Tanning Squirrels and Rabbits

[cowboy-up69]

Whats all of your guys' best way to tan the hides of squirrels and rabbits? I wanna shoot a rabbit and tan it and put it in my house as a decoration or sumthin, by my buck rack.. Is it an easy job or hard or what? Is it somthin worth doin?
Also any one got any pics of hides they've tanned ? Put them up and lets see em!
Let me know
Cliff

[Iron-Head]

I actually never tanned a squirrel or rabbit hide, but i have shot lots of squirrels and have given most of the skins away. i Found that the easiest way to keep a squirrel hide was just to take a flat piece of board and nail it down streching it as you go after that take some course salt and salt the hell out of it,once it is thouroughly salted iether stick it out side on a sunny day or under a high wattage light bulb and let it sit for a cuple of days after that it wil be very hard just take it and scrape it on the back edge of a knife and it will start to break the membrain that makes it so hard. After it is broken it will have like a leathery feel to it and i have had a couple for about 4 years now and they dont seem to expire in any way.
p.s. just dont let them get wet or else you wil have to salt them again.
Hope this works for you,Symon.

[cowboy-up69]

Alrighty, that sounds good...I kinda had that idea in my heead, but jus wasnt sure if it was a good idea....Anyone got any other ideas??? Also, how do you guys' like to cook the squirrels/rabbits up after ??
Cliff

[Iron-Head]

Any spices you want with some butter,wrap it in tin foil and bake it or you can pan fry em,with rabbits i like to debone em and then you have very nice meat to do whatever with.

[Steeleco]

Not quite what your after but close. My son as an affinity for the tails of some animals we've got while he's been tagging along, I open the tails and clean them out, a tiny bit of salt and I put them in my dehydrator for about a week, They're stiff as board but they never stink or have the hairs fall out later. Good thing we don't hunt Kangaroo!!!!!!!!!1

[moose hunter]

just trhow em in the oven with ur potatoes cliffy lol i dont do that stuff i mena all that troublef or a lil tree rat

[Jager]

I've heard of guys using a mix of salt and alum (I don't know where to get the alum). Dissolve the stuff in a bucket of water and soak the hide for a few days. Remove the hide, dry it, and work it until it becomes supple. Then rub in some neats foot oil. --- Try a search on google for tanning hides.

[CHilko21]

My boyfriend's dad does something with Martins? I think, some furry critter that he traps, lol. He skins them starting at the rear and kind of peels the hide off and then he stretches them inside out for a few days, and then right side out....I'd have to ask him for the specifics, but they don't stink when they're done, and they keep really well....I tried salting a muley hide once, still have to scrape the bugger....it's a lot of work.....brain tanning a squirrel or rabbit would be interesting...don't know how that one would work. Amanda

[Steeleco]

I heard it said where "god gave each animal enough brains to tan it's own hide!"

[RiverOtter]

I may be able to help a little, as I'm a trapper. If you want your hide dried flat like a rug, you skin it and remove all the fat with a tablespoon(cheapest tool that will work). Don't worry about the thin meaty membrane next to the leather, it don't make a difference(fine sawdust will help soak up the grease, but squirrel and rabbit don't have much, so it may not be necessary). Buy a box of Mule Team 20 (Borax) and rub it into the leather and then tack the hide out on a piece of plywood with thumbtacks or nails(1/2" spacing). Put the hide in a dry place like your basement and let it dry for a few days. Brush off the excess Borax and your done. As long as the pelt does not get wet again, it will keep indefinately.

On a rabbit you will have to split the ears so they don't spoil, but a squirrel doesn't matter. Splitting ears is not hard, but not easy to explain with a keyboard.

RO