Best way to the kill trapped animal to preserve the skin.

[werepacman]

I read some topics but still there is no complete information.

Seems club is the best weapon for killing animal and not damaging the skin.
But clubs are bad at fighting and investing in clubs seems has no other purpose.
Are there other methods?

Staff is another light and wooden weapon. Can you use it instead of a club with equal result?

Some player mentioned shooting with broad head arrow and waiting to bleed.
Leaving animal until night and finishing in the sleep.
Waiting until it dies in a trap.

There is also hunting knife. It suppose to help kill an animal with minimal damage to the skin, but I couldn`t find information on how good it works.

Which methods have you try and which you prefer?

[caethan]

Blunt attacks to the head to knock the creature out (preferably while standing behind the animal to improve your aim), then a spear right through the skull.  Kicks, clubs, and staffs all work fine for blunt attacks. 

For large creatures, sometimes I'll use an edge attack to the neck while they're unconscious as well, to start a strong bleed and let them bleed out quickly.

[PALU]

Since I'm a bit of a cheater, I usually use blunt attacks aimed at the head with a spear. For dangerous animals caught in traps (bears, wolves in particular, but also gluttons and lynx to some extent) I stand two tiles away and pelt them with rocks/stones or blunt arrows, aiming for the head.

Once an animal is unconscious I whack it over the skull with blunt spear attacks (I get a little more training out of it than when killing quickly with a pointed spear attack through the skull). For bears and wolves I continue my attacks from a safe distance, although it will harm the skin more (ranged attacks aren't guaranteed to hit the skull).

Attacks to the neck somehow damages the skin, but larger animals can take more abuse before their skins are damaged.

[Edico]

I think all damage types have the chance to damage skin, but blunt is the lowest risk followed by pierce. The more damage done the greater the chance, and I think if you aim for the head you can kill with doing less damage. Also you have to be careful with smaller animals, using a stone axe blunt attack to kill a bird will likely ruin the skin. If you're proficient in a weapon type, you're more accurate and better able to strike the head.

[Privateer]

yes, blunt attacks saves hides best

[Tom H]

I'm not a long time pro, but, I've got 87 for Spear skill and the blunt end rarely damages a skin. There's been a few times, like with a fox or capercaillie, when I've actually missed clubbing them into unconsciousness with a shot to the head multiple times before I finally succeeded. The skin has suffered then, usually.

I've pelted squirrels in trees with rocks for no skin damage. By the way, always tether your dogs at a safe distance before you go to make a kill in a trap. Otherwise, they'll savage the animal and all you'll get is a harsh pelt/skin.

IF you use a club, mind that your skill with clubs is used. I've swung and hit the wrong target (NOT the head) a lot using clubs and squirrels-with-rocks rarely damages because I finish off with a spear butt to the skull.

[PALU]

Dogs are a threat to skin quality only for predators (the dogs get aggressive when the animal does) or when the dog is starving, when the fog eats from the just killed animal.

[Tom H]

If you say so, Palu. I keep my dogs fed regularly, morning and at night. I feed them until they refuse any more food. Yet, I won't let them near a squirrel or a small animal in a trap. Perhaps it's just assumption on my part, but, I thought I'd seen them attack some of my catches and, when the skin was harsh, I blamed the dogs...heh.

Btw, I beat the hell out of a wild sow that attacked ME. It would not die! lol..Harsh skin, of course.

[Edico]

If you have the patience you can simply wait on trapped animals to die. Kicks on birds are good, light damage. The best is to force animals into drowning in spring or early winter.

[Dungeon Smash]

kicks, club, or the blunt end of a sharp weapon.  takes a little while but if the animal is already trapped, it's worth it to take your time and secure a high-quality pelt.