antelope

cooper · 09-01-2005, 09:09 AM

does anybody know what kind of salt is used on a antelope cape.

Washington Hunter · 09-01-2005, 09:14 AM

rock salt

Snug 2 · 09-01-2005, 10:06 AM

Non-iodized salt. You can buy cattle feed grade salt at most feed and seed stores. That works fine.

waterfowlin101 · 09-01-2005, 02:01 PM

Quote:

rock salt

NO NO NO Bad Bad Rock Salt Bad.

Only use rock salt as a last resort!!!

Jon

Rank Amateur · 09-01-2005, 03:57 PM

None, if you can freeze it. Otherwise try to get as much of the meat and fat off before salting with the feed store salt, its a little coarser than table salt but not by much.

dubl_t · 09-01-2005, 07:03 PM

don't mean to be stoopid, but why is rocksalt bad, and why do you want an antalope hide?

native · 09-01-2005, 08:14 PM

Rock Salt, due to it's large chunks, does'nt dry the hyde or remove oils evenly.

I think a "goat skin" is pretty cool. Tanned mine.....

waterfowlin101 · 09-01-2005, 09:44 PM

IMO as well as others I'm sure...any salt is bad until the hide has been properly fleshed. If you put salt on a hide, any meat that left is turned into jerky. When you later try and remove this "dried meat", you undoubtedly will cut holes or slightly tear the hide. In some places it's no problem concealing, but in others it can be a nightmare.

Rank said it best, freeze it. Roll the cape with the face on the inside into a tight wad...put it in plastic, and freeze it.

Jon

Rank Amateur · 09-02-2005, 07:53 AM

Hey Jon, it sounds like you have been on the fleshing the jerky off of the cape side of the coin. Makes the job about 4 times as tough. An antelope cape is a delicate thing, any holes or cut off hair roots will show, it is very hard to cover up problems with such short, brittle hair. Be very careful with antelope. Deer are a little more forgiving and elk, especially in the mane area a good taxidermist can cover up major blunders.

Correct me if I'm wrong Jon, but a cape if carefully taken care of and kept cool and totally out of the sun, could be kept for up to three days with out being froze or salted. Understand though, how soon you caped it and the weather and humidity will play a factor. This is where you have to make the decsion, salt or no salt. In either case it is best to flesh the cape well. If you think the hair may slip and you can not get it in a freezer, then you will need to salt it, you will need to stretch it out on a flat surface, preferrably a piece of plywood and spread the salt over the cape to a depth of a good 3/8's of an inch. Pay particular attention to the edges of the cape and face portion. Make sure there is no wrinkles that have gone unsalted. Again, keep the cape out of the sun! The biggest two enemys of capes are sun and driving down the highway in 60 mph winds.

If you don't feel comfortable caping an animal, remember you can skin the cape up to the base of the head and cut off the spine, then get the head in a cooler and if not real big, into a freezer.

What did I miss Jon?

waterfowlin101 · 09-05-2005, 04:57 PM

Rank...that's pretty darn good, you've obviously done your homework!! I'll just add a couple more things.

Cut your cape a bit long in the mid section...you can use this area as a tester. If you pull at the hair and it still stays in you are ok. (Only pull at the hair in this test area.) 3 days seems about right if it is at least cool, but that is max. I've seen 'em go bad in less than a day if not kept cool.

If you have fleshed it correctly and there is no more meat on the cape...still don't salt it, (if you don't absolutely have to, we all know there are cases which there is no other option). There is something taxidermists do called turning the eyes, ears and nose. After this is done some additional fleshing is neccessary, and then and only then should salt be applied. When it is applied make sure it gets into all the cracks and crevices, rub it in, leave it there and lay the cape out flat (If done in the field, roll the cape with the face in).

Freezing it is always your best option. Keeping it on ice will work for a while, but roll it tight with the face tucked inside. IMO...it's your trophy, it's going on your wall, and you never know when and where you are gonna kill it. Be prepared, visit a taxidermist and learn what he or she prefers, cause people vary in opinions. At least then, when you do get that wall hanger, you can feel confident that what you are doing is correct. It's a good feeling to know, and a bad one to not. I've seen some real accomplished hunters screw up some dandy's...and BIG capes are not cheap

.

Jon