I recently moved house and my real fix fur rug isn't large enough to cover the floor in my room, so my question if, if I go and kill some foxes tonight, how do I skin them and how do I attach the skins to the rug without making it obvious where i have sewn them on?Also, what shall I do with the remains, is fox edible?
Yes fox is edible... but save the brain. Tanning a hide is a skill that requires practice. I can tell you how but I suggest practicing on something you don't plan to have every guest at your house have a look at. Also some sewing skill would be needed to mend the two rugs together, and foxes aren't large animals so more than one will almost definitely be needed. To tan a hide: Skin the animal at the leg and stretch the skin out very taunt. You will need a tool for scraping ( something sharp but rounded enough not to tear the hide). While the hide is stretched, scrap of the epidermis of the skin with your tool (on the side without fur obviously). Its important to keep the hide wet during this process. Keep a bucket of water nearby to wet it down with. After the hide dries from anywhere from a day or a week (still stretched) untie it and cut it to the size you need it. Now rinse it in a mixture of a half - a whole gallon of water and the foxes own brains (yes, the brains). Rinse, wring it out, rinse again. Over and over and over until your tired. Next stretch the skin out some. Give it a tug with a partner to loosen it up. Then you have to smoke the skin with a dark smoke (most likely from old rotten wood). This will cause the white skin to tan (hence, tanning the hide). Tan the fir side as well but no where near as much as the inside of the skin. Once its a golden brown you can sew it onto your first rug. Whew lol. This is just the general jist of tanning a hide. There are many other methods that I don't know about. I learned how from Naked into the wilderness: Primitive Wilderness Living Survival Skills
