Cape Salting Procedures

[Mtn Wonderer]

Any body got this down do an art, last year I salted a hide down and it seemed to be a mess but turned out fine in the end.

How long should the salt remain on the cape?

When packing out with salt on the cape it is generating extreme amounts of moisture.

Do you salt the hide right away or can you wait a few days??? If so how long??

Thanks

[interceptor]

MW,

I always salt the hide ASAP, then again the next day and then you are good to go, yeah I always get plenty of moisture as well.

On a Chital hunt last year the guide dipped the capes into a 20ltr bucket with several kg of salt in it as soon as the caping was done. When I said I was always told to keep them dry he said that he has been doing it this way for over 16 years and never lost a cape. His reasoning was that it cooled the hide down straight away and also penetrated into all the tight places. But you still need to really work the salt into the bad parts like eye lids, lips etc.

I am no expert but this is how I do it now, hope it helps.

Cheers Noel

[bighornbob]

Salting should be done right away after properly skinning and can stay on the hide until the hide is completely dry. Salt can not hurt a hide if properly skinned out.

Ever been in the back room of a taxidermists, there is usually a big pile of salt and hides buried in it. Once skinned by a taxidermist he places salt all over the hide and keep changing it around until the hide is dry. it is usually then that he sends the hides to the tanner.

As stated the salt will absorb a lot of moisture so replacing the salt with dry salt is a good idea after a day or so. After a day you can scrape the salt off and replace with new stuff. The wet salt can be laid out and dried and used again.

Salt can only penetrate about 1/4 of skin, thats is why you have to turn the ears and split the lips to allow the salt to reach the meaty areas.

I am not sure how long a hide will last without salt but the time decreases with heat so keeping the hide cool will help. In October with nights getting really cool I am sure you could get a few days before salting. In August or early september heat I would not leave it half a day without salting.

As with any skinning/salting/caping questions, ask your taxidermist as he is the one who will be mounting it. If it does not make sence make a few phones calls around and get a second opinion. Case in point, I went on a pronghorn hunt a few years ago with a guy who did taxidermy. My pronghorn had a lot of blood on it and I tried to wash it off at camp. The guy said not to bother as it will come out in the tanning process. I still wetted it down as I heard blood is not good on the hair. The next day i phoned my taxidermist as I was still away for a week and asked him about the blood. He said pronghorns and dall sheep are the worst for blood staining. He said I should try and get as much blood out as i can. Luckily I had access to a garden hose and I used a brush to gently comb the hair with the garden hose running over it. Even after a hour there was still pink water flowing down the driveway. Luckily the hide came out perfect.

When in doubt ask the guy whos will be mounting it.

BHB

[Big Bucks]

I was a tax back in the day and i would say that you got a good day before having to hit it with salt , that in mind the weather does play a part like you guys were saying , if it is really hot that day lower's . If you can get it to a tax right away it is better if they skin it out and then salt it , remember that after it's salted it is washed with a sent solution to kill the smell of those stinky bucks . Alot of taxes will send there capes out to get professionly tanned which makes a far better mount . You have to find a really good tanner for this though it took awhile to find one . If you get home from your hunt and you just don't have the time to get to the tax right away throw the head into the freezer for the day until you can get to him , i know the wife will hate it but what do you want HELL or a nice game head . Also it depends what type of animal you got too , if it is a sheep then it is a whole other story , Main thing is to get it to a tax a quik as possible , I had people bring things in that were green and i still saved it .

[Mtn Wonderer]

Thanks guys it is all good knowledge, I am headed up for Dalls once more. Hope I see the right one this year.

MW

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Make sure you get any blood out of the white cape ASAP (before salting).

SSS

[wildman 22]

My Taxidermist Told Me Of 2 Guys Who Shot A Nice Grizz ,skinned It Out And Put The Hide In A Garbage Bag And Hiked 10 Hours Down The Mountain On A Hot Day .he Saw Them At The Bottom And The Hair Was Already Starting To Slip.he Told Me Totry To Cool It As Long As Possible And Transport It In Burlap Sacks Rather Than Plastic.

[77hunt]

how much salt are you guys bringing on a 10 day sheep hunt 1 , 2 ,5lbs ? and one question is when you split the lips do you run horizontal cuts on the inside of the lips and pack with salt? what about eye lids just lots of salt and one last question when you skin out the ears do you leave them inside out or pack with salt and turn back to normal?
thanks lee

[Deaddog]

I bring five pounds of salt, lips I normally just split and salt, ears I leave turned out, I believe lots of us do things differently but the main idea is get the moisture out, I salt right away, on the second day I try and "dry" the salt out and reapply, haven't lost a cape yet but doesnt mean there isn't a better way:-D

[77hunt]

thanks i had 5lbs packed so i was on the right track
have a good season