More than one way to skin a coyote.

[jt183]

I didn't feel like dragging this guy the mile back to the pickup so I had to improvise. I used my drag rope and shooting sticks (one more reason to love shooting sticks) to hang him up. I've skinned them on the ground before but it's much easier for me if they're hanging.




When I'm closer to the truck I use the handy hanger-upper my boss made for me. What a guy!




I've found that skinning them in the field while they're warm is much easier than getting home at night with a frozen load of coyotes to deal with. Plus I can leave the mess (and smell) in the field. I once skinned a gut-shot coyote in my garage and the smell about killed me. The wife was less than impressed too. Any pro skinners out there with useful advice to share??

 

[royinidaho]

Whatcha do with the hides after you skin 'em?

 

[jt183]

stretch 'em and sell'em

 

[royinidaho]

stretch 'em and sell'em

I had no idea they were worth the effort.

I hunt them to decrease fawn fatality.

 

[bigngreen]

Pealing them warm is the only way to go!! In middle school I learned to trap from a long line coyote man, good thing I was young and stupid or I would have given up before I learned anything, he was a learn to skin first then trapping later kind a guy. I'll have to look around but I have a light little gizmo made from snare cable that I used to hang a coyote up if I skinned it away from my truck, I've also built a couple neat skinning poles for back bumper or the front cow catcher.

 

[threejones]

I had no idea they were worth the effort.

I hunt them to decrease fawn fatality.

I'd heard a rumor that folks were getting $40 or more for a put up pelt, and $20 on the carcass. This was before they were all rubbed out, but it made me think real hard about a trip over the divide... Then I remembered how lazy I am...

How much were you guys actually getting for a good pelt all put up? My uncle has been asking us to make a trip to his place over east for some yote control, but it's a long trip just to shoot yotes... unless it pays enough to make it worth it.

 

[bigngreen]

If I remembered right the Montana/Alberta coyotes averaged in the mid $60 range in the sales last year, we just had to much going on this winter to get serious about trapping for fur but next year I think we'll punch a line in.

 

[Nick Carter]

You have the right idea, skin them in the field.
I watched several utubes on skinning with the aid of air.
I rigged up an air bubble with an short hose and a basketball filler needle.
I inserted the needle in the leg, pinched around the back of the
needle and let er fill. It was good for about 2 coyotes.
That worked pretty well but the air bubble was bulky so I purchased one of
those portable tire pumps that work off the cigarett lighter. That works a lot better, so I installed a sockett in the back of my pickup bed in order for it to be reached with ease as everything is more difficult in the snow and cold and I like easy. Works great. No the hide doesn't just fall off.

 

[crissmorgan]

I saw a link on today's Outdoor Wire, (outdoorwire.com), that mentioned fur prices going up this year, so I went and read the article. I can't remember where the fur auction was, but they said that good Western coyote hides were bringing 95 dollars. That's the best price I have ever seen so maybe the fur market is making a rebound. I live in Louisiana, in the Southern part of the state, and coyotes and other fur bearing animals never get prime here. When I was a kid growing up in North Mississippi the furs got prime and prices were pretty good too. Enough to buy myself my first car when I was 14. I had a couple of trap lines of over 30 traps and set them for anything our local fur buyer would buy. This was in the early '60's and coyotes hadn't reached this part of the state yet. I guess I am happy they didn't because I would have had to buy a bunch of new traps for them! My favorite place to shoot them here is where a local deer processor puts gut piles and unused hides from the deer he processes. It is in a remote spot on his property and the coyotes swarm there during deer season. I wait until I have all the venison I can eat in the next year and then only hunt hogs and dogs the rest of deer season. We are fortunate to have a long deer season and I usually kill at least one coyote every time I hunt that spot. I have seen over a dozen of them there at one time, but I can't shoot that fast! By the time I can reload, I rarely get a second shot. Even hogs come to the gut piles and I have gotten a couple of them too. I would love to have a place to hunt somewhere the furs get prime because the only place I can get rid of the coyote carcasses is at an alligator farm and that is way to far to drive for free. I'm too worn out in my legs to run a trap line any more, but I can still shoot good enough to kill coyotes and hogs. I'd love to get reconnected to the fur business somehow.

 

[crissmorgan]

I made a mistake on my previous post. It wasn't on the Outdoor Wire website that I saw the article about fur prices going up this year. It was on the Texas Fish and Game website.

 

[spstr2002]

I always struggle with the tail, what is your method there? Getting the bone out is not easy, and is essential.

Thanks for the good info on getting them skinned out fast and away from home.

 

[bigngreen]

I always struggle with the tail, what is your method there? Getting the bone out is not easy, and is essential.

Thanks for the good info on getting them skinned out fast and away from home.

If you slit down the bottom of the tail about mid way, which will be facing you, then pull the tail hide down while touching it up with a knife you will hit a spot where it's just pulling of with no need for the knife about mid way maybe a touch sooner. You'll then pinch the bone real hard with your pointer finger wrapped around it, close your mouth and turn your head and give it a good jerk and the hide will slide right of the bone and you can then split it out with your knife.

 

[threejones]

If I remembered right the Montana/Alberta coyotes averaged in the mid $60 range in the sales last year, we just had to much going on this winter to get serious about trapping for fur but next year I think we'll punch a line in.

$60 is pretty darn good. Might be worth the trip. Too bad you can't shoot em with anything fun when you're fur hunting

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I had a good laugh on that one. CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND TURN YOUR HEAD.