February, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
73 
likely to be met with, as the trapper is, 
it is not difficult to improvise them al- 
most anywhere in the woods. 
As all of our North American furs 
smaller than the bear are, with the ex- 
ception of the beaver, badger and rac- 
coon, preferred by the fur trade in the 
“cased” form, it is as well to so handle 
all the smaller fur bearers. 
A “cased” skin is easily turned into 
an “open” one, but not vice versa. In 
order to get the approximate size and 
shape of a stretcher for a cased skin, 
lay the animal on its back fully extended 
and mark around it at the tips of the 
fur in its ordinary condition. This can 
be done on the ground with a stick. 
Now get one or more pliable saplings 
or switches of hickory, osier, willow or 
something similar, and trim them free 
of knots and twigs. For a skin the size 
of a muskrat this should be about the 
diameter of the thumb, at the large end 
and five feet or so long. It may be nec- 
essary to shave it down somewhat at the 
middle, that it may be bent without 
breaking. Cut two short sticks of the 
same diameter, one of a length to reach 
across the shoulders and the other at the 
hips. 
If the ends are slightly notched it 
is an easy matter to bend the long stick 
and fasten them in place with string 
or by driving a nail in the end of each. 
Put the longest piece further back than 
the hips, as far as the hind feet is best. 
If the sapling is long enough, one end 
may be bent at right angles, thus mak- 
ing the longest cross piece of the 
stretcher. 
To skin an animal cased, split the 
skin down the back of hind legs, from 
the feet to the root of the tail and along 
the underside of tail to its tip. Also 
split the skin on the back of front legs 
half way up from the feet. Cutting 
the skin loose around the ankles, sepa- 
rate it from the flesh, freeing the hind 
legs and tail first. 
With a piece of stout cord tied to the 
ankles, hang the animal to a nail or 
limb of convenient height at this stage 
of the proceedings, and the operator 
will have the use of both hands in turn- 
ing the skin down over the body and 
head, fur side in, as a sock would be 
rolled off. When the fore legs are 
reached, pull them back through the 
skin, cut them loose as the hind feet 
were treated and continue working down 
over the neck and head. Cut the ears 
from the skull and spend a little care 
around eyes and lips to avoid haggling 
their margins. Finally free skin from 
carcass completely by severing the nose 
cartilage just back of the nostrils. A 
well skinned animal has no tufts of fur 
adhering to the body. 
Do not cut the skin unnecessarily and 
above all do not cut away parts of it. 
Simple cuts can be sewed up, but miss- 
ing parts are hard to supply. 
Muskrat, opossum and beaver should 
have the tails cut off where the fur ends, 
the rest is worthless. 
Put cased skins on stretchers, fur 
inside, with back flat on one side. Pull 
on snugly and fasten skin of hind feet 
to each side with a bit of string, tacks, 
or by making a slanting knife cut 
through the skin of the ankles into the 
wood. On withdrawing the knife blade, 
the edge of skin will catch in the cut 
and hold it. Connect the base of the tail 
and the point of skin opposite by a bit 
of string brought around the lower cross 
piece and the stretched skin is ready to 
hang up by the curved frame at the 
nose. 
To remove a skin open, make the same 
cuts, but extend the tail cut to the chin 
and those of the front legs to a junction 
jflst back of the chest. 
Skins for use as rugs may be skinned 
open and the feet of such should be 
skinned to the toes, which are cut off 
at the last joint, leaving the nails at- 
tached to skin. 
Very fine skins of martin, fox and 
others with furred feet are sometimes 
treated the same way. 
To stretch open skins, make a rectan- 
gular frame of poles or saplings and 
lace skin into it with a sail needle and 
string. Such lacing should be in several 
pieces, to be tightened gradually or the 
skin will be stretched out of shape. 
The beaver is usually skinned with 
one cut from chin to tail, only splitting 
at the ankles enough to withdraw the 
feet. The stretching frame for it is of 
saplings bent and lashed in an oval 
shape. 
The best raccoons are cased but skins 
for coats and robes are more desirable 
open and stretched nearly square. 
Large skins are sometimes pegged out 
on the ground, a method to be avoided if 
possible, as it entails a series of slits 
around the margin ; the ground is always 
more or less damp, and in such a place 
are liable to damage from dogs and other 
animals. 
Hang up stretched skins in a shady, 
airy place to dry, never in sun or artifi- 
cial heat, as that will grease, burn or 
render the hide brittle and worthless. 
Skins for sale should never have salt 
or other preservatives applied to the 
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