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FossilFeather — Coyote Skinning Process
Published: 2009-11-15 23:38:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 9028; Favourites: 55; Downloads: 0
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Description
This is the coyote that was found as roadkill a couple nights ago. She has nice, thick winter fur and, since this is the largest animal I have yet skinned, she took five hours to skin out completely.
First picture is me and my friend after having only gotten one leg done!
Second picture is the fully skinned pelt of the coyote. I love her colors and thick fur.
Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! It was found already dead on the side of the road where it would have simply rotted away to nothing. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.
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Comments: 156
i did see one, it was crazy, but also we dont get other animals around little tiny bit of coyote but not much
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hmm... interesting! I see dead coyotes around here on the roads a lot, I hate seeing them just... rot there!
Is the tanning process difficult/expensive? It might be worth trying next time I see one...
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It is rather time consuming but I think it's worth it. If you note me your email, I have a step-by-step tutorial that I found to be most helpful.
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A while ago I noticed a red fox on the road, with the most beautiful flame red pelt 
I love how each animal developes such a story behind themselves if you get them yourself
At the mo, I have an entire cat that I need to work with yet, a camel skull & shoulder plate, mice skulls & bones & (most creppy 
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Aww, poor fox. I hope you'll be able to save something from her.
Ohh, wow! A camel skull? How did you come by that? And mouse tumor... ew.
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The foxy will be really soggy & rotten by now
As for the camel, I went to Egypt over the summer. We were driving through the desert (on a road, not just through the sand 
The mouse tumour was from my pet, Aztec. She had an opperation to remove it, & I asked if I could keep it, to disect.. But I just ended up keeping it
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Haha, wow... A real camel harvested from the country it lived in.
That's a good story too about the tumor. What kind of liquid is it being preserved in?
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There was some foul, musty smelling crap in it's skull, where the brain would have been.. It was grainy & looked like eggs opf some insect, which there were also dead ones of O.o I just stayed up that night, clearing this deris wih an old paint brush, mostly jabbing lightly with its handle. It was clean & old anyway.
But sometimes I wish I'd done more to it, perhaps with hydrogen peroxide, 'cause occasionally I get wifts of dead camel in my bedroom... Its an odd smell
I wonder how it died, some of it's lighter bones were further away from the body, & knawed, suggesting jackals or fennecs (Which I think I saw a wild one of, it was dusk & it bolted in front of the car, I couldn't really tell 
We just wrapped it up in my suitcase & didn't let nyone know in the airport about it... I just loved it too much to risk it, & it was dead for so long that it couldn't still carry any parasites.
I'm not sure what liquid Aztec's tumour is stored in, I can find out when I'm next at the vets... Unfortunately the tumours came back after the Op, so I had to have her put to sleep
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To get rid of the smell you need to degrease it first (soak it in water with dish soap for a few days- keep changing the water til it comes clean- you can help the process by scrubbing with an old toothbrush or something). After you have done that, you can whiten with peroxide if you want (I'd suggest painting it on vs soaking it for something so big), but it's more degreasing vs peroxide it needs.
Also you are lucky they didn't notice! You can get in huge trouble if they do and you are transporting animal goods without papers.
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Thanks! I have a few days to myself in which I can finally get around to my dead friends 
Oh I know! I still don't know if that was worse than the live baby hamster I brought back from Italy xDD
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Lol oh man I'm in the same boat. Many of my friends and family are uncomfortable with my hobby so I have to wait til I have time by myself, or my one friend is over who will help with bigger things. Though I'm winning my parents over.. they don't want to see it.. but they are giving me a freezer for roadkill- if only so they don't have to worry about squirrels next to the ice cream lmao.
Oy! Just watch if you ever go through Greece though. I had a friend who was detained there because her art bag had been next to a bag used to smuggle drugs. She almost ended up with a cavity search! o-o
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I'm sorry about your mouse having to be put down. Tomour seem to sadly be a common thing in small domestic rodents.
Eww, "Essence Of Deseased Camel"... I can't say that I'd be lining up to buy that.
