yes hello to everyone i have my grey fox thawing which has been in the freezer for a couple of days waiting on me im going to just skin and tan i have Van Dykes tanning formula i need the answer on where to start skinning,doing the head,tail skinning and do i split the hide all the way down to the feet this is my first fox and just want to get my plan down thank you everyone any other tips will be appreciated
Return to Lifesize Mammal Taxidermy Category Menu
Jeremy,
The way you skin your fox depends on YOUR preference. That is if you want to do a dorsal cut (down the back) or a belly cut.
I use dorsal and start about mid back and cut to the tail (where it joins the body). Then you can gently lift/pull the skin with one hand while you
cut with the toher. You are only trying to seprarte the skin formthe carcass without the meat. But if this is your first time skinning it wold probably be]best for you to not worry about having excess
meat on the skin til you are use to skinning. The more animals you do the better you become at getting just the skin. I work down the back toward the legs until I can get them loosened up good.
The I cut the tail off with the bone still in the tail and work around the rear end. After you get that free you can pretty well start pulling the skin back over the carcass all arounf to skin out. Skin
the legs all the way down to the toes (nails) I use a pair of aviation snips to cut the toes off.
Jeremy,
when skinning a fox, you should be able to pull the skin down to the
last joint of each leg before it gets too tight to pull. foxes usually
have very skinny feet at that point just turn the leg over and make
an incision through the pad up to the "ankle" joint and you will get
it the rest of the way off. not too much sewing and where it can't be
seen anyway. it's better than trying to skin and pull all the way down
to the toes because you may "probably" cut or tear it where it could
be seen later when you mount it. good luck.
they are notorious for harislippage. So after you have that fox skinned you need to go ahead and flesh him right away and start the pickling/tanning process. Do not refreeze and thaw out several times as this will damage the epidermis layer and cause the hair to slip. when you mount him up handle him very careful and do not pull on the hair or mess with the ears too much until he is completely dry. Once he is dry the hair should be set tight and not come out.
hey thanks to everyone im going to check on the fox i think he is thawed out enough and i must say again thanks