Cape Preservation ?

[Bistchen]

Hey, quick question about hides. How long can a cape go without needing salt. Is 5 lbs enough to pre-cure a billy goat? I have been scouting for billies the last 4 weeks and have been making some nice visuals. If all goes well next week, I hope to be hunting. Hike from area to truck will be 1 1/2 days. Bring salt or leave in truck? Thanks.

[butcher]

Two pounds is enough.

[guest]

One thing for sure you can never have too much. So if you can handle to take more do so. Best you contact a good Taxi for advice. That said, a full mount hide will take one heck of a lot more then a shoulder mount caper obviously. I used to pack in five or six pounds each trip, you can always ditch it if YA don't need it. Most important is learning how to split the lips, turning ears etc etc. Fats in warm temp can spoil hides quickly and cause slipping down the road, so you need to do a good job, or get it in cold cold temps asap. Far better guys on here then me but those are my 2 cents. Good luck to you! Far as I'm concerned, A goid Goat hunt is the most rewarding of all of BC Game. You will get out of it what you put in.

CT

[walks with deer]

Caribou lasted 6 days at plus 10 no salt taxidermy was happy but it was on the line.

[bearvalley]

In cool weather you can get by a day or two with little or no salt. Lay it out at night flesh side up so the air gets at it. One of the worst things you can do is leave it rolled up, unsalted, hair side out in a plastic bag for a couple of days.
If it's warm get the ears and lips turned and put the salt to it. Same thing applies here when the salt starts to work hang the cape out to get rid of the excess moisture. The sooner it's dried and cured or at the taxidermists the better the cape will be.

[.264winmag]

Never used salt on the mountain yet, never lost one even an aug1 ram. Never done any fleshing either, leave it to the pros is my motto. As said air dry at night and salt when back at truck. Good luck!

[chickenfarmer]

One and half days is nothing for the cape. Get cape right of the head so it can all cool. Biggest question, can you turn the face? If no is the answer don't worry about salt. You'll need to get it to a taxidermist sooner than later

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Fill a wide mouth plastic bottle (like a small Gatorade)with salt. Plenty for a shoulder cape and won't leak in your pack. Weather may be cool enough but why take the chance.
Leave more salt at the truck.

If you don't salt in the appropriate time frame, the hair may appear fine but may slip once it goes thru the tanning process.

[Rackmastr]

Fill a wide mouth plastic bottle (like a small Gatorade)with salt. Plenty for a shoulder cape and won't leak in your pack. Weather may be cool enough but why take the chance.
Leave more salt at the truck.

If you don't salt in the appropriate time frame, the hair may appear fine but may slip once it goes thru the tanning process.

Thats what I use as well for a quick salting option on the mountain is a gatorade bottle. Fits into the pack nicely and if you do good fleshing and turning it will be enough to get into most areas and give it that first salting.

Heat and moisture are two peices that bacteria love. The cape is very important to me so carrying that extra weight ensures its done right. I've seen a lot of capes that guys thought were great slip in the tanning process or become very 'loose' which make mounting them a pain in the butt.

[bearvalley]

What needs to be kept in mind is that the ears and nose need to be turned, the lips, and eyelids split. If this is not done properly no amount of salt will stop hair slippage. If you are unsure of how to deal with the turning and splitting you are better off to quickly get the unsalted cape to someone who knows how or to get it where it can be frozen.
A half turned, half split, salted cape is a mess to make work. JMO

[Bistchen]

Thank you all for your replies and answers. I think what ill do is to leave a one litre bottle full of salt somewhere between the hunting area and trailhead. Thanks, again.

Second question, Can you freeze a cape that has been salted ? As i understand, anything with a high sodium content will not freeze.

[chickenfarmer]

What happens when you put salt on the sidewalk in winter? Your properly looked after salted cape( tannery ready) will last years in a cool dry environment.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Thank you all for your replies and answers. I think what ill do is to leave a one litre bottle full of salt somewhere between the hunting area and trailhead. Thanks, again.

Second question, Can you freeze a cape that has been salted ? As i understand, anything with a high sodium content will not freeze.

There is no need to freeze a salted cape. Freeze it OR salt it.