Natalie

My brother killed a spike yesterday and his son wants to make a rug or hanging from the hide and head..

we know he has to salt the hide, but thats all we know

what does he put on it to preserve the skin and also, how does he get the brains and all out of the head to be able to use it.. or he cant? he asked me to post and ask yall

Steve F.in MD

If you really want it to last for years just take it to a taxidermist. If you are going to do it yourself it is a lot more labor intensive than it would seem to have one come out right. Good luck with whatever you decide. Sorry I don't have any specifics about how it is done. I have a friend who used to do it and all I remember is that it was a lot of work. I still have a deer hide on my den wall that he did for me over 20 years ago.

Tree climber

you will need to remove all the fat and maet,then put on a sheet of plywood raised on one end so moisture will drain and salt reall good.after a few day remove that salt and resalt.you will have to do this two or three times.do it till the salt will harden and not draw anymore water.then remove the salt and scrap it to thin and get clean.

the head will have to be cleaned of all the meat and tissue that is easy to get to. then you will have to boil,(keep the horns out of the boiling water.boil at a slow boil till all the meat and brain materail is gone. you will have to put clean water on it.add a little liquid soap to it. watch because the soap will foam really a lot.

after that you will need to put it in proxide or bleach to get reall white.

thats all I do,others may have an easer way to do it , (I don't think you will find an easy way)

it takes lots of work, but will look really good.
good luck.

Paul L Mohr

I paid to have mine done a few years ago. I think they charged me around 20 to skin it. Which is a bunch of crap because I found out they skin them all and the send the hides in and then sell them. So they charged me to do something they were going to do anyway. Then they send them all at the same time to a plant or something that does them. I shot mine in the middle of november and got it back in the summer. Cost me 80 bucks and it was all chewed up in spots on the back. They said that wasn't from the them (processor), it was from the way they tanned them because they use a machine. I said I didn't care who's fault it was, I am paying YOU the money.

So all said and done it cost me about 100 bucks, I didn't like the quality and it still kind of sheds hair. So I wouldn't use it for rug if you wanted to last for a long time. I use it to cover a foot locker, but it will eventually end up on the wall. I want to use it for a back drop for a gun rack.

Maybe an actual taxidermist would do a better job, I don't know. I know the next time I want one I will research it and do it myself to see how it comes out.

Paul