Fox skin preparation

[Guest louisvanhovell]

Dear hunters,

 

Last weekend, I have beated at a hunt in "l'Alsace", a region in France nearby Germany with huge forests, which makes it ideal for hunting. A friend of mine, Florus, who hunts there every year, invited me to come with him and his other hunting friend, Peter. On satuday, our group of approximately fifteen hunters and fifteen beaters, mostly people from the region, managed to shoot three roe deer, three wild boar and one fox. Here are some pictures:

 

This picture was taken while we were driving to the gathering place. It was quite early

 

 

Lunch for the beaters

 

 

 

.... No, we didn't have these for lunch...!

 

The "tableau"

 

 

 

A beautiful fox and a very good shot

 

 

The next morning, we woke up at 5:45, because we wanted to try to shoot a wild boar or a roe deer from a "Hochsitz", a chair high above the ground. It was freezing! At 8:15, we saw a little row deer, but it was too far away (approximately 110 m). At 8:30, it disappeared in the forest, so we decided to go back to our hotel and defrost our bodies with a nice cup of tea!

 

 

When we were almost ready to go back to Holland, I told my friend that there was one more thing that I had to put in his car: the fox that we had shot saturday! After a little struggle, I managed to convince him that the strong smell of the animal wouldn't escape from the plastic bag in which I had put it.

 

Once I was home, I immediately skinned the fox. I also took all the toes out and emptied the soles of the feet. I put the toes in salt, so that the flesh on them would dry, which would make it possible to put them in the feet of my fox again.

 

The next day, I started removing the flesh and the fat that was attached to the skin, using sawdust. I saw a preparateur using this technique once, and decided to try it myself. This is how you do it: you rub some sawdust on the skin, and start pinching the skin with your fingers. As soon as you get grip on a piece of flesh or fat, you try to pull it off the skin. This is a very slow process! It took me about eight hours.

 

This morning, the fat on the skin of my fox had become a little bit softer and thicker. This led to the discovery that I had still a long way to go; there was far more fat left than I had thought! I started cutting it off with a sharp knife. This worked a lot better than the saw dust, but now and then, I made a hole in the skin. Eventually, I decided to give it up; the skin was starting to smell bad and removing all the fat would certainly take me the entire day.

 

There are two possible conclusions:

1. I still have to a lot to learn concerning the preparation of a (fox) skin!

2. Paying 60 euros to a preparateur for preparing a fox skin is the best way to spend that money!

 

I think a combination of these two conclusions would be correct. However, I am determined to learn how to do the job properly! I think foxes are beautiful animals, it is interesting to see how beautifully they are constructed and it must be a great feeling to have your own fox skin hanging on your wall!

 

Here are some pictures of the process:

 

 

 

[Guest JOEB]

Very good post louis ..........

 

To a complete know nothing on the matter, it looks like you have made a very good job of skinning that vulpine........will be interesting to see the final result.

 

I have seen those high seats all over the place in Western Germay.......is it true that the useing running dogs is a BIG no no in Germany & France?

 

Looks like you and your companions had a very good day.......

All the best,

J

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Eventually, I decided to give it up; the skin was starting to smell bad and removing all the fat would certainly take me the entire day.

 

There are two possible conclusions:

1. I still have to a lot to learn concerning the preparation of a (fox) skin!

2. Paying 60 euros to a preparateur for preparing a fox skin is the best way to spend that money!

 

I think a combination of these two conclusions would be correct. However, I am determined to learn how to do the job properly! I think foxes are beautiful animals, it is interesting to see how beautifully they are constructed and it must be a great feeling to have your own fox skin hanging on your wall!

 

 

Great Post, Louis! Good to have you around, mate.

 

Now, if I may, a few further suggestions;

 

Skinning, for the purposes of Tanning, is no easy process. You have to remove ALL the fat and bits of flesh. Then you should remove what many in the trade call the " Flens ". That's the white, membranous stuff that comes away, sticks to ye fingers like film and generally leads one to curse and swear and chuck the whole damn thing aside! It's murder! But you've found that out .....

