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Author Topic: Skinning a cougar????  (Read 13909 times)

Offline flinter

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Skinning a cougar????
« on: February 01, 2012, 11:11:44 PM »
Which way do you prefer to skin a cougar for a lifesize standing mount. Dorsal cut or belly incision

Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2012, 11:42:06 PM »
If I ever kill one to mount. I will do a dorsal cut on it. The spot that I have picked out for it, is going up the stairs and you will be looking up at it. So I think the dorsal cut will be the best way to do it.
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Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2012, 12:04:12 AM »
I had thought about that as well. Just like how ya skin a yote. I just didnt know how well the lines on the back legs and across the backend would blend in when it is done.

I will like to hear the taxi's thoughts on this.
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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2012, 12:26:16 AM »
Tag  8)

Offline cedarriver

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2012, 07:35:52 AM »
 I would recommend belly. Problem with a Mt Lion is their hair isn't quite long enough to hide the incision, especially after it comes back from the tannery and they shave the hide down to a different thickness on both sides. So when you sew it back together you have a thick side and maybe a thin side being swen together, the seam will show bad. Hope this makes since. Hair on the belly is plenty long to hide seam. Case skinning is good to, but some tanneries charge more when cased.
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Offline boneaddict

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2012, 07:39:40 AM »
Thats a good question.......   I would probably belly it as I would with a bear.   That way I have options.   cut down the back and you are SOL for a good rug if you change your mind.

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2012, 07:44:08 AM »
This is a good one. I have thought about what i would do as well. I have been around a few dead ones but never skinned a cougar before. I have often thought that the cuts on the back of the legs would be hard to hide. Since the hair is so short.
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Offline cedarriver

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2012, 08:15:46 AM »
Nope carpsniper, if you stay on the hair line,(where the tan meets the white) it's no problem
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Offline flinter

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2012, 08:47:03 AM »
If you case skin, can you then slip hide on form like a sock? Or do you need to cut form in half to get hide on when you mount it?

Offline pianoman9701

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2012, 08:48:04 AM »
can you separate the skin with an air compressor as with coyotes?
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Offline MtnMuley

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2012, 08:52:46 AM »
I would recommend belly. Problem with a Mt Lion is their hair isn't quite long enough to hide the incision, especially after it comes back from the tannery and they shave the hide down to a different thickness on both sides. So when you sew it back together you have a thick side and maybe a thin side being swen together, the seam will show bad. Hope this makes since. Hair on the belly is plenty long to hide seam. Case skinning is good to, but some tanneries charge more when cased.

 :yeah:  For some reason my response didn't come though.  You summed it up exactly like I tried to. 

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2012, 09:12:57 AM »
I tubed mine
left tail whole and pads from joint down
never gutted it at all and boned out the meat
Came out great as a rug
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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2012, 09:55:44 AM »
Tag!   8)
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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2012, 10:05:02 AM »
Just goes to show, There's more than one way to skin a cat! :chuckle: :chuckle: :IBCOOL:

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2012, 10:15:11 AM »
If your going to skin a Cougar I recomend the skinning up the belly.  There should be no problem hiding the seam. 


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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #15 on: February 02, 2012, 10:24:44 AM »
If your going to skin a Cougar I recomend the skinning up the belly.  There should be no problem hiding the seam.

Even for a life size?

Offline cedarriver

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2012, 10:42:09 AM »
If you case skin, can you then slip hide on form like a sock? Or do you need to cut form in half to get hide on when you mount it?

  No, there is no way to get the legs back through.
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Offline Huntbear

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #17 on: February 02, 2012, 10:44:16 AM »
Just goes to show, There's more than one way to skin a cat! :chuckle: :chuckle: :IBCOOL:


 :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2012, 10:50:51 AM »
I have found that the best way to "skin" a cougar is to take her out on the town and buy her some drinks.  By the time you get back home the "hide" seems to just fall off. 

