Hide Care

[wilkes]

Hey all,

I am looking to skin and tan the next deer I get. I don't expect it to be a crazy good hide, but I don't want to waste the animal and also give myself a chance at improving my tanning skills so I can confidently do a really nice one in the future.

From everything I have read, they recommend salting the hide immediately after it is skinned to avoid hair slip. On RS I see a lot of guys hauling bear/elk/goat hides out that don't appear to be salted... Also see a few guys leaving the hide out on snow or ice overnight. I am not saying this is wrong, I am curious as to how long the hide can go without salting? Is it dependent on the temperature?

The better I understand this, the better my chances will be at getting it right. If I don't need to salt immediately, that might mean I have time to get the hide home and prepare it thoroughly or it might give me confidence that a hide will last without salt on an overnighter. (And I won't have to carry pounds of salt everywhere!)

Thanks for any input guys!

Wilkes

 

[todd kelly]

temperature has everything to do with how long you can go before salting or freezing. I don't know of any magic number to tell you that a hide will be safe below a certain temp for x amount of hours. Too many variables.

Google Stop Rot. It is a great product that will give you some insurance on hide care. I now pack a small 4oz bottle with me at all times and give all capes a light spray as soon as it is skinned.

http://www.whitetailsystems.com/Stop-Rot.html

Do you know what tan you will be using?

 

[Rocky]

Yes it depends on the temp. I would try to avoid introducing extra moisture (snow/ice) if at all possible. This could up the chances of having problems. The best rule is to get the hide taken care of as soon as you can. That being said on a typical hunt where you are heading home after you fill your tag I wouldn't worry about carrying a bag of salt in your rig. In a nutshell try to keep the hide cool, prep it (remove all extra meat, fat, membrane, etc), pour enough feed salt on the hide until it is about 1/4 inch thick. After it sets for a few days remove the salt for the hide and resalt it for a few more days. After this again remove the salt, but this time hang the hide (skin side out -hair side in) over a 2x4(hair side against the 2x4) or something and let it air dry.

 

[Becca]

+1 on the stop rot. It is pretty amazing stuff, and really helps lift the flesh off the hide so it's easier to get the extra tissue off when you flesh it. We bring some along when we expect to be in the field for more than a couple of days after we get the animal down. Have never packed salt into the field on my back (except a little seasoning salt, but that's for eating meat over the campfire ) and don't plan to start. Stop rot weighs less and works as well or better.

As a note, if you do end up salting a hide, remember that you won't be able to safely preserve it in the freezer at home if it has been salted. Salt water has a lower freezing temp than fresh, and household freezers won't get cold enough to preserve a hide long term that has been salted.

 

[wilkes]

Great feedback!

Stop rot looks good. I think I will stick to salt for now, just because it will start getting pricey on shipping here. I will look into it for hunts over an extended period though, as I won't carry large amounts of salt for long!

I will be using the most common tanning kit they have available here in Australia - www.pizzari.com.au

I won't have the freezer space for the hide, so I think just salting when I get home (per Rocky's advice) will be the best way to go for now. Will be keen to see how it turns out so I don't mind getting it salted and cleaned up to start the tanning process.

Thanks for all the info! I now feel a little more confident about being able to get the hide home before finishing the cleaning and getting salt on it.

Another question... Do any of you use a special fleshing tool, or just a knife?

 

[colonel00]

Interesting topic and perhaps worthy of its own thread on Stop Rot. I would definitely like to hear more about how people use it in the field and other techniques that go along with it. It hasn't really been an issue before in regards to getting meat and hide to a cooler quickly but this year's caribou trip could see a hide spending a few days in the field.

 

[spdcrazy]

also interested on this topic. brown bear will be professionally done, and black bear i might do myself assuming both hunts are successful. couple days in the field in mid 40-50 degree temps, myabe this stop rot is needed.?

 

[todd kelly]

Do any of you use a special fleshing tool, or just a knife?

In the field I only pack a havalon, but always have a fleshing beam, a fleshing knife, a fleshing cone, and an ear opener in my truck for use at base camp. Obviously not everyone needs all this stuff, but I tan a lot of hides so its stuff I need.

 

[Rocky]

also interested on this topic. brown bear will be professionally done, and black bear i might do myself assuming both hunts are successful. couple days in the field in mid 40-50 degree temps, myabe this stop rot is needed.?

If 40-50 are the day time highs I would think the hide should be fine for a few days. I would unroll it so it cools at night and then roll it up and keep it dry and in the shade during the day.