 

Now, how about a Third possible conclusion? Consider this: How about you get onto your Prep' and suggest you pay him 100 Euro's, to prepare your next fox skin? Only this time YOU get to be beside him as he does it?

 

Believe me, it'd be the best money you could spend. You'll get to watch an Expert in action. See how it all goes. Distract him with endless questions!

 

You'll learn more, inside an hour of such an enviroment, than you will in years of reading Manuals at home. Books would also cost you a Lot more than that odd forty Euro. And, of course, he'd be able to point you towards those most worth reading in the first place. See how much money you'd save?

 

And, who knows? Keep out of his way, while managing to save him fetching and carrying ..... make him a nice cup of tea as he works ....? You might possibly even be welcome to drop by in your spare time. Make yeself usefull. See what I'm saying?

 

ANY Taxidermist is always grateful for good specimens too. Fox, Boar, Roe etc are their stock in trade. They get pretty well bored with knocking out such stuff. But a bird, struck by a windscreen and left on the roadside? They can create a work of art from a cleanly knocked and fresh specimen. Better to donate such stuff than butcher it yeself. Such kind gestures can also make one more welcome .....

 

" it is interesting to see how beautifully they are constructed " That, more than anything though caught my eye! Many people admire the finished works. Some try to 'stuff' what ever packing into a skin and then sew the whole lot up, hoping to create True work. Those people probably lack that one, vital spark which you've let on to there.

 

Rowland Ward ~ arguably the most famous and one of the best Taxidermy Studios ever. Go to them, in their day. Tell them you wanted to be a Taxidermist. Know what they'd do? They'd sit you down with a lump of modelling clay and ask you to make a little sculpture of some animal. Elephant. What ever.

 

Point is: There's only one way to make a Mount look natural. That's to replace what nature had put beneath that skin in the first place. Ok? And, if you don't care about what nature put there - How beautifully they are constructed - then ye'll never care to reproduce that. You DO seem to care.

 

I think you could look further into this interest of yours, Louis ....

[J Darcy 5,871]

good post and great pics...

[Guest louisvanhovell]

Thanks to all of you for your reactions! It was a beautiful day indeed, and it's great to be able to share my experiences with you.

 

Joeb:

 

Unfortunately, I am going to bury all the remains of my fox today, including its skin. Although I would have liked to finish the job, I have given up; it would take me another day to remove all the fat and "Flens" (thank you, Ditch Shitter!), and I still had to do the ears, lips and nose.

 

This first (!) attempt to prepare a skin of a fox was very useful though; it has learnt me a lot of things about foxes and skin preparation, and I now have even more respect for preparateurs than before...!

 

It is true that there are lots of high seats in Germany. Also in France, you can see at least one on every field. I believe that the French will do anything to get a nice piece of meat on their plate. As you all know, they are quite fond of food! Last weekend, I tasted one of their specialities: snales. Not bad at all, I must say. With a good garlic sauce and a piece of "baguette", they actually taste quite nice.

 

I don't know if the using of running dogs is totally unaccepted in France and Germany. Do you mean the dogs that were used for the famous fox hunts in England? I don't believe that this form of hunting is very popular in France and Germany, but this has more to do with culture than with morals; each country has its own traditions.

 

Ditch Shitter:

 

Thanks again for your moral support and good advice! It sounds like a great idea to watch a preparateur doing the job. I can imagine that I would learn more from doing this than from reading a pile of books.

 

From the 20th of January until June 2007, I will be doing voluntary work in Saint Louis, a city in the north of Senegal. Maybe I'll find some exotic animal there. Then I could put it in a freezer, take it back to Holland, and give it to a preparateur. That might increase my chances of getting a few lessons in taxidermy for free...!

