Time for road-kill hunting

**joecool** · 19th October 09, 12:41 PM

So my girlfriend had this old Chihuahua that just recently passed away. I hate to waste anything, so I asked her if I could have it to make it into a sporran. Needless to say, that did not go over well.... Some people are just too sensitive....

**cavscout** · 19th October 09, 06:15 PM

Saw a beautiful red fox on the way home tonight and thought of this thread...as I resisted the urge to swerve

**TheSp8** · 22nd October 09, 06:20 PM

My dear wife has gotten so used to me picking up roadkills that she now helps watch for them. Depending on the temps and a post-mortem inspection they can be used for both hides and meals. I currently have a grey fox and a muskrat pelt in the freezer to be worked. Unfortunately, it's a bit warm here in TX for good roadkill so I have to wait for holiday visits back to TN to visit family.

YMOS,
Tony

**tyger** · 25th October 09, 10:23 AM

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** · 25th October 09, 07:04 PM

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

**Tobus** · 2nd November 09, 08:19 AM

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?