I just fleshed my first batch of coon and it actually didn't go so bad. BUT ...How do you'll get the grizzle off from the back of the neck??? It was too tough and wouldnt come off, but I did the best I could. Also, What happens if you leave too much fat and grizzle on the coon? will it be worth much less or what? I plan on shipping to NAFA...

use a sharp knife and at at steep angle "shave" the grisle back, once you get it started your fleshing knife will peal it off just as it does the fat and other tissue. be careful not to shave too deep and into the hide. its pretty easy to peal off after you get it started!

If I can't get flesh off the back of the neck fleshing, I trim it with my sharp skinning knife after the fleshing is done. That takes more time than the pros would spend, but they probably get it off with the fleshing knife anyway...

ya i ended up using my skinning knife like pass-thru said, but it still seemed difficult to get off. IS it really going to hurt much if I left some of it on there>????

Well, if you leave too much, that area won't tan well and it could slip. NAFA might grade it as slight damage and you don't want that if you can help it.

Does your fleshing knife have a sharp and a dull edge or just one edge that is dull? If you have a sharp edge on your fleshing knife then start right behind the ears with the sharp edge.I find it is easier to get under the grizzle there and then you can use the sharp edge for about the next 3-5 inches until you are at about mid shoulder. You will feel a noticable difference when you get past the grizzle into the fat area and then the dull edge will work fine. If you don't have a sharp edge on your current fleshing knife and plan to get a better kinfe that is one alternative. The other thing you can do is make a sharp edge that you can control well and use that until you make a more permenent decision as to how many coons you will be doing per year and how long you want to spend on each one.

Bryce

All the gristle must come off of the neck area. If not taken off, NAFA will grade the coon as some kind of damaged coon. It all depends on how big an area of gristle you leave on the neck. It could grade as a slt damaged coon all the way down to a bad damaged coon.

Tex said it pretty well. You must have a razor sharp edge on your fleshing knife and use about a 10 degree angle through the tougher gristle and use a fairly moderate amount of pressure. The more you do the more you will feel how and when to use what type of angle and how much pressure to apply. Practice makes perfect.

A good flesher will solve all the ?'s and hard work......
Zepf Zee Flesher will shave the neck fat area of a coon with ease...don't use much of an angle and defenatly "don't" apply pressure...just lightly shave.,