Skinning a Racoon

[Navajo]

Had a visitor last night.

At 10:30 while turning off lights daughter noticed Momma cat inside the house with tail up looking at back porch.

She turned on light and saw a racoon eating the some left over dog food outside.

Mide you we live in the country our nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away and the other dozen even further.

So gun fire is not unknow, and we even have a range in the back yard.

Anyway I grab a .22 semi auto and take a shot 1st shot went between the eyes and out the bottom of his jaw.

2nd shot ways side ways and after disecting found it went thru one lung and the heart.

He died.

Now I try to make clean shot and do as little damage to the hides.

This one will become a hat so a nice job of skinning is a must.

Big boy
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/000_0216.jpg


Big teeth
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/000_0217.jpg
Right between the eyes
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/000_0219.jpg


Ring each leg right below the 'good' hair line
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0001.jpg

[Navajo]

Cut along the back of the hind legs and connect the leg cut in front of the anus.

Then ring the anus.

Females you would include the vagina with the anus ring cut.
This is a boy so be cafeful not to cut the penis which is just below the hind when you connect the leg cut.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0001.jpg


Carefully skin up the belly towards the penis don't cut the 'tube' that runs from just in front off the anus foward. Ring the penis opening.

I say be carfull cause you cut the 'tube' you can get pee on the meat and fur and it smell bad. And will ruin the meat if you want to eat it. And just make a mess.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0004.jpg


Using a very sharp knife or razor blade run a cut from behinf the anus ring up the underside of the tail to the very tip of the tail.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0005.jpg

Pull the skin from the tail, stop pulling about three inches from the tail tip cut the hide off from here on. Or else you will break the hide. The hide is very wekk attached to the tail bone and meat.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0006.jpg

[Navajo]

Just like pulling a t-shirt off work the hide off the hind legs. Then off the back side. Then continue up the hide just like a t-shirt up over the front legs

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0007.jpg

When you get the front legs cleared work up the nect .

Once to the clear of the neck, easy stuff.

Start on the ears. this take time to do it right.

slowly sking off the ear cartridge as far 'up' the ears as you can go.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0008.jpg


Ear cartridge

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0009.jpg

Keep going work between the ears and under the neck towards the jaws

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0010.jpg

[Navajo]

sharp point is the jaw line and the inside of the gums

red knife is the eye

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0011.jpg

Keep going after a while cut the cartridge off the ear. cut the ear hole down into the hole as far as possible to have a nice finish.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0012.jpg


Ear seperated and eye cleared. Now working on the gum line

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0013.jpg

Sharp kinfe on the front teeth, you want to keep the black lips.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0015.jpg

[Navajo]

Now the nose. work you way up the cartridge of the nose. You also want to keep the black nose and the nost holes, but as little cartridge and meat.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0016.jpg


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0018.jpg


BOO

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0019.jpg

High you look framilar

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0020.jpg

[Navajo]

A nice clear skinn ing job with a real nice mask.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0021.jpg



That new diet is working so good
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0022.jpg

Say aahhhh

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0024.jpg

[Navajo]

Anatomy class for the kids.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0025.jpg

Have a heart...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c375/Navajozorro/100_0026.jpg


My freezer is full and it was midnight and so I just dumped the body to help draw in some yotes.


:-)8)

[KuernoDeChivo]

That's a nice coon. I always have had trouble with the end of the tail. So let me make sure I understand.

You make a slit on the underside of the tale right to the end. You pull the tail out of the tail hide and then stop an inch or two from the end or tip. Then use a sharp knife to cut the inner tail from the hide-tail all the way around so it doesn't break?

[Navajo]

Yeah, if you try to pull the whole way off you will almost always tear the hide and leave the last couple inches on the tail. ( At least I do)

I have to stop a couple inches short and use a sharp knife or razor to trim the hide from the tail.

[Ruckmanite]

Excellent post. Nice skinning job.

Notice the teeth on that sucker. Kids, now you know why you don't try to pet the friendly raccoon coming to beg a marshmallow at your camp site.

Let it be sufficient to say they can get mean and have sharp teeth. My old collie learned some hard lessons before he learned to kill them.

[tri-high]

What do you do with the hide after it's off? Do you preserve it any special way? Epsom salt to dry it out or anything?

[dreadstalker]

Nice neat skinning job. + 1

[north runner]

My kid had to dissect a fetal pig in school this year. This would have been a lot more interesting. Where we live we get so few animals we skin almost everything... just for practice, dogs cats rabbits skunks woodchucks. One night my wife hit a dog. She tried for like 15 minutes yelling up at some cabins trying to get someone to come down to take care of their dog. Nobody came. One person stopped and said she would get a vet. Never happened. She could have put a .22 in its head (it was badly inured but alive) and could have brought it home. She left it on the side of the road darn. Also not right to let an animal suffer.

