ikillsdeer

ok, my parents are going to hunt rams this weekend where you pay for what u kill (dont flame me, im not the one doing it and i never would) but they want the head mounts so i asked them to bring me the hydes. what do i do to dry them out and store them until i decide what i want to do with them?

Alex The Hawk

Why would you ask for them to bring you the hides if you don't know what to do ?

ikillsdeer

because if i want to dry them out ill figure out how to do it, im not stupid and drying a hyde is not rocket science. besides if i dont take them then they will be left at the hunting farm. thats why i just want to learn how to dry them and store them. then ill practise tanning on some smalller more common game till i get it right then ill finish the ram.


p.s. i dont live my life afraid to try something new and i always educate myself to make sure i do things right.

Alex The Hawk

Then you need to scrape all the meat and fat off, if they are bloody you need to rinse them in suds and a bacteriacide, then you dry them until the hair is dry then you lay them flat over say cardboard although shipping crates are good also and salt them for 24 hours , then shake the salt off and apply dry salt again let them air dry and you have ready to tan skins. Do not hang in the sun.
Good luck

ikillsdeer

thanks for the help, do i rub the salt in or just pour it on? do i have to stretch the hyde, and if so at what point of this procedure? and how long will it last in this condition , once dried, before i tan it?

nctaxi

Just my opinion - freeze them solid. Box them in an insulated box and ship to Lonestar Furdressing. Have them turned and tanned for less than $75 each. Tan them for taxidermy, have them brush out the hair, freeze them and ship back. Problem solved.

Alex The Hawk

Stretch them on the ground or in top of cardboard and rub salt and then pour a layer of salt about 1/4 inch thick, make sure you get every inch salted.
Salted ,dry skinscan last for months if properly stored.

ikillsdeer

thanks for the help. i just dont understand why everyone wants to pay someone else to do things for them? i can afford to pay, but i appreciate things more when i do them myself and its a hobby! just the beginning of my new hobby but once i learn i can pass it on to my children. my son is only 1 so i have time lol and my daughter is 7

nctaxi

The reason I recommended sending it out is , do you know how to turn they eyes, lips, nose & ears? All the salting in the world won't help the ears from slipping if you don't know how to turn them. But hey, what do I know......

ikillsdeer

thanks for the help. but if you read my first post, it says my mom wants to have the head mounted. im just getting the hyde. this is just a begginers project. i will soon start working with squirrels and try a full mount. im going to order some supplies from wasco and go from there.