Module 8 of 8 Advanced
Pelt, Fur, and Table
Turn a harvested raccoon into a finished product — skinning, fleshing, stretching, and drying a marketable pelt, navigating the sale, and handling the meat and incidental opossum.
Best after: Trapping Raccoon
Lessons
5 lessons in this module · 36 across the path
- Skinning a Raccoon Walks through case-skinning a raccoon for fur: where to cut, working the hide off cleanly, and avoiding nicks that lower pelt value.
- Fleshing, Stretching, and Drying Covers fleshing fat and membrane off the hide, putting it on a stretcher fur-in then fur-out, and drying it to a finished, sellable pelt.
- Selling the Fur Explains the fur market path — the Commercial Fur Harvest License requirement to sell, fur buyers and auctions, grading, and realistic value expectations — flagged to verify current SCDNR regulations.
- The Incidental Opossum A short sub-lesson on the opossum as a common incidental catch — its shared season, ID and sign differences from raccoon, and basic handling.
- Meat and Edibility Covers raccoon as table fare: field dressing for meat, removing scent glands, the importance of thorough cooking, and basic preparation.