I'm wondering how long do i have before the hair starts to slip after i take a head out of the freezer to thaw. Obviously the nose and ears will thaw quick but it takes a lot of time for the meat of the head to thaw enough to be able to cape it out. What kind of time frame do i have before the hair starts to fall out? I don't want the hair to come off of the nose and ears before i can even start on the caping process.
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It depends on a few factors mainly ,temperature ,I for one don't thaw anything at room temp. I have an old refrigerator that I stick things in there and let them defrost in the cold, in S. Fla you have to be careful with that ,also if the customet wrapped the neck and shoulder skin over the face ,it will take longer to thaw the face area .
L.R., A lot of variables for sure. When I thaw heads out I put the ears down against the neck as soon as they thaw and wrap a towel around the ears and neck. This keeps the ears cold while the neck thaws. I wrap the face as well since you're not going to get a cape off until the neck does considerable thawing. If the deer was properly cooled when killed the risk is small that you will have problems of slippage if you protect those areas that thaw quickly. Enjoy, Aaron H.
i have never had a deer or any other frozen animal slip after letting it thaw, as long as its not in extreme hot temps the carcas will remain cool until you are ready to skin, i have had buffalo that took a week to thaw and still never had a problem, just watch the temp. and you shouldnt have problems, slipping accurs when bacteria attacks the skin, and without heat bacteria cant survive, if you have problems with slipping alot question your customers on how they are handling there game. good luck.