Taxidermy

[johnson taxidermy]

I thought I would start this tread with some tips for your trophy care. I have been a taxidermist for a little over 11 years and these are the issues I see the most and how to correct them. I always strongly recommend you contact your taxidermist or find one prior to your hunt. Find out about any special requirement prior to your hunt. If it is A early season or archery hunt he/she may give you velvet preserve or tell you how he/she would like to see them treated. They may also give you a tutorial on how to properly cape. Especially important if you have never done it or if it has been awhile. Do not cut throats, cut to the outside of the arm pits, cut 16” BEHIND the shoulders. We can always cut off but it is hard to add if it is not there. Do not salt your cape unless you know what you are doing. This is a good reason to spend some time with your taxidermist. Have him/her show you how to cape and prep it if you will be unable to get it in quickly. Do not drag it if possible. The final quality of the mount starts with the field prep. These are just some of the things to keep in mind. Different animals or possible mounts, all have different requirements. Find out what they are and how to do them. Most important is to keep the skin as cool as possible and try not to let the flesh side dry out from exposure. Help keep that future mount looking good for years to come.

 

[todd kelly]

What are your thoughts on Stop Rot as a replacement for salt as an initial treatment of capes in the field? I have only used the stuff a couple of times on capes that came in that were a little iffy with great results, but never thought of packing it into the field instead of salt until reading a couple of threads on here.

 

[johnson taxidermy]

I have not tried stop rot as a salt replacement. It is truly a marvelous product. I would try it on a small skin and see how the finished product looked and felt. If you are doing your own tanning watch the p.h. and see if it affects that. The draw back might be it will add weight to the skin with out displacing the water.

 

[Bigfeet]

Don't use salt?
Do you mean don't use salt until the ears, nose and lips have been turned (and excess meat/fat scrapped off the hide)? I can understand not wanting to salt before those things are done, but is there another reason?

 

[brianboh]

There should not be a reason. If you use salt use non iodized salt. Borax would work even better

 

[brianboh]

Def turn the ears lips nose and eyes if you can

 

[johnson taxidermy]

Only salt after the fat and meat have been removed and eyes,ears,lips and nose have been turned and split. Salt will not penetrate fat. Eyes and nose can be turned at the tannery after they rehydrate. The ears should be turned at the very least with the fat and meat removal before the salt.

 

[todd kelly]

Don't use salt?
Do you mean don't use salt until the ears, nose and lips have been turned (and excess meat/fat scrapped off the hide)? I can understand not wanting to salt before those things are done, but is there another reason?

I have just read a few comments of people packing Stop Rot instead of salt into the back country. I have been tanning hides for a few years now and know the cape still needs to be salted before going into the pickle, but if 4-5 oz of Stop Rot could replace 2-3lbs of salt it might be worth trying. And salt the hide when back at the truck.

 

[johnson taxidermy]

That sounds like a good plan Todd. Let us know if you try that and how it worked.

 

[Bigfeet]

I have heard, for years, to use non-iodized salt. Anyone know why?
I've tried to find non-iodized, but have never seen it. Where can you find it?

 

[todd kelly]

I have heard, for years, to use non-iodized salt. Anyone know why?
I've tried to find non-iodized, but have never seen it. Where can you find it?

No real reason other then iodized salt can tint the leather. The container only needs to be labeled if it is iodized......

The best places to get salt is from pool supply and feed stores. A 44lb bag is usually around $10. Make sure it is fine and has no minerals added, but iodized salt won't harm the cape.

 

[todd kelly]

I have just read a few comments of people packing Stop Rot instead of salt into the back country. I have been tanning hides for a few years now and know the cape still needs to be salted before going into the pickle, but if 4-5 oz of Stop Rot could replace 2-3lbs of salt it might be worth trying. And salt the hide when back at the truck.

That sounds like a good plan Todd. Let us know if you try that and how it worked.

Well, I did not have the guts to just use Stop Rot with no salt. However I did pack a 3oz spray bottle of the stuff with 2lbs of salt this fall, and it worked great. Once the cape (LS bear) was fleshed and the face taken care of, I sprayed down the cape with Stop Rot. Waited a couple hours and then gave the cape a light salting. The hide dried out nice with the little salt I used.

I have started pickling the hide this week and everything looks good. I think the couple of oz's of Stop Rot made the salt go further and it will become a regular item in my kill kit, even on the shorter trips. It will definitely buy you some more time in dealing with a hide.