I sent a raccoon today for tanning. I was gonna wait to see if I catch anything else but I’m rather impatient. Plus I’m told the coon had no yeller on it and everyone said “tan it tan it!!”
Moyle always does a great job and I’m excited. But sometimes it doesn’t seem worth it! By the time I ship the dried skin, pay for tanning and shipping back; I could have bought a tanned pelt cheaper!
Oh well, I think trapping in general is a labor of love! I spend more money than make it!

It costs a some for tanning. I bet you could collect enough cans and save the money to pay for it.

Its nice to have a hide tanned that you trapped rather than one that someone else harvested.

But...., it's one YOU caught.
Makes it much more memorable.
Pass it down to a grandkid some day (if you have any).

Yes it’s a nice souvenir and something to be proud of!

I have a niece! All my guns and furs and traps will go to her!

Having your own furs is worth it.

I force myself to wait until the end of season to ship. Use pirate ship to save some on the shipping costs.

Also, a few friends often have hides they want tanned, so we ship together and split the shipping costs.

Same traffic here. She is going to have a GREAT auction sale I am sure.

I can see tanning one or two for yourself but if you don't have a real use for them, like making something out of them I don't see the point. I lose enough $ trapping I got to stop the bleeding at some point.

I second the use of Pirate Ship to save on shipping costs.

And you are going to pay the max price for tanning for a single skin. I try not to send a single of anything because that is max cost on tanning and shipping. It might not make sense in every situation but at least look at the volume price breaks.

Have you considered tanning yourself?

I tanned my first deer hide and it was a lot of work! I appreciate the effort involved!!!! Quite the undertaking! It is not super soft like a shirt but at least I still have it intact

Smaller animal may be easier.

Perhaps so! When I played around with taxidermy I would do my own rugs. Skin and flesh and salt and put in a pickle and then apply liqua tan and work over a cement block or something like that. It wasn’t super soft but somewhat flexible

Sounds like you know what your doing. Keep at it!

I’m incredibly stubborn lol

I sent out XL black beaver this year to get tanned. And of course my forty one pound bobca

I'm in a similar situation. I've got one skunk put up in the fur shed so far. I thought I would be doing more trapping this winter but things haven't worked out. I was planning on getting enough to send to one of the state auctions that take shipments. Time is running out for that and it's not worth shipping one hide. It won't last the summer hanging in the fur shed and no way a skunk will be allowed in the house freezer so.......

Vacuum seal that skunk and wrap in a brown paper bag. No one will smell it or be the wiser

Tanning fur is a lot easier than tanning a deer hide. I've done both. Deer hides will work you to death.

So will beaver...

Garry-