I just got a wolf in and it was stinky and almost thawed out.Will it be all right? I am sending it out to a tannery. Also is there anything i should watch out for when turning it out and fleshing. Thanks Tom H. t.hall@sno.net
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Wolves, like coyotes can be some stinky critters to begin with. Does it smell like a rotten smell, or a musky,rancid fat sort of smell? If it smells rotten or particularly sour, it may be bad, BUT it may turn out fine. Test the fur on the belly and backs of ears. Does it feel tight? I got ( finally) a whole black coyote this last spring that had been frozen, but was 2/3 thawed when i got it. When i skinned it, the belly was greenish and the skin stunk,BUT the fur was very tight. I worked quick on it and got it in the salt, and dried it quick after resalting the next day by running a fan over it for 24 hours. I got it back from the tanner a few weeks ago and not a slip on it. Oh that musky sort of smell is normal, thats what they smell like ( and yes I did once handle a raw thawed wolf skin- for a customer).
Let him dry all the way out and fast as pssible when ya salt him.
Keep him out of the humidity....check the fur right in front of the ears too..
good luck---I start mounting my first wolf in the morning....can`t wait
It's not a musty smell. It just smells bad, any way i put it back in the freezer for now.The fur is kind of mangie so i;m going to do a shoulder mount . I will try what you 's said, and dry it fast Thank you
I think coyotes are green when they are still alive. I've skinned them out an hour after they were killed and they smelled like they were week old roadkills.
You eat roadkill, ya smell like it LOL!
( they also role in all manner of discusting things- like dogs do, but there is no one waiting to give them a bath afterwards)