Skunk Claws

[proudmutt]

i haven't been on the site for years, and only recently got back to work after health issues, the house and studio burning down - but the key words here are BACK to WORK . my studio is rebuilt and re supplied and getting re-tooled and i am SO HAPPY.

among other things i am interested in restocking are small claws and since i am in an area sadly rich in roadkill, i wonder about claw harvest.

can small claws be taken off with a plier or do they need to be cut at the joint. i suppose i aught to just dive in and find out for myself, but i thought i might save myself a lot of time by asking somebody who has done it!

i'm seriously busy trying to make some bucks at the moment, have (temporarily at least) refocused my production from scabbards and sheaths, masks, rattles and the like, to women's hand bags and jewelry. but i can't stay away from native infuenced things completely and am going to make pouches with claws included iin the beading and add them to my new Etsy shop.

i like the new Leather Worker site and am happy to see it is doing well and still around for me to lurk !

thank you, kate

[WinterBear]

Before you go after roadkill, you should call up your State Game and Fish Agency and make sure it is legal. Some states have laws forbidding the posession or transport of roadkill. Some states require you to have a permit (and sometimes every item will require an interstate game tag from a game warden--costs about $8 each here). Your State may also forbid the sale of such items made with salvage, or may only allow sales if the interstate tag goes with the buyer when the animal or its parts are sold. Past the State laws, some counties and cities may also forbid salvage of roadkill within county or city limits. And lastly, you won't be able to sell anything to an overseas buyer if it has any wildlife parts without a USFWS/CITES export permit.

I'd also be cautious of animals found dead. I'm not sure if rabies is a problem in your area, but it can be here, and even those I know who have the appropriate permits, furbear harvest licenses, and ability to get interstate game tags won't salvage roadkill here because a dead animal is suspect.

Sorry, don't mean to burst your bubble or anything. Just trying to help you avoid some trouble if I can.

Edited October 13, 2012 by WinterBear

[ChuckBurrows]

And lastly, you won't be able to sell anything to an overseas buyer if it has any wildlife parts without a USFWS/CITES export permit.

With respect but that is not 100% correct - much depends on the country as well as the part used, certain items such as bear parts are pretty much verboten all over, but other common items such as skunk claws, coyote bones, etc are usually not a problem - the state and country laws are easily checked on line as well as the CITES info. My point is based on the fact that many of the items I make and sell, both in the USA and overseas include many wild life parts. The only problems I have ever had was with a sheath that included a non-threatened reptile skin to a gent in Switzerland, where any type of reptile skin is verboten, whether the critter is endangered or not.

Then of course there are some of the "idiots" who work for the government and don't know the law, but will arrest you anyway - a few years ago a gent came to the Bladeshow in the US from South Africa with a load of giraffe bones for sale - completely legal and he had jumped through all of hoops, but a USFWS idiot officer claimed it was illegal ivory (the two are easy to differentiate between) , confiscated the bone, immediately had the get deported, despite otehr members of the USFS who tried to tell her that everything was OK, but she was the officer in charge and could only see that she was making a righteous bust which would put her on the fast track - the innocent dealer lost a large amount of money (he never did receive his goods back - they had reputedly been "destroyed" even after testing positively as bone and not ivory) and precious time, but eventually a good judge turned the ables and that IIRC officer lost her position and wound up paying a very large fine, but it was still a huge hassle and .

FWIW - places like Crazy Crow, Moscow Hide & Fur, and Eidnes Fur (all have websites) sell cleaned claws of various types and the cost is negligble especially considering the time savings - again know your state laws regarding possession of certain types of critter parts - some come with a steep "price" if caught . Also as noted handling roadkill can create some serious health issues, rabies is just one.

Edited October 13, 2012 by ChuckBurrows

[WinterBear]

Thanks Chuck. I didn't know that, I only knew that wildlife parts can be a touchy business in the states alone, and I've been given the advice that if I send anything overseas, I should stick to cow, goat, and sheep, and maybe ranched buffalo. All of the companies I deal with all state that they will not export without a the buyer obtaining a USFWS export permit, and even then, some items they will not sell unless it is to people in-state. And the laws change so much, what is not legal today may be legal next month, and vice versa. Sounds like a zealous agent can really muck up the works too.

Kate, I've dealt with Crazy Crow and Moscow Hide and Fur for small amounts of things, and been pleased with what I've recieved from them. Other suppliers you might look into are Chichester Leather (http://www.chichesterinc.com/index.htm) and Centralia (http://furandhide.com/default.asp).

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

As to road kill saftey, flea borne diseases are not a big concern as the fleas bail as soon as the body goes cold. I have tanned a few skunks, and squirrels that were smacked. I would say that you would need to cut them off as opposed to pulling. Pulling may just remove the thin outer shell.

Another option for claws are the resin copies.