ATTENTION HUNTERS

[Elkstuffer]

DO NOT Salt your hides or capes if you are going to put them in the freezer or take them to your taxidermist the next day. ESPECIALLY if there is still 2+ inches of fat and meat attached to it. You are going to ruin the hide/cape by doing this. It makes it a big mess and besides that it's a real pain in the butt for us!

Thank you for reading!

[fastdam]

Just roll it up and keep it cool and dry?

[Elkstuffer]

Just roll it up and keep it cool and dry?

Absolutely! Get it off the animal and lay it aside to cool. Then fold it up loosely and put it in a game bag, NOT a garbage bag and then into a cooler or a refrigerator. But cool and dry is the key.

[danderson]

Thanks for the advice Ric, hope to be bringing you some work

[Labs07]

What if you want the hide tanned with the hair on and you are traveling a long distance before you get home.  What should I do?  I will hopefully be coming from WY back to WA with an Elk hide that I want tanned with the hair on.

[rtspring]

Mine will be at your place as fast as I can get it there!

[Westside88]

What is a reasonable time to get it to your taxidermist? We've always tried to get there by the next day 2 at most, but I know that won't always work. I've had people tell me it can just be frozen, is that true? If so should it be rolled or folded? Game bag or plastic? Thanks for sharing your expertise

[Magnum_Willys]

We've had good luck for a week putting head in garbage bag antlers sticking out then put in large storage tub ( costco $10 ones) surround with bags of ice and put lid on - sideways or cut slots out for antlers to pass.  Throw a tarp or bag over the whole thing.  keep hide dry.  Dont salt !

[Elkstuffer]

What if you want the hide tanned with the hair on and you are traveling a long distance before you get home.  What should I do?  I will hopefully be coming from WY back to WA with an Elk hide that I want tanned with the hair on.

It depends on the temps/time of year. Once again get it off of the animal and set aside to cool. If you have a cooler that you can designate for your hide throw some frozen water bottles in the bottom and lay your loosely folded hide in a game bag and on top of the bottles. You do NOT want it laying in the bottom of a cooler/container with melted ice. Moisture is the killer. When you get home you can put it in a freezer till you can get to your taxidermist. Good Luck!

[CoryTDF]

skin on skin. Hair on hair. Fold it up and don't roll it tight. That is what I was told to do.

[Elkstuffer]

What is a reasonable time to get it to your taxidermist? We've always tried to get there by the next day 2 at most, but I know that won't always work. I've had people tell me it can just be frozen, is that true? If so should it be rolled or folded? Game bag or plastic? Thanks for sharing your expertise

Again depends on how cool it is outside. 2-3 days tops to get it to your taxidermist during general rifle. Just keep it out of the direct sunlight. Late season you can go even longer. Too much neck meat is a killer though. It takes forever for it to cool down. Cape it all the way up to the last vertibrae and cut it away from the skull there. If you have a freezer big enough by all means put it in there till you can get it to your taxidermist. Just take the neck and shoulder skin and fold it up between the antlers and over the face to give it some protection from freezer burn.
Something else you do NOT want to do is leave it on the hot metal in the bed of your truck for any distance. Elevate it with a pallet or in a cooler with the lid open. This also allows air to circulate around it.
Hope this helps. Good Luck this season!

[Elkstuffer]

skin on skin. Hair on hair. Fold it up and don't roll it tight. That is what I was told to do.

Definitely good advise Cory!

[bowguy]

Do you tan hides into just leather?

[Elkstuffer]

I send them out just like the hair on hides. But they have to fleshed and salted first. $175 for deer and $300 for an average elk. Hair on or off.

[Kuduman]

Lol Ric
seems like I always get the one customer that misses this post....

On a similar note the proper way to bleed your buck is to wait 30 minutes after he is dead. Snap a few memory or bragging Board  shots. Using the largest and dullest knife you have start your incision on the hair side just below the ear. Now here's the tricky part. It's important that you use a sawing motion so that the wound appears to be more along the side of a werewolf kill rather than a clean cut. After you complete tis incision you want to hang your deer upside down until at least 5 drops of blood are rendered from this gaping wound...... he's now properly bleed.