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Especially mice 
The camel smell is mostly gone by now... I like the natural mottled white & biscuit colours of my camel, I'm scared that Hydrogen Peroxide would bleach that from it. Also, it woul make it all scientific smelling & looking, & while thats nice or some poeople, I personally prefer the earthy browns
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That's just terrible.
Ah, well that's good then. And yes, the natural colors of bone can be very attractive. Do you have any pictures of it?
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Yes! My least favourite species, humans.
I don't, & I will take them, but our camera is kicking up a fiuss at the moment, so it'll be a while before I can upload them. But I'll let you know when I do
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Okay, awesome! I do look forward to it.
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wow the skin is perfect!
I love the colors C: Do you gonna get it professionally tanned?
Very nice skinning job
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Thanks! I'm going to tan it myself. I've got all the right chemicals and the know-how so it should turn out all right. So far, I've successfully completed tanning a chipmunk as well as a squirrel.
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awesome, good luck!
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That coyote good some beautiful coloring, how soft is it'?
Also you did a great job skinning this
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I'm not sure yet since, for safety's sake, I've only ever touched her through my disposable gloves. I'll be able to fully touch her once she's all done and tanned though.
And thanks!
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heh okay, when is she done with the tan'?
You're welcome c:
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I'm planning on leaving her in the pickle for the next four days before fleshing her. Then it's back into the pickle for another couple days before I can take her out and apply the tan and the oil and that process usually takes about two-three days. So a little over a week I guess?
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Oh okay thank you so much for the information
Also i want to ask: what is the best way to skin the tail'?
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Ah, the tail... x.x On small animals, it's usually very easy. You just get a good grip on the part of the spine that goes into the tail and give it a good firm pull. With some effort, the bones will usually all pull out leaving you with a perfectly undamaged tail. You then carefully snip a straight line down the underside of the tail (all the way to the end) with scissors so that the flesh will be exposed for salting.
Bigger animals like my coyote are not that easy. I had to carefully separate the skin from the tail bones/tendons and it was incredibly difficult. I accidentally cut into her tail skin several times (I will have to stabilize it later to discourage potential tears) and I even slipped and the tip of my knife caught the underside of my left hand and cut through my protective glove making a small, but annoying puncture wound. I sterilized it right away with rubbing alcohol and it's been healing up fine with no traces of infection but when skinning something, I always try my hardest NOT to cut myself.
I have heard of a tool for taxidermists called a "tail stripper" which makes the job much easier once you get the hang of it and I plan on researching this a bit and possibly buying one in the future.
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Okay thank you
I had been thinking about that for awhile
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*Is now going to ask the strangest question yet*
If she were male, would you have left the penis on?
I just had to do it
Goodness, 5 hours???!!!! She's gonna be worth it, I bet
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Haha, that is a weird question but a good one. This is my first canine pelt and my furriest. The little male rodents I've done have been trimmed around the edges of their pelt to give them a more streamlined, smooth look but with an incredibly fluffy canine, the fur would be enough to keep the edge of the pelt fairly even looking even if there was penis left on. So. I probably would have left it on or at least most of it.
And yes. That squirrel shirt is mine.
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Cool!
Hahaha, I love that tshirt! I talk to pigeons 
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Yes, yes, you can has a shiny, gold star!
A person I used to know was super good at making the Mourning Dove coo. I don't know if you have those birds by you but they sound very similar to pigeons.
And yep, the red tag is the one Kruger was wearing when we adopted him. I was wondering if anyone would spot the tag. Figures it'd be you who'd catch it!
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*Sticks the gold star on her tshirt and puffs chest out proudly*
A mourning dove? 
I don't believe we do have those here, but I could be wrong
Weeee, do I get a silver star for catching it?
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People kick at them? How terrible. I'd be thrilled to have them come up to me.
And yes, you can have a silver star to accompany the gold one.
Thanks! I've got the black combat boots too. I really enjoy my wardrobe for the most part though the average female certainly would not deem it "awesome".
