Time for road-kill hunting

[tyger]

The otter skin has been salted, fleshed, pickled, fleshed again, tanned, tumbled in the clothes drier (no heat), lightly oiled, and is being stretched every 30-60 minutes.

[Kiltman]

Thanks for the visuals, it sure helps me to see what's going on.

[ThistleDown]

I don't know if protected is the correct term, but they are considered a game species in most States and you do need a license to harvest them legally.

You can take Jack Rabbits anytime and as many as you want in CA, though! Still need a license.

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Oh, just noticed this on the CA Fish and Games rules re: trapping

Oh shoot this is an international forum and CA means Canada

[piperdbh]

I saw a fox on the side of the road yesterday and thought, "Tyger!" In fact I said it out loud.

[tyger]

Oh yeah. I went to the gym at 6 am. Upon leaving the gym, there was a really nice 'coon laying where he had not been just 2 hours earlier. Nicely bumped, not squashed. I should have stopped.......

[tyger]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]I suspect that a self-respecting Apalachian Scot used the river otter skin to make his sporran. A "southern seal", if you will.

This morning the hide was pretty dry and stiff. That means the time for hand stretching has past.

Take a piece of metal and put it in a vise. The metal edge must be dull. This is an old hatchet head, because the skin is relatively small. Use an axe head, or piece of railroad tie connect iron (or angle iron) if you have a big hide. There are other ways of final working the skin, this is the way that I learned to do it.

[Pleater]

Arcane skills? Blood and guts?

I supose I must just be a country girl - as I can never remember being taught how to deal with chickens and other birds to change them from newly dead to oven ready, nor how to get the fur off a rabbit - for eating they are usually cotched (emptied) as soon as possible after killing.

The skin can be removed leaving the insides in - there are layers, so if you pinch up the skin on the belly to start the process you can remove the pelt without guts - and even cut off the paws and tail without much blood.

I usually cut through the neck and that did bleed a bit, but not very much really.

I had a purse I made out of a white rat pelt for ages - I think the cat took it outside to play with and left it somewhere I could not go. It was a really fine white skin.

My school fellows had three fits about it - I really don't know why.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Tobus]

I scored big-time on Friday night as I was driving home. I saw a grey fox laying in the middle of the road, seemingly untouched. Fortunately, it was only about 1/4 mile from my house. So I rushed home, got a trash bag, and came back. Scooped it up and brought it home. It was still warm, and had probably been dead only a few minutes. I saw no external damage except one leg bone sticking through the skin. The poor thing probably died of internal injuries.

So I dropped it off at a local taxidermist. He should have the pelt back to me (with head still on and figured) some time in March, probably. So... how do I go about making a full mask sporran? I've never seen one in person so I don't know what measurements would be appropriate, or what the internal construction is like on them. Does someone have maybe a tutorial on full mask sporran building?

[Wompet]

So... how do I go about making a full mask sporran?

My method was to send the hides to Turpin

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/thorfinn_sporran_55_frankenchuck-t32984/index.html?t=32984

Since you haven't seen a full mask sporran in person, this is what I would recommend.

[ccga3359]

Oh shoot this is an international forum and CA means Canada

Then for roadkill we're talking polar bear and narwhal... now that wouldmake an interesting full-face sporran...

"Is that a narwhal full-face sporran or are you just glad to see me?"