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Marten skinning question? #2267339
11/29/10 02:52 AM
11/29/10 02:52 AM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4
Arkansas
F
Farm Boy Offline OP
trapper
Farm Boy  Offline OP
trapper
F

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4
Arkansas
I have a few questions about skinning Marten.

Does the rear cut go from the middle of each back foot to the vent or just infront of the vent?

How long do you leave the front legs?

If I understand correctly, NAFA wants the front legs tucked in when the Marten is boarded. Full length front legs that have been tucked in are a pain to aline when putting in the belly board.

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2267568
11/29/10 11:01 AM
11/29/10 11:01 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
trapper ron Offline
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trapper ron  Offline
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Posts: 1,997
Kelowna BC Canada
Cut from the center of the back pad to the heel then follow the color change in the fur to just ahead of the vent. This puts extra fur on the back giving a bit more lengh to the pelt. The front legs can be cut short however when I pelt a marten I leave them right down to the paw.


Member BCTA
Trapping Instructor

"It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts."
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2267584
11/29/10 11:16 AM
11/29/10 11:16 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
W
white17 Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
white17  Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
W

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
Farm Boy. Theres a much easier way. Give me a call at home and I'll show you.


Mean As Nails
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2267711
11/29/10 12:39 PM
11/29/10 12:39 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,886
Bethel, AK
Kusko Offline
"Mr. Mayor"
Kusko  Offline
"Mr. Mayor"

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,886
Bethel, AK
I was going to say, "hey Farm Boy, why don't you walk down to Ken's house and he can show you the way".

Geez, it must be nice having Yoda right in the same town as you.


"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." Linus Van Pelt

www.alaskafinandfur.com
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Kusko] #2267815
11/29/10 02:12 PM
11/29/10 02:12 PM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,979
Alaska
H
Hupurest Offline
"Andy S wannabe"
Hupurest  Offline
"Andy S wannabe"
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,979
Alaska
Originally Posted By: Kusko


Geez, it must be nice having Yoda right in the same town as you.


Except Yoda takes alot of naps and is cranky...But, teach you to skin marten he will


Originally Posted By: Malukchuk
I'll take wolves over idiots any day.
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2267860
11/29/10 02:50 PM
11/29/10 02:50 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
W
white17 Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
white17  Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
W

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
He just has to provide the marten and the prunes


Mean As Nails
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: white17] #2276616
12/03/10 04:07 AM
12/03/10 04:07 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,757
Wy
Cattrax Offline
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Cattrax  Offline
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Wy
Originally Posted By: white17
Farm Boy. Theres a much easier way. Give me a call at home and I'll show you.



PICTURES!!!!!!!


"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
-- Thomas Jefferson




Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2276620
12/03/10 04:19 AM
12/03/10 04:19 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,255
Homer, Alaska
Family Trapper Offline
trapper
Family Trapper  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,255
Homer, Alaska
No NO NOOOO The mouth technique. I must have given up too soon. Takotna says I need to do 30 this way and I will be hooked. cry

Last edited by Family Trapper; 12/03/10 04:20 AM.
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2276622
12/03/10 04:27 AM
12/03/10 04:27 AM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 168
Shaktoolik, Alaska
M
Moses Offline
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Moses  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 168
Shaktoolik, Alaska
just got done with my first ever marten... good size male. wasnt sure how you guys do the front and rear paws but i just end up cutting right above like mink.

Last edited by mogie; 12/03/10 04:40 AM.
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2276835
12/03/10 09:40 AM
12/03/10 09:40 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
W
white17 Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
white17  Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
W

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
I skin the feet but the way you did it is fine Mogie.


Mean As Nails
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2277214
12/03/10 01:37 PM
12/03/10 01:37 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 172
lk louise Ak
C
chessielover Offline
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 172
lk louise Ak
I also prefer to skin them through the mouth after cutting up the back legs. This works real slick when they are suspended from a hook on a string. I have tried this also with mink, but the ones I get here are just to fat to get the belly through the mouth.

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2277407
12/03/10 04:13 PM
12/03/10 04:13 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 895
Alaska
P
Pittu Offline
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Posts: 895
Alaska
Skinning them through the mouth is so easy and clean, I'd never consider doing it any other way..I used to skin the paws on all of mine but for 3 years in a row now, I've cut them all of just prior to sending to Nafa, so I now have a bag full of marten feet with claws that I havent found a market for, lol..

