HANDLING FURS.
To know the habits and the nature of the various animals and to know
how to catch them is not all that is essential for success, but the
trapper must also know how to skin the various animals and how to
cure the skins and prepare them for market.
The loss caused the trapper by the lack of this knowledge is
considerable; many skins because they have not been fully cured reach
the dealer in a tainted condition, others are not fully stretched and
are graded "small" and some do not have the proper shape. Some are
not cleaned of flesh and fat, do not have the tail bone removed, have
not been kept clean or have been badly damaged in killing or
skinning, all of which has a tendency to decrease their value.
I have seen the skins of raccoon, killed before they were prime, and
stretched on the side of a barn where the glare of the sun burned the
life out of the skins, rendering them worthless. I have also seen
skunk and mink skins drawn over the end of a thick board roughly
fashioned with an axe, and hung up by the nose, the weight of the
board drawing the head out until it resembled the finger of a glove.
The trapper who handles his catch in that way can never expect to
receive full value for his furs.
There are two ways of skinning fur-bearing animals, namely, "casing"
and skinning "open". The weasel, mink, marten, fisher, fox, opossum,
muskrat, civet, skunk, wild cat should be cased. The raccoon, bear,
beaver, badger, cougar, wolf, wolverine and coyote should be skinned
open. Some dealers prefer to have southern raccoons cased.
To remove a skin by the first mentioned plan, cut it loose around the
feet and rip down the back of the hind legs, to and around the vent.
Peel the skin carefully from the hind legs and skin the tail by
slipping a split stick over the bone, when by gripping the stick with
the right hand with the bone of the tail between the second and third
fingers and holding the animal with the left hand, the skin may be
stripped off easily. Draw the skin downward from the body, keeping it
as clean of flesh and fat as possible. To facilitate this process the
animal may be suspended from the limb of a tree or other projection
by looping a strong cord around the hind legs after they have been
skinned. The skin should be drawn from the front legs and when the
ears are reached they should be cut off, cutting downwards towards
the head. The skin should be cut loose about the eyes and nose, and
it will then be in the form of a long pocket, fur side in.
The weasel, mink, marten, fisher, fox, skunk, civet cat and wild cat
should be skinned in this way. The otter must have the tail ripped
open its entire length on the underside, and as they are a difficult
animal to flesh, it is best to skin them clean with a knife, leaving
no flesh or fat adhering to the skin. The muskrat and opossum should
also be cased, but as the tails of these animals have no fur they
should not be skinned, the skin being cut loose about the base or
where the fur ends.
Some trappers do not use much care in removing the skin from the head
of the muskrat, but simply pull it off by main strength. This leaves
the flesh of the head remaining on the skin and a collection of such
skins will usually be graded low and the skins will average a few
cents less than when properly handled.
To skin an animal "open", rip the skin on the belly from the point of
the lower jaw to the vent, down the back of the hind legs and on the
inside of the front legs across the breast to the point of the
brisket. Animals that are intended only as furs may have the feet cut
off, but bears, mountain lions, wolves and wolverines should have the
feet skinned out to the ends of the toes, leaving the claws attached
to the skin. This increases their value for mounting or for rugs. The
skin should be peeled from the body, using the knife whenever
necessary.
In skinning the beaver, rip the skin from the point of the chin to
the vent and around the base of the tail and cut off the feet, but do
not rip the skin of the legs. Skin the animal perfectly clean using
the knife everywhere, as it is almost impossible to flesh a beaver
after skinning. Not a particle of flesh or fat should be allowed to
remain on the skin.
After all burrs, lumps of mud and blood clots have been removed from
the skin it is ready for fleshing. For fleshing all cased skins
prepare a narrow tapering board of sufficient length to accommodate
the longest skins and plane it perfectly smooth, rounding the edges
slightly. Draw the skin over this board flesh side out and scrape all
flesh and fat from it, using some blunt instrument, such as a square
edged knife or a hatchet. Turn the skin occasionally and do not flesh
on the edges of the board or you may score the skin; be careful not
to damage it in any way. Always turn the fur side out before laying
it down, so as to keep it perfectly clean.
Open skins, if they have not been skinned clean, are more readily
fleshed after they are stretched.
A good supply of stretching boards of various sizes should be made in
advance of the trapping season. Soft pine, poplar, basswood, or cedar
boards are best, and old dry goods boxes make excellent stretching
boards. They should be free of knots and should be planed smooth so
that the furs may be removed easily after they are dry.
