Freezing Coyote Fur

[fred1]

How long can a raw, not scraped rolled up coyote fur be preserved in a deep freeze?

[TrapperMike]

It’s best to flesh and dry, then store in cardboard boxes in freezer. Have had furs sorted this way for 3 years and looked the same as the day I put them in.

[Trapperdylan]

I've had them unscraped, rolled up in garbage bags for a few months in the freezer before i finish them up. I forgot some beaver pelts unscraped one time for about 8 months in my freezer and they turned out fine but I wouldn't risk it again like that.

[st99]

I don't know if there's a max. amount of time you can freeze it, but I did 1 month once with no issues. If you think it will be frozen for a long time, I'd suggest you double bag it.

[fred1]

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys. The comments are very helpful. I don’t like seeing a good fur wasted but the market may take a couple of years to come back. I like reducing the yote numbers around the neighbourhood to help the other wildlife and livestock.
Fred

[ruger300]

Could be more than a couple years. I remember the years of 2000-2010. Was only seeing $30-60 for good pelts. My advice, put em up and sell em now. There will always be coyotes if the market rebounds. That’s my road this season.

[Camdec]

Fred, I’m a small time trapper. Put up 15-25 coyotes a year. I skin and keep frozen in bags outside, and flesh/board when I have at least 3 or 4. I have 4 stretchers and like making an evening of it. I’d prefer to flesh/board sooner rather than later as I find freezer burn kicks in at the lower extremities.

There’s lots of other options that will make your project last longer like freezing in water, etc, but then your drying time is greatly increases. If we are talking about snared coyotes then it a very different process than shot. Shot usually have to be washed so will void freezer burn for much longer than a snared dog with no blood and frozen.

Either way, I’d flesh/board as soon as convenient.