Making wood strechers

[koolken1]

Hey you guys,I want to start hunting muskrats this year and was wondering how to go about streching them?How big do I make them and do I just pull the hides on the strecher?Wouldn't the hides get to tight to pull of again and how thick should my wood be?Sorry if I seem clueless,but I think I am.Thanx,Ken.

[aka bushmaster]

Ken, IMO the best route to go for rat stretchers is to buy wire ones. Eliminates the sticking problem you asked about, too.

[koolken1]

Hey bushmaster,I was thinking of that too but I read on a other forum that the rats off wood stretchers grade better.

[aka bushmaster]

Well, I'm no expert on rats but if you go wood, then you use a belly board for a wedge and this makes them easier to get off the boards.

[Reynolds]

I remmeber as a kid we always used the wood boards until the wire came around. You will still need a good heavier wooden scraping board to get all the trimmings off, We just had a vaiety of sizes in wood to accommodate all sizes, We also slipped little thin wedges to tighten the skin. The bords were very thin, guess at 1/8 and shaped at the end. Justed used small nails to tighten the skin.

[kellyandbeth]

I have some cardboard patterns for mink, squirell, muskrat, rabbit stretchers if you are ever in the bentley area i might just let you copy them. If nothing else try ****ker Furs in edmonton.