Boy, when I started not skinning toes, did my skinning time ever drop!!

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2280208
12/04/10 10:30 PM
12/04/10 10:30 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,656
idaho falls idaho
trapr Offline
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trapr  Offline
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Posts: 1,656
idaho falls idaho
farm boy,I know you are a slow learner,but white17 has a lot of patience, so have him show you as many times as it takes for you to understand how to skin marten,even if it takes 30 or so before you do one. wink

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2280528
12/05/10 12:56 AM
12/05/10 12:56 AM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 168
Shaktoolik, Alaska
M
Moses Offline
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Moses  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 168
Shaktoolik, Alaska
thanks white... think i'll just stick to it. trying to do the feet will take me all night. beautiful lil animals.

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2280953
12/05/10 11:08 AM
12/05/10 11:08 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
W
white17 Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
white17  Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
W

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,102
McGrath, AK
FWIW, I skin all the way to the claws just because I enjoy it and I think the foot makes the pelt look better. After it comes off the board I take a pair of dikes and trim the claws right up to the toe so there is nothing to snag the other furs. When I have time, I trim the claws on the trail.


Mean As Nails
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2281095
12/05/10 01:02 PM
12/05/10 01:02 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,513
juneau, alaska
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alaska viking Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
alaska viking  Offline
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juneau, alaska
For auction pelts, I cut at the wrist. All others get the delicate toe treatment, and my eyes aren't what they used to be, so it takes about double the time for me to do it that way. I agree that they sure look nice when the feet are included.


Made it almost 3 years without censor!

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2282957
12/06/10 03:06 AM
12/06/10 03:06 AM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 266
alaska
T
trapped4ever Online content
trapper
trapped4ever  Online Content
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 266
alaska
Back when I started trapping, Seattle Fur Exchange would dock your price if claws were not left on the pelt. Then one day, the light bulb went off in their heads, that claws= fur damage. They sent out a nice letter asking everyone to remove claws. Also, the graders didn't like getting scratched while sorting fur crazy Sure is quicker to just cut the feet off. Also I've always skinned my marten hind end first. I tried W17's technique a few times, but couldn't do the switch over. After several thousand the other way, it's just hard to make the switch. Sure wish I learned the right way the first time.

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2283738
12/06/10 03:34 PM
12/06/10 03:34 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 50
Russian Mission, AK
akmarten907 Offline
trapper
akmarten907  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 50
Russian Mission, AK
I too skin from the mouth, skinned one last night and thought i'd share some input on the subject...


First pull cheeks back and poke your knife inside and run knife thru upper/lower lips, scrap the tissue back onto the carcass(sharp knife is preferred)



Pull the lower jaw and poke knife thru to other side of mouth and cut hid off



I then hang by the lower jaw using a bent nail and cut close to the skull and get around the eyes and cut the ears off



Using your fingers poke and push down inside to take hid off carcass



Push and pull action(both carcass and hide) to take the front legs out



Using a papertowel push the flesh back onto the carcass while pulling the mouth of the hide(like drawing a bow)



Pull all the way down until you see the base of the tail



Pretty much the same process as the front legs, push and pull of the carcass and hide to remove the hind legs



Both hind legs off and off to the next step



Take off the hook and pull hide towards you and cut the vent hole off towards the tail, same time while making cut pull to minimize knife use. Before pulling out the tailbone, cut from one slit you made earlier on the hind legs close to the vent hole, move the the other side and complete the cut to the vent hole and finish the other too.



Slide hide onto stretcher and split the tail



Tack onto stretcher and a small amount of using a knife to carefuly take off some of the flesh and done


Sure hope someone understands the process, any other needed explanations would be great.

Nick


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If at first you don't succeed, try...try again
Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2284770
12/06/10 10:42 PM
12/06/10 10:42 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 858
North Idaho
Dakota H. Offline
trapper
Dakota H.  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 858
North Idaho
Nicholas, nice post! I think I'll try out on a mink/ermine this year...

Re: Marten skinning question? [Re: Farm Boy] #2285222
12/07/10 02:46 AM
12/07/10 02:46 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,513
juneau, alaska
A
alaska viking Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
alaska viking  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,513
juneau, alaska
I still don't get the advantage. What is it? Looks nice and clean, but so do mine done the "normal" way.


Made it almost 3 years without censor!

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