For mink the boards should be from 26 to 34 inches in length and from
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches wide at widest part, and about 1/2 inch
narrower at the shoulders from which point it should taper gracefully
to the head and end with a rounded point. For marten, the boards
should be a trifle wider. For the average fox or fisher, the board
should be 4 feet long, about 5 1/4 inches wide at the shoulder and 6
1/2 at the base. For the otter the board should be about 1/2 inch
wider and a foot longer. The average lynx will require a board about
7 1/2 inches wide at the shoulder and 9 1/2 inches at the base, by
about 5 feet in length. For large muskrats the board should be two
feet long by 6 inches wide at the base, 3/4 inches narrower at the
shoulder and with a flat iron shaped head, but more rounded at the
nose. One should have several smaller sizes also. For skunk and
opossum the boards should be about 6 inches wide at the shoulder and
7 1/4 inches at the base, 28 inches long.
These dimensions are for the average animals, but it should be
remembered that the sizes vary greatly in the various parts of the
country. In the case of the skunk and the mink especially, there is a
great difference in size.
[Illustration: Canadian Pattern Stretching Boards.]
For convenience and good results I advise ripping with a saw, a
narrow wedge from the center of all boards except those intended for
muskrats. In this way one can stretch the skins to their full size
and they may be more easily removed from the boards, after the wedge
is withdrawn. For large boards to be used for lynx, otter and animals
of a similar size, I fasten two short strips to the base of one piece
of the board, as shown in the cut. This stiffens the stretcher and
prevents the pieces from turning in the skin. All boards should be
beveled on the sides, leaving the edges thin, round and smooth. The
boards shown are of the Canadian pattern used universally by the
Canadian trappers both Indian and white, and recommended and approved
of by such large dealers as the Hudson's Bay Co. The tendency among
trappers of more southern districts is to use a less tapered board
with a more rounded point.
The skins should be stretched as soon as they are fleshed. In using
the three piece board slip the two halves into the skin, the flesh
side being out and fasten the hind legs with one or two small nails
in each, then insert the wedge and draw down all slack parts and
fasten with nails. Be sure to get the back on one side of the board
and the belly on the other. Draw up the skin of the lower jaw and
fasten with a couple of tacks or small nails. In the case of the lynx
it is advisable to slip a narrow board into each front leg and a
small incision should be made in the tip of the tail of all animals,
to allow the moisture to drain out and the tail to dry.
The tail of the otter should be stretched out to its full width and
well fastened with small nails. Some trappers also split the tail of
the skunk for about one-half of its length and fasten it in the same
way.
The proper way to stretch open skins is by lacing them with twine in
a hoop or frame. The beaver should be stretched round, and a hoop is
most convenient. My method is to fasten the skin in the hoop at four
points and then with a large sacking needle and strong twine stretch
out one quarter at a time. I use a separate twine for each quarter,
sewing thru the edge of the skin and around the hoop, tying the end
with a loose knot. In case I find that any part is stretched too much
or not enough, it is a simple matter to untie the string and give it
a little slack or take up a little as the case requires.
The raccoon should be stretched nearly square and all other skins to
their natural shape. A square frame is most convenient, and the
method employed may be the same as for beavers. Open skins which
have not been fleshed, should have all of the flesh peeled off after
they are stretched and then it will frequently be found necessary to
re-stretch them but this is not difficult when using the twine.
All furs should be dried or cured in a cool, airy place. They should
never be allowed near the heat of the fire as they dry rapidly and
become brittle and unfit for use. In camp they may be dried in some
corner, removed from the fire but they are likely to take on a dirty
yellow color from the smoke, and it is better to have a shelter for
them on the outside.
Furs should not be allowed to remain a long time on the boards. As
soon as they are sufficiently dry to prevent shrinking or wrinkling
they should be removed. The lynx and all species and varieties of
foxes should be turned with the fur side out as soon as they become
dry enough, and if the skin has become too dry to turn, it may be
dampened slightly on the stiffer parts by placing a damp cloth over
it. A very little will suffice and one must be certain to allow the
skin to dry out thoroughly after turning. It is best to watch the
skins closely and not allow them to become too dry before turning.
Some trappers turn the skins of other animals, but with the exception
of those mentioned it is better to leave the fur side in.
When shipping the furs they should be packed flat and bound tightly.
Those having the fur side out should be kept separate from the others
so that the fur will not become greasy. I sew the skins in burlap and
put a card bearing my name and address inside of the package; also
tie two shipping tags on the outside. Furs handled by the above
methods will always command good prices and I never have any cause
for complaint if I ship them to reliable dealers, but when furs are
badly handled, damaged in killing or afterwards, or unprime, one
cannot expect the highest market price.