Fox's Tail - Help with removing the bone

[joeshaw08]

I've got a fox's tail that was shot a week ago, and its startin to stink out the place.

 

I want to get the bone out, but i don't want to ruin the brush.

 

Can any one offer any advice/tips for this?

 

Cheers, Joe

[Hunter]

Someone on this board once said to leave it in white spirit for a few days? not sure if thats any help.

 

Ideally you should remove it when fresh.

[codling99]

you should have just cut around base of tail with sharp knife ,then wrap a piece of shoelace or a stick with a split in end in the cut youve made,stand on fox to hold it still and pull upwards whilst holdig string tight against bone,and the brush will slide of like a sock.if you allready got tail off with bone,your gonna gave to try and cut away at end of tail,to get enough bone showing ,so you can get someone to hold bone with mole grips,then use same method as explained earlier and slip it off.

[rabbithunter]

Stick it in a vice and pull it

[catroofel]

i have many hanging in my porch and some have been there for years

split hazel cut around the base of the tail run the hazel stick up it.it comes away really easy

and doesn't damage the brush at all

[joeshaw08]

Cheers for that gents, i'll give the shoelace and grips a go

[henry d]

If it`s smelling it`s too late........bin it.

[Bazooka Joe]

Should have sorted it when the Fox was shot, as HD says, to late,

 

BJ.

[Evil Elvis]

How do you stop the hairs from falling of? i dried out a squirrel tail and hung it in my shed, .....now looks like a rats tail....the hair all fell off!!!

[henry d]

They are best put on a sunny window sill to dry out, I have 2 drying at the moment.

[tikkamark]

Get a decent sharp knife and cut through the skin around the tail about 2" back from the rear end be carefull not to cut into the sinew's or it will not just slide off.You remove the tail from the fox as soon as its killed otherwise its a messy task

[davo]

Interesting, never thought about collecting Fox brushes before, so, once removed do you have to use any kind of cure'ing salts/liquids etc or is HD's sun drying method the usual way to do it?

[Evil Elvis]

They are best put on a sunny window sill to dry out, I have 2 drying at the moment

 

Is that fox or squirrel?

 

 

I taped one to a bald fellow head at work the other day.................. :blink:

[tikkamark]

Interesting, never thought about collecting Fox brushes before, so, once removed do you have to use any kind of cure'ing salts/liquids etc or is HD's sun drying method the usual way to do it?

I dont dry the tails out i stick them in a freezer for an annual vermin count our gun club takes part in

[badsworth]

The best way to preserve them is with domestic borax (buy it from boots for about £2-50 - will do about 50 tails).

 

Remove the tail as in the posts above leaving the bone on the fox (I use a tail stripper bought on e-bay for about £2-50 - but get a metal one not the plastic versions - they can snap). Pull open the 'bone hole' and spoon in the borax. Every two teaspoons massage the lump of borax down and use a stick or something to push it down. Fill the tail right up and hang it to dry. The borax will dry the hide completely. Fraid it will still smell of fox so the wife will never let it into the house - but it won't rot!

 

I am gradually covering the ceiling of my garage with them!

 

 

B

[catroofel]

Interesting, never thought about collecting Fox brushes before, so, once removed do you have to use any kind of cure'ing salts/liquids etc or is HD's sun drying method the usual way to do it?

 

i was told by the fox hunt to soak them in meths for an hour or so then hang to dry but i'v never bothered

and mine are fine both squirrel and fox but i did remove them instantly so they don't foul