When thawing a whitetail cape in the fridge would it or not be a good idea to soak it in cold water to speed up the thawing process? I checked the search but could not find an answer. It was originally placed in the freezer wrapped in a wet towel and in a plastic bag. It is now in the fridge thawing. Thanks for any help anyone is willing to share.
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And NONE OF THEM ARE GOOD. Stay away from water thawing. That's a good way to give bacteria a head start and have the hide slip.
I was just wondering why you put it in the fridge. I flesh around
800-900 deer a year for the last 10 years and ive learned that a slow thaw in the fridge is harder on the cape than overnight in
the basement. I dont know your routine but when you want to work
on one set yourself up a schedule and try to stick to it. GOOD
LUCK.
I was told to take a frozen deer cape and put it in a bucket of salt water to help it thaw.Put around one cup of salt for every gallon of water.Seems to work fine for me with no problems.LOL Jesse
Use cold water with the salt process not hot or even warm water,cold only,couple days it should be thawed out. J
A, I never would advise to thaw any frozen deer hide in water. Salt may be insurance but water is just not needed to thaw anything except fish-maybe. The real concern in thawing the deer is to protect the ears and face from getting warm before the rest of the cape can be removed. I wrap a towel around the ears pressing them against the neck so they stay cold as thawing takes place. If your work area is very warm such as in summer the refrigerator is a good place to keep everything cool but for most shops this time of year there is a cool floor which works quite well. Enjoy, Aaron H.
But you're on borrowed time. You should've typed "yet" at the end of the sentence. First off, a cup of salt is not going to dissolve in cold water. Some bacteria actually LIVE in salt water, so you're just inviting trouble. In two days you speak of, I'd have tanned one hide and be working on the second or third one. Aaron gave a superb answer and suggestion on the ears and face. That's the only safe way I know.