 

After Senegal, I will have to start studying. Although I have always wanted to become a veterinary surgeon, my dream of living like James Herriot is unrealistic. I'm probably going to study something else, but in order to keep in touch with animals and to really learn how to stuff them, it would be a great idea to attend a course of taxidermy whilst studying!

 

It's interesting to hear that at Rowland Ward, the first thing that you have to do in order to prove yourself as a taxidermist, is to make a sculpture of an animal. It makes a lot of sence, because you must know how an animal looks when it's alive, in order to make it look alive when it's dead, as you say. I'll keep your anecdote in mind!

 

Cheers,

 

Louis

[Lennard 10]

Joeb,

No use of running dogs in France and Germany today, in both countries it has been outlawed before the nineteenhundreds. Some illegal lamping there is but nothing like the lamping "culture" in the UK.

Shooting is big in both countries, large areas are managed and have high numbers of gamekeepers or other greensleeves monitoring so it is not very inviting in general.

France does have a lot of packs for hound work.

 

L.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Lennard

[Guest mucker]

great thread... put me right off having ago myself .

im waiting for something special to turn up so i can get one done myself, have a fella in mind to do the deed but he,s pricey

[Guest JOEB]

Louis & Lennard..........many thanks

J

[Guest baldie]

Are ye not a fan of Peter Spicer then Ditchy? i have an otter mask caught by the east lincs otter hounds in 1937 [ i think] by him [ compensation for a small pecker] i,ll get thee a pic,

[Wilky 0]

I've just read this thread and couldn't understand it, then I looked at the title again and it all became clear, I thought it said FORESKIN PREPERATION.......................................................Whoops

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

To be brutally honest, Balds; No. I never really fell for the P. Spicer trip, mate. He was good, yes. But he was primarily a Mask man and his masks were then 90% identical. He was - to my mind - a high class factory of blandness. Bland in as much that, while any given Mask might be impressive, you'd have found several in most country estate houses. All actually looking much of a muchness. He discovered his knack at creating 'That Look' (usually to the right! Lol!) and stuck with it.

 

But, as you obviously appreciate the finer points; The eyes, mate Peter Spicers Fox Masks, to me, were virtually Always spoiled by his characterisation of the eyes. See how he'd thumb down the brows? Gave the fox an almost 'sadly offended' look. As if a friend had just said something deeply hurtful to it and there it is, caught in that moment before crumpling into tears. That, for me, ruined the appeal of the vast majority of his work I've ever examined. That and the wrinkled muzzles. I've never seen a fox wrinkle it's muzzle.

 

As for his Otters? I've seen a few. I suppose one could say that he made a better job of his otters than many. Primarily because - I think - he pandered to the clients (and their guests) expectations and heaped on the 'character' with his Masks. Thus he'd give even an otter a bit of Oomph!

 

After all, let's face it; When all's said and done, there isn't a great deal too an otters head, is there? Small ears. Small eyes. Bit like a tennis ball in a furry sock. Leave the mouth closed and what have ye? Not very inspiring.

 

Anyway, I always erred towards the full, cased mounts with full Groundwork myself. Give me a nice Hutchings ~ when he wasn't needing to cram half the Ark into a limited space! Though, funnily enough, I seldom if ever fancied his foxes ....? But his famous Ledges, when given room and not crowded, could work beautifully, for me. Have you ever seen that pair of Polecats? I wouldn't mind them!

 

But, for a fox mask? For me it'd have to be Colin Dunton. For my money, that man is the modern day 'Peter Spicer'; Only I reckon he's actually Better!

 

(I say! I don't suppose " Beagles " mask could be a Dunton?????)

[stubby 175]

note to self...

 

quote; Fox skin preparation

 

 

make sure you have the correct glasses on in future........

 

I looked at this quick and thought it said fore skin preparation

[Guest louisvanhovell]

Haha! You must have thought: "those crazy Dutch again..."