Somewhat Stiff Pheasant

Hi Everyone!

I am working on my first pheasant and it is coming along nicely. However, after I degreesed and boraxed and use Coleman fuel, the bird's hide is stiff in a couple places. It's not real bad, but it is especially noticable around the legs. Is that going to be a problem for me once I begin mounting? I am also worried that I missed some meat in the leg area (but not where the hide is stiff). I watched the video and if I work down any further, I am afraid I will cut through the skin. I stuffed the area full of Borax as best I could and now the bird is hanging. Should I wait to mount the bird for a few days and see if the bird becomes really stiff?

Note: I used a hand held wire brush for degreesing.

Thanks,

Dr. Mark Hale

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Sounds like its dried out.

Just dampen a rag and place inside the skin where it is dried out.
You can put water base NOXEMA FACIAL CREAM on the inside of the skin to keep it moist while working on it.

There are two kinds of Noxema, one is water based and the other is oil based. Do not use oil based.

Will it shrink later down the road?

Thanks!