Skinning a fox

[hunter1254]

does anyone have some tips for skinning a fox?

[P89]

Use a knife.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[ihunt49]

Are you getting it mounted or just going to have a tanned hide to hang on the wall? Mounted - easiest way is to slice up the back and pull the body out that way. Wall hanger - do it just like you would a deer. No matter which way you do it, you have to split the tail to remove it.

WEAR GLOVES!!!!! Canines carry diseases.

Email any questions.

[XD40coyote]

Make a cut from heel to heel across the underside of the back legs and through the anal area. For general skinning the feet are removed, so you will make a cut around the ankles of the back legs as well, but keep the achilles tendon intact so you can hang the fox this way. Then cut the tail butt off so the tail hangs down- you can work on the tail later, unless you have a tail puller device in which you "pop" the tail bone part out. Either way, the tail needs to be split down the underside so it doesn't rot.

You then pull the hide down like taking a sock off, till you get to the front legs, then remove front paws and continue on down turning the hide inside out. When you get to the head, cut the ears free by cutting through the ear butts attached to the head, then continue to the eyes, where you need to cut carefully so you don't cut the eye holes all up. Next is the lips, cut close to the skull and down to the nose, then diconnect the nose from the skull. You do not need the lower lip, so you can cut it free as you skin the lip area.

If you want the feet on the hide, its best to skin and leave the feet intact and attached to the skin, and have a taxidermist finish the prep. However the feet are not that hard to skin out, it involves more pulling that cutting, except to free the main pad, and to clip off the toe bones from the skin.

Keep in mind, skinning a fox is more pulling than cutting, they have a thin skin easy to cut holes into. If you opt to skin the tail by splitting down the underside, be VERY slow and careful removing the skin from the bone. Skinning a fresh still warm fox is easier than a cold one.

If the fox is for a mount, either bring it whole fresh to a taxidermist ( keep it cool though) or freeze it whole and bring later.

[XD40coyote]

Now that I think of it, if this site is still up www.traps4kids.com, there may be a diagram or more detailed tutorial on skinning. I am in one of the videos the site owner did btw, original set of 4, on trapping raccoons, pure volunteering. But the guy moved to Maine, and I haven't chatted with him in a goodly while. He used to live outside of York PA.