this is my first try,put cape in fridge in plastic bag till i found out what to do.
any info appreciated,and i'm sure i'll have more ? later!
Thanks frank
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Once you get them half way with the scalpel blade, turn the ear right side out. Then, you can take the scalpel handle (remove the blade) and use it to push the skin ope to the edges. Also, with the skin inverted, you can insert a dowel from the hari side and use it for leverage. If you are pickling and tanning, you do not have to go all the way to the edge to begin with. Once the skin is tanned, it will toughen up and you can finish turning right before you mount. Hope this helps!
How did they turn ears in the old days before someone invented ear splitters ?
Thank You , Fugax
We just got sore fingers. Once you got your thumbs up inside, you inverted what you had and pushed the excess to the outside as it peeled itself open. Used to work pretty well as I recall.
Frank, you know?...i have an ear splitter- I use it on elk and other big eared critters but not on whitetails. Deer ears open very easily once you get about a third of the way down. Just take your time and use a scaupel or small blade, once you get about a third of the way open the ear with your fingers. Scar tissue in the ears caused by tick injury or old tears will cause the job to take longer but using ear openers on damaged ears often results in new damage. Enjoy, Aaron H.
Once in a hunting camp in Montana, I used the camp cook's wooden
spoon. It worked fine,just push it in and twist.
I cant believe you guys use a scalpel on ears . All I ever do is use a butter knife . Start at the thicker side and wiggle it until it goes in and then just keep going . You dont have to worry too much about cutting it with a butter knife . When I first started doing this 37 years ago , I got one of those splitters , it went right into the garbage can . A waste of time . Rick
I'm still not sure how you cut those tendons inside the ear base with a butter knife, but a GOOD pair of splitters work exceptionally well on all animals when used properly. Here beginneth the lesson. Most of you hold the splitters wrong to begin with. They should be inserted FLAT and not vertically and they should OPEN the ear and not pry it. Most commercial splitters offer too little leverage, and though I've tried to give my design to several suppliers, no one seems interested. Buy your commercial splitters and then cut off about 3 inches of the tip. Sand them narrow and flatter and then see just how much control you can maintain on the pressure applied. You'll be amazed at how easily they work. Then you can leave the butter knife in the kitchen where it belongs.
First of all ,the butter knives I use have one side with a serrated edge . It helps a little when you have to use a saw action on the tough parts . After I get the main cartilage out , I use a pair of wire cutting pliers , the ones with a V shape and grab the ear butt cartilage and kind of peel it off . It works for me and thats all that counts . We each have our own tricks of the trade , dont we ? Rick
An easy way is to start skinning the ear back with a knife, then take something dull like a wooden dowel and push the dowel against the inside of the ear while bending the ear over the dowel and skinning it back. I always use turners, but I think I will try the butter knife trick. Seems like it would work good, never thought of it though.