This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.
A great deal of trapping is preparation and anticipation. You spend the summer and fall prepping traps and gear, scouting for places to trap, and putting together all of the detailed tasks needed to get the trapline up and running. Then comes the frenzy of setting and checking traps, and if you did it right, the eventual piling up of fur in the back of the pickup truck and into the shed. After that comes what many would consider the hard work: handling fur.
Proper fur handling can make a huge difference in the price a trapper receives for the pelts they put up. And with all the expense associated with catching the fur, a trapper really should work to maximize the value of that pelt through proper care. Fortunately for modern day trappers, we have tons of resources available to guide us along the way.
The majority of furbearers nowadays are case-skinned, which entails making an opening cut from foot to foot across the vent or tail, and peeling the fur toward the head. After proper pulling and making a few strategic cuts with a knife, the pelt is freed from the carcass in one piece, the only opening being the end opposite the head. Case skinning allows for efficient stretching of the pelt, and allows garment makers maximum flexibility when choosing how to section the fur for processing.
Beavers have always been an exception to the case-skinning rule. They are skinned open – a straight cut is made on the belly-side from tail to head, and the pelt is skinned outward. It’s a good thing, too, because case skinning a beaver would be quite a difficult task!
After skinning, the critical process of fleshing the pelt is next. Fleshing involves scraping excess fat and meat from the hide to ensure it dries properly and the fur doesn’t spoil. Some animals are easier to flesh than others. Species like foxes and marten have delicate pelts that can’t be scraped too hard, but they also don’t have much excess fat to deal with. Beavers have very durable pelts, and also have lots of fat and meat that need to be scraped off the hide. Fleshing is most often done over a wooden beam built just for that purpose, and fleshing tools can range from a butter knife for muskrats to a large, two-handled tool for raccoon and beaver.
Skinned and fleshed pelts need to be stretched and dried to prepare them for market. Stretching has traditionally been done using wooden boards of various shapes and sizes, special-made for each species. That’s still the most popular way, though wire stretchers are a modern alternative. Pelts are tacked onto the boards and dried slowly over the course of a few days. Beaver pelts are nailed to pieces of plywood, and stretched in an oval shape based on their size.
The way fur is put on the stretcher for drying might seem minor, but it’s critical to producing a marketable pelt. Some species are stretched fur-in, and some fur-out, based on what buyers need to see to evaluate quality. As a general rule, dryland species like coyote, fox, marten and fisher are stretched fur-out, because buyers want to be able to see the fur to evaluate its color, thickness and overall quality. Water animals vary less in color and quality, and buyers want the fur stretched skin-out so they can evaluate how prime the pelt is. A white colored hide indicates thick, prime fur on the other side, while dark patches indicate thin, early caught fur.
After skinning, fleshing, stretching and drying, you’re the proud owner of what the market calls a raw fur pelt. If stored in a cool, dry place, that pelt will keep for a few weeks, or even a few months. Vacuum sealing and freezing can extend the storage life to a couple years for some species, but raw fur pelts are perishable goods. It’s now your job as a trapper to get that hard-earned fur pelt to the market and turn it into cash!
Jeremiah is an avid outdoorsman, biologist, and trapper. His new book, “Fur Profit: A Trapper’s Guide to the Modern Fur Market” helps trappers better understand how to sell their fur in today’s market. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can learn more about trapping from his website, TrappingToday.com.
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