# fleshing ?



## homer (Jan 20, 2013)

Is it easier to flesh cold hides or hides off of a fresh kill


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

I flesh'em fresh---put'em on a board--- then I'm done with'em.

Ask yourself if its easier to skin a critter freshly taken, or 8 hours later when rigor has set in and its all cold and stiff. :getrdone:

awprint:


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

+1 on what catcapper stated........fresher is easier.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Back in the day I would do them fresh,BUT things don't always work out that way, get behind, frozen in the trap, (coni ) etc., like Cat says, gitter done.


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Yup, the more ya wait the harder it seems to be.


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## beavertrapper (Dec 31, 2012)

+1 on all above.....fresh is better


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## olsonfia (Mar 12, 2013)

Agree with everyone. When ya flesh fresh the fat is almost jelly like and wil come off pretty easy. Wait awhile and it almost turns to plaster. But like hassel pointed out sometimes it dont always work out that way.

Sent from my LGL86C using Tapatalk


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

if you can't get them scraped right away skin them , comb them out and freeze them, the only catch is making sure they are COMPLETELY thawed out slowly before you try and scrape them later. A little extra work but when you can't get to them right away it helps.


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## Demodad (Oct 25, 2013)

ha I wish I had the time to flesh during season, you need to be checkin traps not putting up.. also try fleshing an old boar fresh then freeze one and let it thaw compleatly try it you will find it alot easyer on the frozen hide...


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Demodad said:


> ha I wish I had the time to flesh during season, you need to be checkin traps not putting up.. also try fleshing an old boar fresh then freeze one and let it thaw compleatly try it you will find it alot easyer on the frozen hide...


are you saying to scrape a frozen hide?


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

You better have froze the hide real flat and stretched or you will tear a hole in it every time.

Don't ask me how I know that either.


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## Demodad (Oct 25, 2013)

no you dont flesh while it is frozen 220, I freeze all mine skins exept rats and fox. I just roll nose first all the way to the tail and freeze, once season is over then I take some out every day for a few weeks and hang in my fur shed and let them thaw once thawed I brush. scrape , tumble, and strech let them dry then off to NAFA once there all done...


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

now I understand, your other post kinda made it sound like you scraped frozen to me. Believe me, I completely understand scraping. In the mid to late 1970's I worked for a fur buyer in Southern Iowa and at the height of the fur season 4 of us were each scraping 100 raccoon, 20 to 30 coyotes/fox everyday. That started at noon after we all ran our lines. There were teenagers that scraped the rats. The owner's wife and two other ladies did all the stretching. and turning.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

220swift said:


> now I understand, your other post kinda made it sound like you scraped frozen to me. Believe me, I completely understand scraping. In the mid to late 1970's I worked for a fur buyer in Southern Iowa and at the height of the fur season 4 of us were each scraping 100 raccoon, 20 to 30 coyotes/fox everyday. That started at noon after we all ran our lines. There were teenagers that scraped the rats. The owner's wife and two other ladies did all the stretching. and turning.


 I have to ask = how much coin were they paying you HA !!! Some of the things we did to make a few bucks back then.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I was getting $1.00 per raccoon or fox and $2.00 for coyotes. I've asked my wife to try and find some pictures from those days in the fur shed, not my first wife, she was not fond of me then either.


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## Demodad (Oct 25, 2013)

lol well I was doing the same thing in the early 80`s 220, I didnt get paid as I did it while in H.S for trade in traps and my first nightlite with a wheat head for raccoon hunting and all threw high school that lite and traps got me hooked to the fur shed and kept a teen in all the fur for gas money to cruise, and spend on the young ladies around and possibly a cold beverage or 2.. boy those were the days now all it gets me is out of the house, helps with a few bills, and sore ol bones, but i wont stop as long as I can do it, im even thinking of building a 4x4 hoveround for myself in about 20 more yrs to keep at it haha.


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## Skinner712 (Jan 7, 2012)

I like to freeze em for a few days to kill the tick and fleas. And to me they seem to flesh easier.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Demodad said:


> lol well I was doing the same thing in the early 80`s 220, I didnt get paid as I did it while in H.S for trade in traps and my first nightlite with a wheat head for raccoon hunting and all threw high school that lite and traps got me hooked to the fur shed and kept a teen in all the fur for gas money to cruise, and spend on the young ladies around and possibly a cold beverage or 2.. boy those were the days now all it gets me is out of the house, helps with a few bills, and sore ol bones, but i wont stop as long as I can do it, im even thinking of building a 4x4 hoveround for myself in about 20 more yrs to keep at it haha.


laying steel is truly the top thing I miss in my life, damn Colorado tree huggers!


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Flesh them as you catch them, (still crawling) that way you won't end up with a frig full... If you loose power for a few days, or your frig goes out, you'll loose all your money. If you don't have time to flesh what you catch, "don't trap"... I can see if something comes up (over night), but if your catching that much fur, you need to hire some help.


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

220swift said:


> laying steel is truly the top thing I miss in my life, damn Colorado tree huggers!


I hear ya Mike. If I was run'in the bracelets I'd be double'in my fur take.

Colorado tree huggers--- Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

awprint:


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Hey cat, in your opinion how many true trappers are left in Colorado? I'm going to try running a few cages this year to see how I do.


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

220swift said:


> Hey cat, in your opinion how many true trappers are left in Colorado? I'm going to try running a few cages this year to see how I do.


Theres a few left Mike, but they seem to be a die'in breed in this state.

You should do well run'in cages--- its cubby after cubby after cubby.lol. Ruger is gonna run some cages this season too.

awprint:


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

CatCapper no footholds at all? We can, only on private property. So it's cages for most of us.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

catcapper said:


> Theres a few left Mike, but they seem to be a die'in breed in this state.
> 
> You should do well run'in cages--- its cubby after cubby after cubby.lol. Ruger is gonna run some cages this season too.
> 
> awprint:


Thanks, I have access to about 500 acres east of Denver (family and business acquaintances). I'm going to build my own cages over the next two weeks so I should be ready come December 1st.


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Post some pis of them cages 220.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I will when I get them completed..........


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

I will be watching... cages are not cheep, and they are going up in price next year.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I know, that's why I'm going to build. I've been working on my design for several months now. My plan was to build them this summer but the knee replacement recovery got in the way of that.


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## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

azpredatorhunter said:


> CatCapper no footholds at all? We can, only on private property. So it's cages for most of us.


The only time foothold or snares are allowed is by special permit from CDOW and proven damage.

awprint:


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

10-4


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## coyotejon (Feb 4, 2010)

I agree with the raccoons being easier after being frozen then thawed....same with beaver. Maybe this varies in different parts of the country as different regions have different amounts of fat on the animal etc..

azpredtorhunter- your comment about only trapping what you have time to put up that night is ridiculous, you have to dedicate your time to trapping while you can, if fur can wait a month so you can get more steel out do it. Every trapper I know traps, skins and freezes until time allows for fleshing/stretching, some of us have a very limited window on trapping, like raccoons here in Mn only run until it's freezing cold so you may only get a couple weeks, we have to make the best of it.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Ya when I was trapping up north the odd time things came up where I couldn't do up my marten right away or got called in for a week of work, I'd have a gunny sack of frozen animals, no big deal as they all made it to the auction.


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