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I know, they just see them as feathered rats 
*Sticks the silver sticky and gold sticky together on her ballpoint sketch of Tahlin*
I saw your boots, they is awesome too! I don't really care what the average female thinks. I love your taste in clothes, hate what the average female wears. It's fashion here to wear tight black leggings with a stupid frilly girly long top and eye-wateringly bright coloured flat shoes. Don't they have any idea how stupid they look?
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Lol! Yeah, most of the in style female clothes today are really brightly colored and just look rather garish. It goes completely against my instinct to wear earthy colors and blend in as much as I can. I do have a couple of red t-shirts (brightest clothes I have and wear regularly) and I want to kick myself every time I'm out in the woods and realize what I'm wearing. x.x
I guess my clothes simply state my earthy/natural personality. And the females wearing the brightly colored clothing is a clear indicator that they want to be seen and get noticed. Funny how much clothing tells about people.
Awr... I chase birds on occasion... *lowers head* I have no expectations of catching them or hurting them but I love the rush of the chase and seeing them rise up into the sky. Maybe it's the dog in me that enjoys that so much.
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But in the human natural habitat, bright clothes help them blend in. Also thier brightly coloured attire helps them to attract a mate, and is a good cause for social benefits
Hmmmm.... what do my clothes say about me then?
As long as you have no intention of harming them
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Haha, I love describing human behavior as the narrators do in animal documentaries.
Hmm, I'm going to say that I think your clothes say that you enjoy comfortableness and lack of formality in your daily life. Which would also explain your disdain for fancy, stiff clothing.
I will not hurts the birdies, I promise!
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We should make one together!! That would be hilarious
Yay, my clothing reflects me 
Ok, you can go chase birdies!
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Stunning! You two are very skilled at skinning, not much blood or anything! You two really saved a wonderful amount of her pelt, great great job. One of the best ways to get a great pelt is to do it yourself! ^^
Have any names come to you yet for her?
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Yep! We got her entire pelt except for a little of her chin which I purposely left since I won't need that for the style of pelt I'll be making with her. Skinning actually isn't that hard and as long as you don't cut into the muscles or any large veins/blood vessels, it won't be very bloody at all.
I don't have a name for her yet but I know that I want something earthy and natural sounding. My other female coyote pelt is named Kestrel after the bird.
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Ah, good. Yeah, I saw the bit of chin left in one of your other pictures. Really? My dad would never let me watch him skin a deer, so I personally wouldn't know. It does take practice though I'm sure.
That sounds nice.
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Really? Why wouldn't he let you watch?
And thanks! I'm a little nervous about the preservation process (I always am) just in case any of the chemical balances go off and I end up ruining the hide but I've successfully tanned a chipmunk and squirrel so far so I'm hoping she will turn out just as good.
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Oh, he was just afraid that I would be freaked out or something. I've tried to tell him before that I'm fine with it, but he simply can't seem to grasp that a girl like me could stand it. xD Even after I had to dissect a piglet in school for an experiment and got one of the best grades in the class he still wouldn't believe me.
I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck with her!
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*stares at muscle* thats really cool...
what do you do with the rest of the animal after skinning?
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I put her body under a large wooden box where the bugs will clean off most of the flesh and stuff once spring rolls around and things warm up outside. After that, I'll collect the bones and disinfect them.
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thanks for sharing
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omg there's like hardly ANY blood! Is that because it had been sitting dead for a while? I MIGHT be able to skin something if it isn't a huge bloody, gorry (sp?), messy mess LOL
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Long as you're careful skinning there is little to no blood. The only time I've ever had blood in skinning was on a shrew killed by a cat who had bit through the skull and jugular vein to kill it. When I got to the bite area there was blood there because it had pooled under the skin. Even that wasn't awful.
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It's hardly bloody at all just so long as you don't cut into the muscle or puncture any veins/blood vessels. Hollywood just likes making things like this really gory and messy.
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Those are indeed some amazing colors! I love how rich and red they are! Man, I'd trade you a few other prairie dog skulls/bits for her skull, I adore coyotes...
--Spiritwolf
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