never fleshed a mink,do you just scape the red fleshy part off or do you leave it on. Thanks, if anyone has pics of what a mink hide looks like after fleshing that would help alot.

I just take of the fat around the lower belly and under behind the front legs. Any fat stuck under the saddle should also be scraped out.. Leave the saddle on..


Mainecoydog

So, im guessing the saddle is the red membrane on the back?

sure you didnt find it on the road? ... just going by your T-man handle

congrats on your first mink !

Yes. Leave as much of the saddle on as possible. To remove fat from under the saddle, I sorta drag my dull edge of the fleshing knife across the saddle, while pushing lightly, to force out the majority of the fat that is under the saddle.

Ha ha, I guess I do see why you may have came up with that conclusion. It took almost two weeks for it to finally go through this spillway pipe I set with a 110, I was beginning to wonder. Can anyone explain to me what the "saddle" is, I have a good idea but need more detail. Thanks

its the red membrane along its back and overlapping onto its belly ... kinda like a muskrat .... i dont believe i have any pix of put-up mink on the puter right now ... im sure somebody has some ... hope they post them for you

i was wrong, i found one ... not a great photo but i hope it helps

Thanks alot!

Here are a few hanging

Mink out west here invariably have fat under the saddle, they need to be fleshed clean, and that is how the fur market prefers them. In the North east they mostly just have a meaty saddle in which case you can leave the saddle on.

So as a rule of thumb, if there is fat under the saddle flesh them clean and if there is no fat under the saddle just remove the meaty/fatty pieces around the front legs.