found a fox and cut the tail off and was wondering how do i get the bone out without damaging the fur?
thanks
lisa
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you could try splitting it down to the middle and then pulling it out. I have not ever done that to a fox tail though.
You do have to technicaly split the tail to get the bone out(which you do have to do). The best way to do it without ruining the fur is to get enough water on it where you want to make the cut so tht you can part the hir with the point of a knife blade. This way you don't cut any hair. Remember to keep the tail cool because the hair slips out of the tail on a fox rather badly.
Lisa, Fox tails are normaly split AFTER removing the bones. Click on the orange button to the left, type in "splitting fox tail" and read ll about it. --Aaron H.
enough to grip it either in a vise or with vise grips. I would go a couple of inches if you can. Go ahead and start the split incision as it will need to be split when the bone is removed anyway. Clamp the bone in a vise and take a pair of pliers with the curved inside jaws, place over the exposed bone as you stand at the end of the tail and apply pressure as you pull towards yourself. You don't want the pliers to clamp down real hard on the tail bone just enough to allow the skin to slide off the bone without sliding back over the fur. Two wooden sticks will work for this also, one on each side of the bone..just keep even pressure on the tail bone as you slide the tail skin off. You will get about half way and it will slide right out.
When it is off the bone take a sharp thin blade knife and slide it into the tail and continue the cut holding the tail under the blade with one hand and slicing up and out of the fur. You will cut some fur but this will in no way damage the tail as most are thick and full. Continue with this method until the end of the tail is reached. Use a sharp knife as a dull one will rip the tail in half. Go slow. Make sure you keep the cut to the bottom of the tail as they like to twist in a circle once the bone is removed.
thanks for all the replies i appreciate all the info
lisa