Eating Raccoons and Preserving Hides

[The15thMember]

My sister occasionally shoots raccoons who are getting after her chickens, and she would like to stop wasting the meat and hide.  Anyone have any experience eating raccoons?  What's the best way to cook them?  She is also interested in preserving the hides.  Any experience and tips on that front?       

[Ben Framed]

Member for your hides 30 might be of help?

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=50041.msg495943#msg495943

[Terri Yaki]

I wouldn't eat a racacacacacoon but you can give it a go. They are so disease prone that in some places, it's illegal to relocate them. Tanning the hides sounds good though. I'd like to hear what yas do.

[The15thMember]

I wouldn't eat a racacacacacoon but you can give it a go. They are so disease prone that in some places, it's illegal to relocate them.

I really don't think that's a big problem in a rural area like this.  There used to be some old guys who hung out at our farm storm who were coon hunters.  I'd ask them, but unfortunately, they tore down the farm store a few months ago.    It's still illegal to relocate them though, but the reason is that raccoons are very territorial and they will usually just return to their original territory or get into fights with the resident raccoons.   

[Bill Murray]

For the hides stretch them dry them, then you need to find a buyer. Problem will be the pelt if before the guard hair and thickness they are not worth much.

As for eating they are kinda greasy and gamey, soaking in buttermilk for 12 hrs kinda but not completely cures this. The meat taste is also affected by what it is eating, EX. fish/crayfish, garbage, or on a better diet of meat and veggies.

I have some recipes from when I was younger, and Ill send them if you pm me and are interested.

[The15thMember]

She's not looking to sell the pelts, just use them herself.  For what exactly I don't know.    I sent you a PM. 

[Bill Murray]

Well then just because she dried them, dependent on what she wants to do with them they will need salted or tanned.

[Kathyp]

Daniel Boone thought they made a nice hat     although I guess that's more myth than truth...still...

[Bill Murray]

I had one when I was a kid. I always thought Davie Crockett.

[The15thMember]

Well, the same actor played both men, so. . . 

[Ben Framed]

She's not looking to sell the pelts, just use them herself.  For what exactly I don't know.    I sent you a PM.

From the coonskin hat upon top of ole Dan to the heal of his rawhide shoes!

https://youtu.be/8hwqdQ0SkjQ?si=tSI-eWA0DmQeLh1e

[iddee]

They are great fare. Pre cook them in a pressure cooker until fairly tender, then make bread stuffing and line a baking pan. Add the meat to the pan with sweet and white potatoes and carrots, cover all with stuffing and bake until veggies are done. Meat is very dark, nearly black, but very delicious. Pre cooking and the stuffing removes nearly all the grease.

[Michael Bush]

When I was a kid everyone I knew went coon hunting.  Many had dogs.  They cooked it every way you cook meat.  A common practice was to bone them and grind it for burger.  They roasted them, boiled them etc.  I seem to remember parboiling being a preliminary to some of these methods, in order to get rid of some of the grease.  I don't remember it being particularly good or bad.  It was just meat.  In most states if you are keeping the hide an eating the meat, you'll need a hunting permit.  If you're just protecting your chickens, in most states you won't need the permit if you don't take the hide and the meat.

[The15thMember]

I haven't taken a look at the permits and such yet, but I will be.

[Kathyp]

I haven't taken a look at the permits and such yet, but I will be.

I tend to ignore those things as long as it is on my own property.  My neighbor was concerned that I might have an issue with it when he was killing skunks and raccoons around his coop.  Your place, not my business, just watch your aim. 

[Michael Bush]

Also, as far as hides, I gave up using salt.  If you don't get around to processing it soon, there are a particular kind of insect that will eat the hide with salt.  With borax they won't do that, plus animals tend to leave it alone with borax.

[BeeMaster2]

When I was about 10 years old, I received a set of foot traps for Christmas. First I got an opossum and skin it out and salted it. Then I got a raccoon. That was a bit bigger hide. I skinned and salted it and it smelled pretty bad so I tossed it on the roof to dry.
That night some local dogs smelled it and continued to bark at it sometime after midnight. It was right over my parents bedroom. Dad was not happy the next morning. He asked me where I had put the hide. He made me get rid of it. I threw it up on the school roof. 🫣
At least it didn?t keep anyone awake at night.
Jim Altmiller

[The15thMember]

When I was about 10 years old, I received a set of foot traps for Christmas. First I got an opossum and skin it out and salted it. Then I got a raccoon. That was a bit bigger hide. I skinned and salted it and it smelled pretty bad so I tossed it on the roof to dry.
That night some local dogs smelled it and continued to bark at it sometime after midnight. It was right over my parents bedroom. Dad was not happy the next morning. He asked me where I had put the hide. He made me get rid of it. I threw it up on the school roof. 🫣
At least it didn?t keep anyone awake at night.
Jim Altmiller

Hahaha!  That's incredible.  I wonder what that conversation was like between the school administrators.   

So I looked into the legality of the situation, and in our state, you don't need a license to hunt on your own land, however you are of course still required to follow all the seasons and bag limits.  Any animal caught in the act of property damage is legal to be killed by a landowner at any time, something we already knew.  I couldn't seem to figure out if such animals killed out of season can be kept in our state, so I'll have to do some deeper digging on that, maybe contact the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and ask.  Normally, I'd feel like Kathy, I mean, it's our own property, no one need be the wiser.  But my youngest sister is going to start her apprenticeship as a falconer soon, and she'll be working very closely with a wildlife officer in that process, so we do want to make sure everything is above board here. 

Thanks for all the great tips, everyone!  I'll pass them on to my other sister, and keep them coming if you've got any more!     

[Michael Bush]

>But my youngest sister is going to start her apprenticeship as a falconer

I always wanted to get and train a red tail hawk, but if I did that, it would make me an Austringer.  After research I realized I just didn't have time for it.  It's a very time consuming process.  Plus a lot of paperwork.

[The15thMember]

After research I realized I just didn't have time for it.  It's a very time consuming process.  Plus a lot of paperwork.

Yeah, it requires a lot of dedication.  She's been learning about it and wanting to do it for a long time, and she just got matched with a sponsor.   

I always wanted to get and train a red tail hawk, but if I did that, it would make me an Austringer. 

So, "austringer" actually refers, typically, to people who fly hawks from the genus Accipiter and red-tails are Buteos.  But the term is a very old one, and the meaning has changed over the years somewhat, and it's not used very frequently anymore.  In modern times, anyone who trains birds of prey for the purpose of hunting with them is called a "falconer", and the bird is called a "falconry bird", regardless of the species.  Her sponsor actually owns a red-tail, and that is one of the birds that is legal for an apprentice to have in our state, so it's quite likely her first bird will be a red-tail.