Offline pianoman9701

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2012, 12:01:07 PM »
Yeah, baby!
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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2012, 01:05:48 PM »
Belly cut is the way to go.

Offline flysar

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2012, 01:45:12 PM »
Do you split the tail?

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #22 on: February 02, 2012, 02:20:31 PM »
I'm your huckleberry

Offline boneaddict

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #23 on: February 02, 2012, 03:38:26 PM »
Quote
Do you split the tail?

I wouldn't if you are thinking about life size.

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #24 on: February 02, 2012, 03:55:39 PM »
OK...  So those that tag a kitty should:

Belly cut/gut...

Then I'm surmising-  tube the legs, (I think I'd start with a hind leg and start at inner thigh 180 degrees to the elbow point), Once one hind leg is done down to the ankle joint, split that joint leaving the foot attached to the hide. Cut the tail/bone/joint from the body without cutting the hide, then work on the other hind leg down to the akle as before. Work forward from there to tube the forelegs then more or less tubing over the head/ears, then eyes/lips? Then tube the tail?

I pretty much did this with a doe a long time ago just for the heck of it. You can't quite tube the legs completely, but once I got near the elbow with an inner slit there was enough slack in the hide to bend the leg and role the hid down to the ankle joint as I cut it away from the meat.

Michelle?
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Offline cedarriver

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #25 on: February 02, 2012, 05:56:26 PM »
Do you split the tail?

 Yes you or your taxidermist has to split the tail to salt it
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Offline boneaddict

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #26 on: February 02, 2012, 06:01:15 PM »
interesting.   would save me a lot of stress taking the core(tailbone) out if I spilt them(any critter).  I sewed one up once and thought that was aweful.

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #27 on: February 02, 2012, 06:03:27 PM »
OK...  So those that tag a kitty should:

Belly cut/gut...

Then I'm surmising-  tube the legs, (I think I'd start with a hind leg and start at inner thigh 180 degrees to the elbow point), Once one hind leg is done down to the ankle joint, split that joint leaving the foot attached to the hide. Cut the tail/bone/joint from the body without cutting the hide, then work on the other hind leg down to the akle as before. Work forward from there to tube the forelegs then more or less tubing over the head/ears, then eyes/lips? Then tube the tail?

I pretty much did this with a doe a long time ago just for the heck of it. You can't quite tube the legs completely, but once I got near the elbow with an inner slit there was enough slack in the hide to bend the leg and role the hid down to the ankle joint as I cut it away from the meat.

Michelle?

 you can do it that way or just cut it like you would a rug. Just need to make sure you make nice clean cuts. Keep your knife under the hide, as to not make a bunch of jagged cuts, and not cut the hair.
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Offline cedarriver

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #28 on: February 02, 2012, 06:12:02 PM »
interesting.   would save me a lot of stress taking the core(tailbone) out if I spilt them(any critter).  I sewed one up once and thought that was aweful.

 Yes they are a pain to sew up, but there's alot of fat on the skin that has to come off to salt, and just easier to get salt on it when it's split. Then when mounting it takes alot of test fitting to get the size right.
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Offline Michelle_Nelson

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #29 on: February 02, 2012, 07:16:05 PM »
If your going to skin a Cougar I recomend the skinning up the belly.  There should be no problem hiding the seam.

Even for a life size?

I've never had a problem hiding seams.  Except on a few things that were really hacked up bad.  Even than you can get a fairly clean seam just takes a little more time.
 
Do you split the tail?

YES.  You always split the tail.  You can't get it properly salted and the tannery can't shave them.

Offline BLKBEARKLR

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #30 on: February 02, 2012, 11:12:49 PM »
I belly cut my cougar.

I like the belly cuts better, when you drape the skin over the form you can see where the issues are and what you have to modify, half the time dorsal cutting it you are guessing where the problem is.  :twocents:

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Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Skinning a cougar????
« Reply #31 on: February 02, 2012, 11:30:10 PM »
Good reading guys :tup:
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