a few stupid questions ..

[extreme angler]

 My Teacher ( cousin) has hit the wall. I can't get him off his @zz to do any work what so ever. I tired of trying and am ready to jump in on my own ,without his help . I have only done 1 deer solo,but I have helped him on a few mounts and know a little..I probably know more than I think ,but almost a yr has passed since we last did anything and I forgot alot of things.. I have a Bear in my freezer that I want to get to the tannery before my freezer goes out or some other misfortune happens..

question 1.. Eyes and lips are turned after tanning Correct ??

       2.. All I need to do is remove skull , feet ,turn ears and salt . right ?

      3.. after salting is complete ,how do you package the hide for shipping ??  I believe he used to put hides in a burlap bag and ship at the post office.. Is that the best way to do it ??

      4. being from Pa who is the closest ,competent , Tannery ??  please pm me that info if you prefer.

      5 . how does that process normally work ? do I pay at the time shipped ? or will I be billed after completion ?

   and lastly . any estimates on what a 175lb black bear cost to tan ??

I know these question are probably stupid , But getting started is a little intimidating..I don't want to destroy my bear. I may never get another in PA.

thanks for your help.

[PLTannery]

#1 &2 -Lips and eyes need split before salting.

#3 Well taped cardboard box.

#4...

#5- Depends on tannery... Most require payment before the finished hide is returned... Some require a deposit when the hide is shipped.

#6- At my prices a 175# would be roughly $160-$200 to dry tan.

[Lisa M]

1. Rough turn before sending to tannery.
2. No, rough turn, then flesh (you didn't say it, I'm sure you knew it, but you didn't say it.)
3. DO NOT put them in plastic.  Yes, a burlap bag would work, or you can just be sure to seal the box completely.  I think there's a tutorial on this some where.
4. Don't know.  I like Shelby/PLTannery.  She did great on that bear I sent her.
5. I pay 1/2 up front, 1/2 upon completion.

Good luck EA.  


Edit:  LOL that Shelby was here telling you what to do while I was talking about her!  Very cool!

[George Roof]

EA, East Coast is outside Philly, but you're over in the west I'm guessing.  Wildlife Gallery is there, but I'm in Delaware and I send all my stuff to Carolina.  Just like the way they do my hides.  I have dealt with Joe and Eric at East Coast and they're up front guys who do a superb wet tan.  You won't go wrong with them either.

[extreme angler]

Thanks for the Reply's. I am going to pull it out of the freezer this coming week and get started.

[Redwolf]

Good for you EA. I'm glad your not letting his laziness, or lack of motivation  stop you.
Good luck.

[George Roof]

Bob, you haven't bee around long enough to tell "burnout" from "laziness" or "lack of motivation".  Cut and paste your remarks on your desktop and then look at it in 10 or 15 years and see if you're not talking about yourself.

[Redwolf]

Bob, you haven't bee around long enough to tell "burnout" from "laziness" or "lack of motivation".  Cut and paste your remarks on your desktop and then look at it in 10 or 15 years and see if you're not talking about yourself.

It was meant to be a smart ass remark, and I'm sure EA will know that

[extreme angler]

It was meant to be a smart ass remark, and I'm sure EA will know that

I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down RW. 

 My instructor did get burnt out ,Frazzled to a crisp. It's a shame, He had recently built a nice new shop and showroom. All was good for awhile. Then ,as I'm sure you guys know, you can become overwhelmed. busting your butt to get out mounts for  customers who have been calling for weeks ,then disappear when the bills comes due.He has a number of abandoned trophy's . Slowly the joy left and he started to avoid his shop.

I hope to not fall into that sinkhole. I only wish to mount my own trophy's ,at least for quite awhile. Sadly, He has gotten to the point he doesn't even care to mount his own. Hopefully ,he will get back at it but I can't wait any longer. Sooooo, I'll be the proud owner of a few freaky looking specimens til I get the hang of it. 

[elkhunter1313]

You might try Lonestar...he has always done good by me...but he is very selctive in who he deals with nowadays

[michael p.]

You might try Lonestar...he has always done good by me...but he is very selctive in who he deals with nowadays

That's a 2 way street

[Russ of V.O.W.T]

You might try Lonestar...he has always done good by me...but he is very selctive in who he deals with nowadays

are you getting a kickback from Patton LOL, your pushing him in about 4 or 5 different posts the last day or two, and while i personally have never sent anything to him, i have seen ALOT of people come on here and voice their opinion just to get a call back .  Like Michaelp said, that may be an option for some, but others have tried it and it didnt work for them.  I have had excellent luck with Carolina Fur dressers, and would recommend them to anyone at anytime.

[elkhunter1313]

Well like i said David has always done good by me...he knows he gets alot of $hit-talk on here for his back orders/wait times but i have yet to have a bad experience with him....i would think more often than not some of the guys (NOT ALL...JUST SOME)....are impatient and want their skins yesterday to have been done the day before when they have yet to send them out til tommorow.

[Russ of V.O.W.T]

elk, how many peices do you send out in a year ?  i may send out 100 to 125, and i have to know when i send them that i am getting back in a timely manner what i sent off, now those "i" spoke of who may have had problems, i know to be of good and trusting ways, and that is what i based my decision off of, if your just sending out one or two peices over a 6 month period for yourself, and have no real deadline to keep, maybe it would be okay, but when you tell a customer 6 to 9 months, you have to get it back before the 8th month to make this work.

[elkhunter1313]

Russ i  do understand that but you gotta figure david or anyone else who runs a small to medium tannery can't be expected to take on EVERYONE"S workload....which is basically what happened, i believe he was trying to please too many people at once and got caught up in a $hitstorm over it....I understand both sides of the fence here....