FUR FACTS 103 



to take the proper care in skinning them after the animal is trapped 

 and stretch them so as to bring the highest price in the market. 

 Some trappers tack the skins out so as to form a square. Others use 

 four stout green sticks about twenty four inches long and one half 

 inch in diameter to get the desired result. To take the skin from the 

 animal rip the skin down the belly, down the back of the hind legs, 

 and on the inside of the front legs. Care should be used in skinning 

 the head. Remove the tail bone and see that the scalp and pelt is 

 free from superfluous meat and fat. Then split the head from a 

 point behind the ears down to the nose. Cut small holes around 

 the entire edge of the skin, and then insert the sticks through the 

 holes and stretch the skin its full length and as square as possible. 

 Skins that are well handled are much more valuable than those 

 that are poorly handled. Cut off the feet and part of the legs to 

 get the desired effect, as the legs and feet have no value. When you 

 hang the skins up, or tack them up, select a place where they are 

 not exposed to the sun. Never dry skins near a fire as the pelts be- 

 come brittle and grease-burnt which spoils the value of the pelt 

 entirely. Never use any chemicals or solutions on raw furs. After 

 they are dried long enough to hold their shape they are ready for 

 shipment. 



The average large raccoon skin after it is stretched is about 

 twenty four inches long from the top of the skin to the root of the 

 tail, and about seventeen inches wide, and will weigh about ten 

 ounces. This is for average coon from the central and southern 

 section. The heavy large coon from Minnesota and some of the more 

 northern sections will average larger in size and heavier in weight. 



