I do this is to minimize green belly. The problem is when it's semi-frozen still it's very hard to pull the front legs through.

xdeano you made it sound as if you always get some green belly when you thaw. Both the last animals I thawed got this but not bad enough for the hair to slip. Will this bit of green belly affect the price of the pelt.


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

Also one more thing when I froze and unthawed the coyotes they were hanging by their back feet.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Green belly wont effect price at all.....unless its REALLY bad. Not to mention, once stretched and dried (fur out) its tough to diagnose unless EXTREMELY severe, like leaving them in a heated garage unforzen for 2-3 days before processing. If your shooting winter coyotes which will be freezing fast, dont worry. Green belly is not necessarily a sign of taint. Something to do with stomach/intestinal properties of omnivorous animals. You can shoot a coyote, throw it in the truck, skin it four hours later, and see slight "green belly".


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Wouldn't doing a quick field dress job prevent green belly?

 Al


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

I thought of this last night you could make the opening cuts and skin down the legs and get the hide down past the guts. Your hands should not freeze to bad since it would only take 5 or 10 minutes. So what do you think of this new idea?


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I think a "field dress" would still be a waste of valuable hunting time.

The ONLY time ill ever skin one in the field is if im looking at a REAL LONG hike back. And than its just to cut weight.

As long as it cold out enough to start freezing em upon death (which it likely is if your saving fur anyway) than field skinning to protect against green belly or taint is a waste of time.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

what he said...

xdeano


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

I think I may have found a case for field skinning or partial field skinning. Near the end of Feb. I shot a double on foxes. So a few days ago I unthawed the one that was the most shot up. Once I could get the back legs spread I skinned him. His belly had a taint of green but not enough for the hair to fall out. The 2nd fox was angled so that when I shot the bullet exited and nicked his gut. So I did the same procedure as the first skinning as soon as I could spread the back legs. As it was drying though there was a small area, about 1"X2", that slipped. The area that slipped was near the exit hole. It's my theory that the gut juices around the exit hole did something to the leather and made that little bit of fur slip faster and easier than usual. So if this theory is true if I gut shoot any animals in the future I will skin or partially skin them immediatly.


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

Do what you want, but you are making a lot of work for yourself. I used to tarp off a small corner in my shop and put a little heater in it to thaw out frozen coyotes. I would put them in there in the evening and skin them the next day. Worked well.

I have had enough off center shots on coyotes and have never had hair slip around the bullet hole. Not too sure what the deal with that would be.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

Sask hunter, I've had one or two that have done that slipping around the bullet exit over the years, it does happen. Just have to get to them sooner is all. If you gut shoot a coyote and if it's got intestines hanging out, step them out as much as you can. Step on the intestines and pull the animal so the intestines completely come out. It'll help shorten up on the greening process. Another cause of hair slippage at the belly is because the skin right at the guts is paper thin and have an easier time for the process to go green.

Blood can also cause hair to slip if you have a large pool of it, especially around an exit hole.

xdeano


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Another thing too, is if your trimming bullet holes up like you should be doing before stitching them up, a lot or all of the affected hide will be trimmed out.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

yep i forgot to add trimming, it'll give you a nice clean edge to sew.

xdeano


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

As you can probably tell I am teaching myslef as I go. So can someone please explain this trimming of the bullet hole your talking about.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Basically your taking a round, sometimes very ragged bullet hole, and trimming a small amount of hide (1/8-1/4") from around the edge of the hole. Taking it from "round" and maybe ragged to a more clean "football" shaped, than you stitch the "football" up the length of the football. This will help the hide lay better once stitched up (eliminates bunching of the seam) and makes it harder to spot the hole on the fur side. It also gets rid of a lot of blood soaked fur and/or bullet tracks in the fur. Sometimes you kind of got to "piece the puzzle together" when trimming out bullet tracks and such.

I usually trim so when I stitch the "football" shaped hole up, im stitching the length of the pelt, not across the pelt.


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## phutch30 (Nov 18, 2010)

I try to, skinning a warm yote IS SOO much better than a cold one. I built a skining rack that slides into the trailer hitch reciever on my truck and have a small electric boat winch on it that pulls the coyote for me. I have to open it and get the legs peeled a little then I clamp the skin into the vise grips welded to the skinning rack and hit the remote for the winch and it will usually peel it all the way to the from legs, a little work with a hammer and it will peel it to the neck. I then finnsh by hand. maybe 8-10 start to finnish and no sweat from me. LOL

Call me lazy but it works slick.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

Post up some pics!

xdeano


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

xdeano said:


> Post up some pics!
> 
> xdeano


thought you don't like pics.  oke:


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

I like pics of practical stuff. a bunch of dead animal pictures are not very practical for me. 

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I also like pictures of handy devices to make chores easier. It sounds like the squirrel skining devices i have seen on the net minus the whinch.

 Al


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## phutch30 (Nov 18, 2010)

I try to get some pics on here. Its in my fur shed right now. Here is a terrible basic drawing of my rig. You need to make it really tall to pull the skin to/past the shoulders. The electric winch plugs into the trailer plugin


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I've skinned in the field using a few yote totes I made out of PVC pipe for the handles and paracord. Then slit between the leg bone and achilles and find a corner post and skinned them out. If I have a pack I carry a few garbage bags, then roll the pelt up and carry it out. Much lighter than dragging to the truck. If it's a short walk to the truck, I drag the whole animal...my kids like to see them when I get home.


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