Submitted by Jeff on 11/24/99. ( jcole14618@aol.com ) 152.163.188.35
I Fairly new to taxidermy and working on doing my first full cougar mount. My question is after fleshing, turning lips, ears, etc., and salting the hide, how long should I leave the hide out to air dry? Also is it necessary to freeze the cape after drying if I'm not going to tan right away?
Thanks for the help
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This response submitted by Bruce Rittel on 11/24/99. ( rittel@ici.net ) 207.180.0.8
Leave it out to dry as long as it takes to become hard and dry! This could take 4-7 days depending on the humidity in your shop. After its dry - you can simply hang it somewhere in your shop until you are ready to tan it. Since I have low cielings, I put mine in a cardboard box and stack it until I'm ready. The cardboard absorbs any moisture and they stay nice and dry. Freezing them after they are dried is a waste of good freezer space! I dont recommend it at all! The salt will keep them preserved temporarily.
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