RE: shrinking deer head!!!
 

To add to Alex's post, a pickle tan is the way they used to do it years ago. They used to pickle the hide but notreally add the tanning agents, This was done before there were any tanning agents as we know them today. Pickling is the stage before atanning cream is applied. When I learned, I learned to pickle tan, it does last but not as well as tanning. I have never had one returned for smelling or other problems, such as shrinkage.

RE: shrinking deer head!!!
 

Pickle is the first stage of tanning of any kind, including cream tanning, although really the first stage of tanning is salting and drying, which is called curing, my wife's family owned the largest tannery in spain and everything is pickled first then thinned and washed and repickle in tanning solutions and then oiled and tumble to break the hide.
Cream tanning is recent.

RE: shrinking deer head!!!
 

I think I have just enough brains in my head to tan my own hide.

RE: shrinking deer head!!!
 

i have been in taxidermy for a few years, and been around it for 15 years. not nearly as long as ALEX. and am not as well trained. so the reason for my reply is to learn from you ALEX.
you say this is not a true tan, how can you tell? really?
and yes the mount is what 20 years old?
the ears are wrong, it is a old form were there was hardly no shoulders, no whitebanded eyes, not much "air brushing, just hand painting. but for sure not an real seasoned veteren.
i am just not seeing how to tell if it was a true tan. my guess it was tanned using alum. just my guess. help me out here please!