Bear hide question

[338 winmag]

Is there anyway to soften up a bear hide after it has been tanned, so it will lay flat on a wall ? Would this be a reflection of a poor tannery ?

[huntersam]

all the bear hides i have had from the tannery have been real soft, i would look into a different tannery next time. the natives used to use brain to make it softer.

[338 winmag]

Which tannery are you using ?

[huntersam]

harley white taxidermy on westbank other side of okanagan lake

[nomad]

soak it in some water untill it gets nice and soft and stretchy, then have a frame ready to stretch it out on and secure it there. Let it dry and set for a long long time. If you just want it on a wall it won't really matter if it's soft anyways. softening of the bear hide comes from beating, pulling, chewing, or in the case of tanneries they tumble them in a very large machine to 'break' the hide. If you make a nice frame for it you could even just leave it on the frame to hang it on you wall.

[338 winmag]

harley white taxidermy on westbank other side of okanagan lake

I dont believe Harley tans his own hides ? He most likely sends them out somewhere.

[huntersam]

oh yeah sorry he's the taxidermy we take them to then he sends them off to a tanery. not sure what the tanery is called.
but also i tried tanning one myself this year from last fall and it came out kinda hard. and like nomad said, washed it and stretched it and beat it as much as possible while wet, lots of energy and work but it softens it up eventually. had to wash it several times untill i was happy with the outcome.