Hide preservation?

[2LEYS]

I have never kept a hide. But I plan on hunting hard for bear next year and maybe coyotes and hopefully get a cougar.

So if you do not plan on taking them to a taxidermist right away or just want a coyote hide to hang on you garage wall, what do you do to preserve them?

Does anyone out there do it themselves?

Scrape off ALL of the fat and meat from the hide
Lay the hide skin side up on a piece of cardboard or plywood
Cover with lots of fine non-iodized salt, don't scrimp on the salt
Set hide in cool place at an angle so liquid can run off
Change salt in a few days
When the hide is completly dry you can roll it up and store it in a cool place


If you want a rug or mount it's important to get it to the taxidermist soon.

[ 11-30-2003, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[sliverpicker]

I've preserved deer and elk hides for flytying by getting all the fat and meat off them, tacking them hair side down on plywood, then applying liberal amounts of 20 Mule Team Borax on the green hide. Let it air dry for a week or two, then shake the Borax off.

sliverpicker

[nitrobass]

Cant stress enough how important it is to get that thing to the taxidermist ASAP. Makes all the difference on the final product