How much salt should we carry?

aggieland · Jul 31, 2015

3 archery hunters carrying 1 blk bear tag, 3 caribou tags and 3 wolf tags.. Any advice on how much salt we should carry along with us? We are limited to 55 pounds each on the flight in so it's going to be difficult.

MULEPACKHUNTER · Jul 31, 2015

None dude, flesh and stretch while hunting then wear as underwear until your ready to mount them.

realunlucky · Aug 1, 2015

Did you discuss this with the person doing your taxidermy work?

MULEPACKHUNTER · Aug 1, 2015

With that weight limit I don't see any room for salt

Kevin Dill · Aug 1, 2015

Check with your pilots. If they can get in within 2 days (and depending on weather temps) you might need no salt. Hopefully you've got things arranged in Tok or somewhere for the pilot to take your meat, cape and antlers (in velvet?) to be properly managed until you return. Satellite phone to call? Based on 55 pounds it's highly unlikely you'll be able to haul enough salt to properly treat the capes of 3(+) big game animals.

I'm dealing with the same thing, but I have a slightly higher weight limit. I also WANT to kill a velvet bull and have it mounted in velvet. That means I have to completely cape out the head, turn the ears, split lips, etc and flesh carefully. I need to preserve velvet in the field. I'll likely take in 2 pounds of salt, and I'm trying to ensure a fairly quick retrieval by my pilot. I've got a friend in Fairbanks who will receive everything and manage it for me. Pre-planning is important. My partner killed a wolf last year and paid for a flight to get it (skinned/caped hide) flown out before it could slip. Killing things often means paying extra money...and sometimes quite a bit of it.

aggieland · Aug 1, 2015

I think after going over the numbers we will be able to bring enough salt.

Ray · Aug 1, 2015

Buy a bottle of Stop-Rot. 3-4 oz per hide.

luke moffat · Aug 1, 2015

Ray said:
Buy a bottle of Stop-Rot. 3-4 oz per hide.

Man maybe I over treat our hides but I use atleast double that

aggieland · Aug 1, 2015

Where in Anchorage or Fairbanks or even Tok Can I pick up some Stop-Rot? Or do I need to try and buy here back here in the lower states and fly it up?

Trent · Aug 1, 2015

I got an older bottle of stop rot that has never been opened and it has mold in it. Anyone else have this happen to theirs? Wonder if it effects its effectiveness any or if it is still even any good.
I ordered mine through McKenzie taxidermy supply off their website. not sure where else it can be bought.

Kevin Dill · Aug 2, 2015

Wouldn't be flying with it until I had definite knowledge of safety...ie MSDS info. Probably fine, but I would be certain before trying to get past TSA and airlines.

Ray · Aug 2, 2015

luke moffat said:
Man maybe I over treat our hides but I use atleast double that

The directions say 3oz for a deer cape. Adjust accordingly.

Reds are jumping here, why am I on this stupid phone?

luke moffat · Aug 2, 2015

Haha no doubt get off that thing!!

I read the directions but always felt 3 oz so little and always do mich more than that.

How much do you use on the hides you've used it on?

IChaseCoues · Aug 3, 2015

Soooo..... If a guy had the weight allowance to take some salt for a cape would he be better off taking salt or stop rot?

Ray · Aug 3, 2015

luke moffat said:
How much do you use on the hides you've used it on?

I stand here dragging my toe in the dirt with a sheepish grin on my mug and can only say, "I have yet to use it on a hide."

Bear hunting while at work has not been very effective. As a tax payer paid by tax payers I let things slip by every year during work hours. The meat caribou hides staid on the tundra. The sheep are still running around the mountains growing larger.

Sigh, there has been no reason to break the seal on my 4oz bottles. But I do carry more than the directions call for: two 4oz medicine bottles. I carry three for the remote work trips where a black bear may be an after work hours possibility.

IChaseCoues · Aug 5, 2015

Anyone else have an opinion whether salt or stop rot would be better?

IChaseCoues · Sep 15, 2015

Just a quick update to this. My buddy convinced me we needed to take 50 pounds of salt since we had plenty of weight allowance. I told him 25 would be enough for a deer and caribou each but he was adament.
In the end we used 25 lb on two caribou capes with it laid on thick. He didn't keep his deer cape and and we flew out the day after I killed mine so we didn't use salt on the deer.

Jeremy · Sep 16, 2015

We just got back and all the taxidermists we spoke with said 10lbs minimum per cape

realunlucky · Sep 16, 2015

I didn't salt mine at all and shot it first day of 7 day hunt, taxidermist said it looked great. Sure it's a gamble but fleshing it good and letting it dry go a long way. Cool weather helps too.

RamDreamer · Sep 17, 2015

realunlucky said:
I didn't salt mine at all and shot it first day of 7 day hunt, taxidermist said it looked great. Sure it's a gamble but fleshing it good and letting it dry go a long way. Cool weather helps too.

I'll agree. Don't get me wrong salt can be valuable in the field when preserving a hide, but just think about trapping. Every animal is fleshed and then allowed to dry without the use of salt (in fact salting a hide will lower the value) and they turn out just fine. Removing the fat, meat, grease, etc by properly fleshy and splitting the nose and turning the lips and eyes is critical. Along with keeping it cool. That said I would still bring salt with me to be safe.

How much salt should we carry?

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