Animals, coyote size and smaller, should be brought in whole.  Do not belly cut.  Clean the specimen off, place a little paper towel in any area where blood is seeping, such as a wound, mouth, nose, etc. to absorb blood and keep it out of the hair or fur.  Then place in a plastic bag, tie shut and freeze at 0 degrees or below.  If you have experience skinning you can skin the small game the same as the directions for the large game below. First thing is to take good measurements.  If the head area will be skinned as well: Measure from the nose to front corner of eye, nose to back of skull, neck circumference a couple of inches behind the head. If it has horns or antlers, measure from the nose to the closest point on the left and right side 

It also helps to measure from the back corner of the eye, to the base of the horns or antlers. Whether your skinning the head or not, the rest of the measurements must be taken. Measure down the top side following the contours of the body from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail. Measure for the animals girth all the way around the largest part of its rib cage.

We prefer in most cases on life size mounts to have them case skinned (Rolled down, inside out like pulling off a sock). If your specimen would best be belly cut, then follow the directions for skinning a rug. You start with a "Y" cut. Make a cut down the inside of both rear legs, when you meet. Slowly work your knife down heading towards the tail, keeping it centered.  Stop your incision just short of the anus.   Now go back and saw or snip through the bone at the base of the tail to separate it from the body.  Carefully start working your hands and knife between the skin and muscle to separate.  Keep working skin around both sides until you get to the belly.  (Note- it helps if you are able to hang the animal up by the rear end and let gravity help you skin.) After you have separated the skin all the way around the body at the belly, then start working down one of the rear legs.  As you work down the leg you'll see where the incisions you made earlier down the trailing edge help.  If you know how to skin to the feet, then carefully skin out to the last joint of each toe.  If not, saw through the leg before each foot and let the taxidermist complete it.  After you have completed this, then do the same to the other rear leg, and then each of the front legs in the same manner.  After you have completed the legs, continue working the skin around the neck, heading towards the head continue carefully. Only skin the head if you have experience, and have taken measurements. If not saw through the neck and separate 3 inches back from the start of the head.  Now make an incision on the bottom side of the tail at the base.  Then work slowly keeping it centered working to the tip.  Carefully work around the bone and remove.  Now take the skin, clean off loose debris or blood and bag and refrigerate or freeze immediately.