FAQ skinning,salting

[cole97]

how much salt is best to bring on a hunt if you want a shoulder mount and rug ....for skinning the hide off of the skull ,do you cut up the middle behind his neck and do a y cut to the antlers, then just neatly skin the hide off of the skull, I usually freeze the hide and head but for long hunts getting to know how to skin out a shoulder mount and salt it at camp will help...... please correct or add any information I have left out

cheers Cole

[The Dawg]

Bring lots

and YouTube is your friend

[ryanb]

Your best bet would be to look up some youtube how to videos. A shoulder mount is typically split along the spine. A 20lb bag of salt is plenty for a shoulder Mount. Bring 2lbs with you in your pack to get the hide back to base camp if you think it might be a couple days.

[cole97]

Kk ... in the next couple of years me and couple of my good friends are planning a sheep goat and caribou hunt up in 6-19 6-23 so I guess bringing a couple bags of 2lb salt should do the trick then let say after the 10 day hunt have a 50lb bag in the truck then salt it good on the way home

[cole97]

But how would I get the ear out of the hide or would I just flip it fless it and salt it

[Rackmastr]

But how would I get the ear out of the hide or would I just flip it fless it and salt it

You are going to want to completely flesh the cape and face. Then turn the lips, eyelids, nostrils, and ears completely and flesh any meat off as well. Easy enough to find videos on Youtube that show this as well. Some of it takes some experience but if you take your time and go slow and understand the concept, you'll get it. Bottom line, you want the hide to be free of meat, fat, etc to allow the salt to penetrate into all areas and dry completely.

Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any other questions.

[cole97]

What happens if you screw up or you cut a little too much of a eye lid or lip? What knives would you suggest that would make fleshing easier

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

"Screw up" and "a little too much" are subjective terms. This could mean anything from your taxidermist having some extra work to do to a cape/hide that is entirely ruined. Follow Rackmastr's advice above and do all you can to know what it is you are trying to accomplish prior to heading out, take your time, it will be just fine!

Use whichever knives you have that are sharp, clean and controlable for you.

[Fred1]

Here is what I learned, being a noob face lifter... The guys who know say salt or freeze, not both. If you are going to salt, you must remove all fat and flesh from the hide - as noted above. This means turning the ears and splitting the lips. Salting stops the hair from slipping and you need the salt to penetrate into the hide. The guys I know who do lots of this stuff love the Havalon knives. I was shown once how to do all the mount prep. I studied up, read/Youtube etc. I tried a full face peel, ear turn, lip split on a doe last year. It went ok, sure wasn't fast... I haven't used my Havalon on a deer yet, but I can really see its benefits. Youtube!!! Its all on there! Go out this fall and get your deer and practice! Im lookin forward to a little more practice! Good luck!

[cole97]

Thanks will do alot of practicing on and which havalon knife is better theres alot to choose from....does it really make a difference which one you pick im thinking not , the pirate edge looks like the best

[Geo.338]

All good tips . You tube has many videos on this as all have previously mentioned . There is no substitute for practice so when you shoot a buck or bull that is not really trophy quality then you can practice on it . Turning ears lips and nose and skinning around the antlers are learned skills that take some time to get good at . Good luck

[Mulehahn]

All the advice above is great. But there is no substitute for practice. If you are planning a year or more in the future as indicated try to take a whitetail doe this year and practice turning the ears, lips, etc. Also, a good piece of advice I heard for turning the ears is with a popsicle stick. It is a lot less likely to puncture the skin.

[Fred1]

Thanks will do alot of practicing on and which havalon knife is better theres alot to choose from....does it really make a difference which one you pick im thinking not , the pirate edge looks like the best

I asked this question a few days ago. Seems most like the #60 and the #22 blades...