To Skin a Coyote

[gstoneberg]

As the deer season wanes with the freezer still empty, I put away the primitive gear and got out more modern weapons to go meat shopping.  In this county we can't use a rifle so I went with a crossbow.  Sadly, no deer came in, but a coyote did.  Mistakenly got my thumb up where the cables move and it really whacked it.  May loose the nail.



First one I've  shot with any weapon.  How do I go about case skinning it?  Figured I might as well save the skin and figured somebody would want to trade for the jaw bones.  Have watched a fox get skinned decades ago, but don't remember how he did it.

George

[JW_Halverson]

Can't help you with the case skinning, George, sorry. 

I guess the thumbnail is karma telling you what it thinks of wheels!   

[gstoneberg]

The crossbow belongs to the other guy on the lease.  Beggars can't be choosers.  I need to build one of Dane's crossbow replicas.

George

[JW_Halverson]

Now there ya go!

Two thumbnails up!   

[osage outlaw]

What kind of crossbow is that?  Looks like a nice one George. 

You might want to save the skull and whiten it.  They look pretty cool.

[gstoneberg]

He got the crossbow from Midway.  It's called the Inferno Blitz 2.  I do intend to save the skull.

Thanks,
George

[M-P]

Been a long time since I ran a trapline.   And I never trapped coyotes.   Case skinning starts with a cut from the rectum, down the back of each leg.   A third cut goes up the underside of the tail.   I always hung my muskrats and mink by the hind feet to make things easy to reach. Peel around the base of the tail and over the hips.  Carefully skin the tail, this will be one of the hardest steps, then start pulling the skin towards the head.   Peel the skin off the legs and cut around the ankles.  If you're feeling really ambitious you can try to skin out the feet and  toes.   
As you peel the skin towards the head the skin will turn inside out, sort of like taking off your socks.  Peel down the front legs and treat the front feet like you did the back.  It's usual to just cut off the ears off the skull and leave them to dry attached to the skin, but you can try skinning them out too.  Take your time around the eyes and lips.  Cut through the cartilage of the nose and you're done.   Ron

[osage outlaw]

Are you planning a new quiver?

Lets see a picture of that mangled thumb 

[JackCrafty]

Good shot, George!  I those critters are tough.   

I don't know if you've worked with tanned coyote hides but they are thin.  You may want to split the hide down the middle to make it easier to tan.

[criveraville]

Good shooting George!!

 Ouch! Ouch! What were you thinking??!!??

Lets see a pic of that thumb..

Cipriano

[stickbender]

     Nice one!  Way to go.  Well except for the wheels, crossbows are primitive....
     Well, if you are going to talk about an injury, it is only common courtesy, to show the injury.  That way we each get to cringe, and think of the times we had, or have similar injuries,or say, Phhlllttzzffft!, that ain't nuthin, just look at whut ah done did wit my barlow..... etc.  So George, giving you the benefit of doubt, we will let it slide, and give you a chance to redeem your social grace faux pas, and let you put up a photo of the said digit, with multiple camera angles, and not too much touch up, or photo shop.  Again nice going on the coyote, maybe you could use the meat to attract one of them hogzilla's, and then you could whack one of them, and buy a couple more freezers to put all the meat in.  That is if you got it cut up, and packaged, before it runied.  OK, so now, without further ado, George, if you please, the "THUMB!!"

                                                        Wayne

[criveraville]

George now that's just DUCKY 

Cipriano

[JW_Halverson]

Just post a thumbnail shot of the digit in question, (snicker)!

[criveraville]

Or a duck thumb

Cipriano

[gstoneberg]

Sorry, I've been out at the Cross Plains lease rifle deer hunting.

You guys crack me up.  The thumb ended up being a non-issue.  It was blue underneath at first and I thought it might be bad but now that's all gone.  The nail got split there, but other than that it isn't worth a picture.  I'll take one if y'all really want, but it just looks like a thumb with a bad spot on the nail.

George