Fleshing And Tanning

March 30, 2010, 12:25 pm

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More shots of in-progress tanning. The first picture is a better depiction of how to hold the knife during the fleshing process. Lengthy description of that can be read here: [link]

The lower picture is the same hide (black coyote) after it's been completely fleshed, degreased, and soaked in the pickle bath (noticeable at the left hand side of the picture) for an additional 24 hours.

I use McKenzie tan and oil for the final steps. The tan is applied to a towel squeeze-dried hide and after that has all soaked in (about 12-24 hours), I apply the oil that I mix in with some hot water. I apply both the tan and the oil with the paintbrush seen in the photo.

As the oil soaks in and the hide begins drying out, I begin working the hide to soften it and continue to do this on and off until the hide is completely dry and I am pleased with the softness and flexibility of the leather.

Any questions, just ask.

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Corey In His Glory - Squirrel

April 10, 2010, 10:45 am

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My fox squirrel, Corey, with his repaired tail all stretched out and showing off his glorious, squirrelly colors on one of my sheep pelts.

A big thank you goes out to !lirimakat whose patience with my bizarre interests and continued antics made Corey's "second life" possible.


For paw size comparison, see here: [link]


Fox squirrel found as roadkill and preserved by me
Sheep pelt from a colonial convention


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Coyote Girls

April 10, 2010, 10:54 am

≫ Next: Black Coyote Pelt

≪ Previous: Corey In His Glory - Squirrel

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My two newest coyote pelts. Sparrow, the standard colored coyote was found as roadkill last fall and tanned by myself. My black coyote was obtained through a seller on taxidermy.net and was shipped to me frozen with her paws and head left in so I could skin them out myself since I'm picky.

Once that was done, I was able to take her through the tanning process and now I have two beautiful, home tanned coyote girls.


Black coyote from taxidermy.net
Standard coyote found as roadkill and skinned and tanned by me


Disclaimer: I did not kill these animals! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Black Coyote Pelt

April 10, 2010, 10:58 am

≫ Next: Paws And Pads - Black Coyote

≪ Previous: Coyote Girls

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My beautiful new black coyote girl. She's from West Virginia and is a rare melanistic color mutation of a normal coyote.


Coyote pelt from taxidermy.net
Alpaca pelt from a seller on eBay who bought it in Lima, Peru


Disclaimer: I did not kill these animals! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Paws And Pads - Black Coyote

April 10, 2010, 11:01 am

≫ Next: Sheep Pelts

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The paws of my black coyote. All four of her paws are sprinkled with white on the tips.


Coyote pelt from taxidermy.net
Alpaca pelt from a seller on eBay who bought it in Lima, Peru


Disclaimer: I did not kill these animals! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Sheep Pelts

April 10, 2010, 11:07 am

≫ Next: Fur - Sheep

≪ Previous: Paws And Pads - Black Coyote

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My two sheep pelts. The larger one lives at the end of my bed and has been claimed more or less by my dog.

Both sheep from a colonial convention


Disclaimer: I did not kill these animals. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Fur - Sheep

April 10, 2010, 11:09 am

≫ Next: Fur - Kit Fox

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A close up on the fur of my two sheep pelts side by side.

Both sheep from a colonial convention


Disclaimer: I did not kill these animals. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Fur - Kit Fox

April 10, 2010, 11:11 am

≫ Next: Paws And Tail - Kit Fox

≪ Previous: Fur - Sheep

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A close up of the fur on my Kit fox pelt. This little guy might very well be the softest of my pelts.


Kit Fox from taxidermy.net (this is not one of the endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes from California)


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal and disagree with the killing of animals for sport or fashion. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

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Paws And Tail - Kit Fox

April 10, 2010, 11:13 am

≫ Next: Sliding Into Comfort - Kit Fox

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The tail and paws of my Kit fox, Ari. The underside of his tail has a stripe of soft tan running the length of it.


Kit Fox from taxidermy.net (this is not one of the endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes from California)


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal and disagree with the killing of animals for sport or fashion. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Sliding Into Comfort - Kit Fox

April 10, 2010, 11:19 am

≫ Next: Arctic Fox Pelt

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Ari again, my handsome little Kit fox. In some places, his fur is softer than a rabbit's.


Kit Fox from taxidermy.net (this is not one of the endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes from California)


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal and disagree with the killing of animals for sport or fashion. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Arctic Fox Pelt

April 10, 2010, 11:22 am

≫ Next: Skull Preservation Tutorial

≪ Previous: Sliding Into Comfort - Kit Fox

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An outdoor shot of my arctic fox pelt, Nikko, curled into a realistic pose. I luff him. It's positively heavenly falling asleep with your nose nestled into the cloud of fluff that is his fur. He smells good too.

Purchased from a taxidermist


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Skull Preservation Tutorial

April 11, 2010, 9:11 am

≫ Next: Juvenile Raccoon - Squeakers

≪ Previous: Arctic Fox Pelt

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I was asked to upload this as an actual deviation so that it was more easily accessible. Like I state at the beginning of this how-to, there are many ways to reach your objective in taxidermy, this is just my way of doing things and I thought I'd share them with you since I've had many requests for this type of knowledge.

