Tanning bear hide at home or not

[stosto]

I got myself a nice, smallish cinnamon bear recently. Her coat is thick and has a wonderful colour. Racing against the setting sun, I rushed the skinning job more than I should have. A few holes for sure.

I want to process the hide in the shape of a sheep skin. Should I try to do myself? How much am I looking at having it done professionally? I feel like I would rob myself of the experience, as nasty as it may be, by not doing myself.

Any encouragement, opinions, previous experience or tips would be appreciated. Cheers

[TheObserver]

I got myself a nice, smallish cinnamon bear recently. Her coat is thick and has a wonderful colour. Racing against the setting sun, I rushed the skinning job more than I should have. A few holes for sure.

I want to process the hide in the shape of a sheep skin. Should I try to do myself? How much am I looking at having it done professionally? I feel like I would rob myself of the experience, as nasty as it may be, by not doing myself.

Any encouragement, opinions, previous experience or tips would be appreciated. Cheers

If you dont want to take a chance, take it in.

As for doing it yourself, I will be bark tanning this year with Bear for pelts and Deer for leather. If your interested in bark tanning I can send you vids of the process I will be following. Either way you choose, do something with it. Bark tanning is a natural method their are modern chemical methods and the fat methods as well

[TheObserver]

Wish I could be more help but will be doing it myself for the first time this year and have no pricings from the pros.

Should put yourself together a good fleshing beam, wood, PVC. And a good scraper if doing it yourself. Probably the most important though is how your keeping it for storage right now (learnt this the hard way with a Wolf 2 years back)

[jlirot]

2 years ago the price was approx $100/ft.

[stoneramhunter]

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[stosto]

Yes, I have it in the freezer, folded skin on skin.

[stoneramhunter]

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[stosto]

Thanks for all response so far, please keen them coming.

For information, the pros are quoting me $100-$125/foot, plus extra for skinning/fleshing. So my small bear would be $600-650, before tax.

[HarryToolips]

So the wolf that I harvested last season I froze the hide, rolled skin on skin, and when I took it out to tan it, the hair was falling off as I started to flesh it - totally ruined.. if I remember correctly, I was told by someone on this site to freeze it flat first, rather then rolling it.. can someone attest to this?

[stosto]

I'll let you know, as I am about to process it shortly. But the hide made into a freezer in less than 24 hrs following the kill, so I'm not worried.

[RackStar]

I'll let you know, as I am about to process it shortly. But the hide made into a freezer in less than 24 hrs following the kill, so I'm not worried.

I think what happened to Harry was the hide and fur did what it’s suppose to do, insulate and prolonged fully freezing to the point where fur slipped. Not duration from kill to putting it in the freezer

[snowhater]

Salt the hide after skinning roll inside out temporarally till you want to tan, freeze or set for a ONLY a few days if not freezing.. Make sure you kept the head and cut into it and remove all the brains. Then scape and flesh well, all the meat and fat with a dull blade. Once all that it removed, take the brains and turn into a paste and rub well onto and into the hide. let it set for a day or so then work the hide with a scaper to rid it of any left over flesh and brain material. After that is done, work the hide by working it back and forth on round object like you would drying your backside with a towel, till it is soft and plyable..