Using first homegrown bucktail

[Roger]

I find that a small sharp knife works best, not a zipper knive. It is much easier to control the cut. I also skin out the tail bone from the top (dark hair side). You don't need any special salt. Use kosher salt for drying and Borax (laundry aisle) for drying and killing bugs.
When freshly skinned, the skin has some translucency, making it easy to see where the white hair meets the dark. I use an Exacto knife to cut along this line from the skin side so it can be stored by color.