I am just starting to learn Taxidermy and have been having problems fleshing raccoon. It seems that while removing the fat off the hide, I am seeing some hair pulling through the hide on the flesh side. Is this normal when fleshing raccoon or am I going too deep while removing the fat?
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...while my dad and I were fleshing somec raccoons we trapped this year. He told me I was scraping off too deep in the skin. I think once you see a clean surface with no fat, that part of the skin is fleshed.
you are cutting off the hairfollicles. You do not want to do this asthis could cause the hair to fall out. Don't flesh quite that deep, just get rid of the fat and meat.
Theres only one proper way to deal with slimmy critters..Preasure washer is the absolute BEST way..
The hair that is pulling through the hide is well behind the shoulder and on the belly. Does anyone think it is possible to still get a pedestal mount out of this hide? The isn't any hair pulling through on the head and neck areas. I sure don't want to waste the hides.
use it for practice. Most of the hair that pulls through first is the long gaurd hairs, but the mount will still look good for a beginner.
You can look at it after doing a lot of them and see how well you are doing, and what you have learned.
Use it as a practice mount which you can then pull back off the form too. You can learn alot from mounting a skin and then ripping it back off to mount a different skin on later. Plus, you can have the fun of ripping it apart.
Either way, you stand ot learn a lot from mounting it.
If you still want to salvage it, then use just the cape. it's all good.
have fun. :)
I will give it a go and see how it comes out! I can use the practice too.