Field Prep

Preservation

Curing Hints for Skin Preservation

1. 1

   Animals should be skinned immediately, and not left for hours unattended on the back of a hunting vehicle or in the skinning shed.

2. 2

   Animals should not be dragged in the dirt while loading onto a vehicle. Dragging causes hair slip.

3. 3

   Once the animals have been delivered to the skinning shed, they should be skinned immediately.

4. 4

   All blood should be washed from the skins directly after skinning. Blood on the skins promotes bacteria which will result in hair slip.

5. 5

   Skins must be kept out of the sun. The sun hardens the skin on the flesh side, creating a membrane that our dipping solutions may not penetrate - which will also cause hair slip.

6. 6

   After the animals have been skinned, the skins should be stripped of all fat, fibre and meat. This promotes maximum penetration of salt and preservatives into the skin.

7. 7

   After the skins have been relieved of all blood, fat and fibre, they should be soaked in a strong salt solution for at least four hours. We suggest about 20 kilograms of salt to 100 litres of water. You can also add 20 grams of phenol carbolic crystals to kill ticks and insects on the skins.

8. 8

   After soaking, the skins should be exposed to a salt process. First put a layer of salt about 10 centimetres thick on a flat, clean surface such as a concrete floor. Place the skin on the salt, flesh side facing upward, and cover the flesh side with a thick layer of salt as well. This dehydrates the skin - depending on its size, leave it in the salt for 3 to 4 days.