Juvenile Raccoon - Squeakers

April 18, 2010, 7:36 am

≫ Next: Little Coon Tail

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This is Squeakers, the young raccoon that I found as roadkill last summer. He was the second animal that I skinned (first was a baby mouse ).

He was the first and the last raccoon I'm going to pick up. I've since learned that most raccoons carry a certain type of roundworm in their intestines and feces that can infect humans and there is no cure. The chances of getting it aren't that great (you have to actually ingest it), but I'd rather not mess with the risks and just play it safe. My next raccoon pelt will be purchased from a taxidermist.


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! It was found already dead. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Little Coon Tail

April 18, 2010, 7:41 am

≫ Next: Groundhog And Raccoon - Pelts

≪ Previous: Juvenile Raccoon - Squeakers

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Squeakers's little tail. He's only a juvenile raccoon so it never reached a large, fluffy size. He's also a summer pelt so, while his fur is still fairly soft, it's not thick at all.

He was the first and the last raccoon I'm going to pick up. I've since learned that most raccoons carry a certain type of roundworm in their intestines and feces that can infect humans and there is no cure. The chances of getting it aren't that great (you have to actually ingest it), but I'd rather not mess with the risks and just play it safe. My next raccoon pelt will be purchased from a taxidermist.


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! It was found already dead. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Groundhog And Raccoon - Pelts

April 18, 2010, 7:47 am

≫ Next: Fur - Groundhog

≪ Previous: Little Coon Tail

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Squeakers, my juvenile raccoon pelt and my new groundhog (or woodchuck) pelt side by side for comparison. Squeakers is a summer pelt from last July and Murphy, the groundhog, is freshly tanned and was found a few weeks ago. Both are roadkill victims that were picked up, skinned, and tanned by myself.


Disclaimer: I did not kill either of these animals! They were found already dead. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

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Fur - Groundhog

April 18, 2010, 7:57 am

≫ Next: Groundhog Pelt - Murphy

≪ Previous: Groundhog And Raccoon - Pelts

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A close up shot of the grizzled fur around Murphy's shoulder area where it is at its longest. Compared to my other pelts, his fur is rather course and, while he does have an undercoat, it is neither as thick nor as downy as it is in my other pelts.

Regardless, the fur does have a good gloss to it as well as some nice, rich colors which makes Murphy a very handsome boy.


Groundhog found as roadkill and skinned and tanned by me



Disclaimer: I did not kill either of this animal! It was found already dead. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Groundhog Pelt - Murphy

April 18, 2010, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Glow Worm

≪ Previous: Fur - Groundhog

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My new groundhog (or woodchuck) pelt, Murphy. He was picked up a few weeks ago and skinned and tanned by me. This species of pelts seems to be pretty rare and I'm guessing it might be that the fur, though handsome, isn't particularly luxurious. Another guess at why this might be is that, while I was softening the leather at the end of the tanning process, the ridiculously thick skin around his head and face make it super hard to get it properly softened like the rest of his pelt. Though I really don't think this should really stand in the way of anybody with a commercial tanning drum. Just us novices who have to do it all by hand.

Anyway, this guy probably has the coarsest fur out of all the pelts that I have but he's still a unique little pelt and I'm happy to have him.


Groundhog found as roadkill and skinned and tanned by me
Alpaca found on eBay from a seller who bought it in Lima, Peru


Disclaimer: I did not kill either of these animals! It was found already dead. If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.

Glow Worm

September 2, 2010, 3:53 pm

≫ Next: Caterpillar Nun

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A large, fat and adorable caterpillar I found while outside this afternoon. It was about 3 inches (or four inches stretched out) and was a beautiful color of spring green.

After some research, I'm pretty sure this is a caterpillar of the Polyphemous moth (Antheraea polyphemus).

Caterpillar Nun

September 2, 2010, 3:59 pm

≫ Next: Happy Halloween - Zombie Shrew

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A large, fat and adorable caterpillar I found while outside this afternoon. It was about 3 inches (or four inches stretched out) and was a beautiful color of spring green.

It had quite the aversion to my camera flash when it would go off and would tuck its little round head into its neck. I was able to get it to climb onto a twig so I could better photograph it and once it reached the end, it assumed this pose where it looked to me as if it was either praying or crossing its "arms" in refusal to put up with my antics any further. Caterpillar temper tantrum!

After some research, I'm pretty sure this is a caterpillar of the Polyphemous moth (Antheraea polyphemus).

Happy Halloween - Zombie Shrew

October 29, 2010, 10:28 am

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Happy Halloween from your friendly neighborhood zombie shrew!

This was one of my dog's victims a couple weeks ago. My dog was out playing in the yard and got the better of the shrew before we could do anything about it.

I skinned it to preserve the fur then tucked the body away under a flowerpot so I could retrieve the bones later. Upon returning for it, I was only able to find it after much searching. I hadn't realized how much smaller it would be without the flesh on it and it wasn't even that big to begin with. Though it appears much larger on the screen, the skull is a little short of an inch long.

When I picked it up, I was surprised and delighted to see that he was still partially being held together and in such a delightful horror film pose. Pictures commenced and he's now here to wish you a Happy Halloween!!


Disclaimer: I did not kill this animal! If you do not like what you see, don't look at it! Also, don't bother wasting your time leaving rude or pointless comments here, they will be ignored.