Turning skins

Catching the animal is the first part of the battle.  Skinning, stretching, and turning is the next part.  I find it all enjoyable.  Part of that enjoyment is the I'm kind of a natural at skinning.  It feels good to do something you're good at, you know?  I haven't yet turned any skins.  I'm sure this winter I'll get a lot of practice at it though.  This here is a lynx that Greg turned.  If you wait too long to turn the hides then it's really difficult and sometime impossible without ripping the skin.  If this happens you  have to wet the hide and let it set for a few hours.

Lynx hide.  Off the stretcher.  This is my trapping partner.  He normally doesn't look this grumpy.

Lynx hide.  Unturned and off the stretcher.

You start at the behind and begin to fold and roll it forward towards the head.  It takes some working and time.  However you get to see start to see the pretty fur that you've worked so hard for.

Keep working it.

Eventually you get a skin that has all the fur outside.  The paws are kinda of tricky with a lynx because their feet are so dang big.  When you're getting close to the arm holes, you just stick the feet through and then keep turning.  Once the lynx is fully turned then you grab the paws and pull the rest of the leg through.  It's much easier than waiting till the lynx is fully turned and sticking your hand all up in it.  Sneaky, sneaky.