RE: Care of bear hide!
It's best to flesh out the skin and to turn the ears, lips, nose, eyelids and toes to the last knuckle, as soon as possible after skinning. Salting will make sure the hide doesn't start slipping hair, even if it doesn't freeze solid. You always want to use pickling salt, or any non-iodized salt. Iodized salt can cause slippage of fur, also. When you make the initial cuts before starting to skin, make sure you cut with the future shape of the rug in mind. If you cut from top of paw pads to where the chest joins the neck, straight across,on front legs, and from top of hind foot pads to just below the scrotum and straight on across, then do the cut from there up to under the chin, you should have a full, long as possible, rug. Pull the skin up over the head and find the ear roots, cut close to the skull, easier to do while still attached to the body. Same with the feet, easier to skin out if attached to the body. Skin out to the last knuckle of the toes, leaving the claw joint on the hide. Enjoy a full fluffy furry rug if you have followed these directions, you won't have a scrawny looking,narrow chested looking rug.
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