Coon Hunting Info >> Coon Hunting Tips

If you are planning to do it yourself, here are some steps that you should follow in order to do a good job because skinning a raccoon is a very complex procedure and the possibility of doing it wrong is very high because you have to be attentive at every point; a simple mistake is irreversible so you only have one shot in order to do it right.

The very first thing to do is that you should cut around the raccoon’s so-called wrists and ankles, with other words, the place in which the rich fur ends. After doing this the next step in order is cutting the pelt from the heel of every hind foot to the anus and around that location. Once you have done this then you should make a cut beginning from the anus down to the tail ( approximately 4 inches or approximately 10 centimeters ). The next thing to do is that you should begin peeling the pelt down the hind legs. To do so, you should start pulling the pelt and also by cutting the connective tissue.

Once the pelt is safely removed, the carcass should be placed at an acceptable height by its hind feet. A piece of advice : you might want to peel the pelt of around the location of the anus. If you are skinning a male raccoon then the male’s reproductive organs will be connected to the pelt. These are to be cut closely to the pelt as you can. The next step that should be followed is that you should peel the pelt from around the tail ( the base of the tail to be more specific ) exposing a few inches of the tail bone.

Once you have done so, the next thing to do is clamp a tail stripper around the tail bone; you should do this by holding with one hand and with the other you should hold the tail’s base and try to pull the bone outside the tail by pulling as hard as you can the tail stripper. If you can’t do it by yourself then you should ask for someone’s help; it will be far easier to complete this delicate procedure. If you can’t seem to extract the tail bone then you should extend the cut ( by a few inches ) towards the tail’s tip. You might want to use a sharp knife to get better results.

Now, the pelt should be pulled down the carcass as far as it is possible thus exposing the forelegs. If you cut the connective tissue then you should expose the forelegs furthermore. While you are trying to push the pelt down you should wrap fingers from both hands around the coon’s foreleg. Continue to do so until the coon’s forefoot passes the pelt, setting it free. Repeat the procedure with the coon’s other foreleg.

After completing all these steps, you should remove the nose, eyes, lips, ears and muskrat without any leftovers of fur on the carcass. Once this step is completed, the pelt should meet all the conditions to be fleshed or placed ( fur side out ) in a plastic bag in order to be frozen.

As you can see, skinning a raccoon isn’t as easy as you might have thought. If you find it hard to follow these steps, you might want to hire professionals to complete this difficult procedure.

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