[SagebrushSue]

My freezer is full and it was midnight and so I just dumped the body to help draw in some yotes.


EEEEEEEUUUUUUWWWWWW! Oh I KNOW you did a gorgeous job of skinning but I have a super weak tummy so I couldn't look - just skimmed the pics.

I have a question? ? ? My neighbor told me that ammo gets old. Is that true? I had to shoot twice to kill a coon a couple days ago and I know my first shot was a good one....tween the eyes. I've fed 22 sandwiches to 4 coons and a chuck in the past couple weeks. I just gag, get a shovel, gag, look away, gag, get a sack, gag, pick up the critter with the shovel without tying to look, gag and get it in the sack, gag, and go throw it down in the grove in my back pasture, because rabies is really bad here.

It took about 5 shots (I'm embarrassed cuz I know bro - my CCW instructor is gonna read this but now is the time to tell him that I am NOT 67 years old...teehee) to kill the chuck. My border collie just lives for killing chucks and coons, so I have to beat her to em, cuz i don't want her messing with the critters. So either I need new glasses or else my neighbor is right. Is there anything one can do to better protect the ammo? Does high humidity get to it?

I looked out one day and there were 6 coons sitting on top of my barn. they had taken residence in the little cupola thing on the roof. My son-in-law crawled up there and threw a whole package of firecrackers in the cuploa thingy. I know those coons never quit running til they crossed the Canadian border and we never saw them again. Oh sigh. . . .

[Freeholder]

If you do plan to eat a coon you've killed, is there anything special that you need to do to it before cooking? Any glands to remove or anything?

Kathleen

[Navajo]

What do you do with the hide after it's off? Do you preserve it any special way? Epsom salt to dry it out or anything?


Just regular salt I buy at Sams, (no iodized) . About one cup for a coon.
Put in Freezzr until I do some tanning.

I do three or four skin at a time. saves on chemicals and making a mess every so often, but not too often in the year.

[Navajo]

...
I have a question? ? ? My neighbor told me that ammo gets old. Is that true? I.... Is there anything one can do to better protect the ammo? Does high humidity get to it?

..


Humidity can cause the brass to corrode.

Humidity and heat can get to the powder and degrade it, usually not if you store it inside in a clean dry place. Modern ammo is very well made.

Now if you store it outside in a garage or shed it might degrade sooner.

I use to live in MD and had some stuff stored under the house to see how it did, lots of moist air, not much heat it still is good.

Our ammo is stored indoors in a safe dry, room temperature environment.

[Navajo]

If you do plan to eat a coon you've killed, is there anything special that you need to do to it before cooking? Any glands to remove or anything?

Kathleen


Coon is a rich dark meat. Strong flavor, if you never eaten wild game you may not like it.

Their are good recipes for coon on the web. Marinating is good for the first time wild game eaters.

You will want to ask around to see if parisites are a problem with coons in your area. then ask if they are safe to eat. Most of the time you just have to be careful with the intestine track.

[SagebrushSue]

Humidity can cause the brass to corrode.

Humidity and heat can get to the powder and degrade it, usually not if you store it inside in a clean dry place. Modern ammo is very well made.

Now if you store it outside in a garage or shed it might degrade sooner.

I use to live in MD and had some stuff stored under the house to see how it did, lots of moist air, not much heat it still is good.

Our ammo is stored indoors in a safe dry, room temperature environment.
Thank you very much for answering my question. I feel better now because all my ammo is in boxes, stored in a safe dark dry drawer. Not in a garage or outside.

Have a great week.

[tri-high]

Just regular salt I buy at Sams, (no iodized) . About one cup for a coon.
Put in Freezzr until I do some tanning.

I do three or four skin at a time. saves on chemicals and making a mess every so often, but not too often in the year.

What do you do exactly? Put a cup of salt in with a liter or gallon of water, in a zip lock bag, and freeze, or what?

Could you please detail the next steps?

And what about the animal's hair...Is that affected?

Thanks.

[Navajo]

Just take a cup of salt and spread it around the hide, not on the fur, be neat. Make sure you get it into all the of the hide. ( NOT the fur side)

Fold it up a couple times and place in a plastic bag, trash bag is fine. close it seal it up and pace in freezer until ready to work it.

I have had hide sit for 2 months like this and be just fine