I use plain old table salt. I make sure I cover the meaty part of the beard. It will take it a week or so to dry it out. Make sure you put some card board under it, then cover it with salt. Ive never had one go bad. Then after its dried, I cut off the shotgun shell I used to kill it with, at the brass. Then I knock out the firing pin and take hot glue and one of those small hooks that ya can hang stuff on and hot glue it into the hole where the firing pin came out of. Then once the beard is dried, I put the beard in the open end of the brass and hot glue it. Then once its set up and hardened, I hang it up... Just remember you have to keep the brass polished up for it to keep for years, It will corrid if you dont...