Making a yote decoy from Squirrel Hides

[SongDogSniper]

Hey guys,

Made a few stnds sunday with no yotes to come in, since I was carrying my rimfire gun I decided to take a few squirrels and make a decoy for the next yote hunt.

Nothing life like just enough fur to help keep the eyes of a weary yote on the "prey" rather than my calling position.

Question? 2 squirrel hides have ben skinned, fleshed, and are now salted and tacked to some plywood.

If all I'm goning to use them for is to wrap something of mass and create a natural fur "ball" with tails out both sides, what shoud I do to the hides next?

Any ideas on how to stich/wrap these and attach to a base or piece of utility wire to allow wind to move the decoy?


I posted this in the primitive skills section and thought I might post it here, since the hides have been salting since yesterday afternoon, and I need to know the next step to care for them.

All the other hides I've skinned (just a red fox and one yote, last year) went with the shooter and I believe he took ti to a Taxi.

Im capable, but honestly iggnorant. (and a bad speller!)

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[Hunter1187]

Just tieing the tail to a stick and having it blowing in the wind is good enough.

 

[keller625]

if you dont care if lasts forever you could just air dry the fur, stitch into whatever shape you want, or just glue it to a foam crafts ball and put a clothes hanger in it, than in the ground. thats just what i would do (and am also thinking about doing)

the only thing is, after a few months, some hair will come out, but as long as your not too rough on it it shouldnt be a problem.

I have also had the same idea for a while, i told a buddy of mine who does a lot of yote hunting and he pointed something out too me. coyotes dont typicaly go after squirrels. my thought is a little fur cant hurt, but what I realy wanna try to do is do the same thing but with a rabbit

 

[GunDog]

Borax...

I've used this with good results, seems to cut the drying time also. As for a decoy, try ya a feather (or handful) on a straighten coat hanger that you can stab in the ground. Put the feathers on with some light mono fishing line. This decoy also tells ya wind direction which is very helpful. There is one in my truck now with some turkey feathers dangling from it. It works....don't tell anyone thou, it's top secret.

 

[dakotajoe]

I've made my own decoy using a cottontail rabbit.

Skin and flesh your squirrels and you can either salt your hides or I use Borax powder Bleach (works great). While the skin is still soft (don't streatch the hide) stuff it with polyester or straw and sew it up with heavy thread and a sergical needle. Regular sewing needles will work but are very tough on the hands. Here is a picture of how my decoy turned out.

 

[SongDogSniper]

Thanks for the replys

I thought about the fact that yotes don't typically eat squirrels, but I plan on take em down long before they can get close enough to realize what kind of fur it is!

No seriously a rabbit would be better and if can jump one up in the back yard I'll probably make on with the rabbit as well.

I think any natural fur is better than none so I'll probably just wrap a foam ball or something and put on a coat hanger.

Djoe,

The decoy looks very nice, and the wood base is a nice touch, looks almost like a mount. have you had any luck with it. Woods or fields?

 

[SongDogSniper]

GunDog,

I want to try the feathers as well, particularly for the bobcat I missed a chane at last year. He showed up nearly 15 yds from my calling position, and he was out of there before I could even raise my rifle to greet him!

How many feathers? 1,2,4?

Guess I would die in a gun fight pretty quick.

You must be a picker. What kind of tunes do you pick?

I run a small recording studio up here in Dahlonega, and have been wanting to use some hand calls in a song. Mostly folk and bluegrass up in this neck of the woods.

Thanks buddy

 

[dakotajoe]

Thanks for the replys

I thought about the fact that yotes don't typically eat squirrels, but I plan on take em down long before they can get close enough to realize what kind of fur it is!

No seriously a rabbit would be better and if can jump one up in the back yard I'll probably make on with the rabbit as well.

I think any natural fur is better than none so I'll probably just wrap a foam ball or something and put on a coat hanger.

Djoe,

The decoy looks very nice, and the wood base is a nice touch, looks almost like a mount. have you had any luck with it. Woods or fields?

The first time i used it, I almost lost it to a redtail hawk. he was very excited and I thought it was gone.. I don't use it too often but I did call in one Red Fox with it in South Dakota.

 

[keller625]

yea, i think any fur will catch there attention

post yours when you make one, id like to see what it comes out looking like. thats a nice one dakota joe lol forget decoy put that with your trophys

 

[SongDogSniper]

ran into a slight problem, being the rookie I am @ tanning/curring.

My old lady was not to happy about the hides I had soaking in a 5 gallon bucket in the garage, so I moved it out past my wood stack and splitting area. Got home late lastnight and one of the squirrel hides is missing.

My mistake was not covering/sealing the bucket.

I have a feeling I know the colprut, hes a big fat striped bandit that is now public enemy #1, and I have got something up my sleeve for him.

That said I have enough squirrels in the yard that taking one more won't be a problem. Still looking for a rabbit though.

I will post whatever comes out of the decoy project when finished.

Helping a buddy finish his basment out so it may be a week or so but I'll post pics as soon as I can.

DakotaJoe,

I never thought about the fact a hawk would love the decoy, makes sense and now I think about it I seem to call in a hawk, or Owl just about every time I make a stand...

wish the yotes and cats were that easy!