i just got all my hides back from the tannery i use. it was my first year taking in work and i got 17 deerheads, i opened up the box and everything looks good except the ears. on every single hide, the ear hair has slipped on the back sides. is this something im doing wrong? or is it the tannery? i use sivko fur in new york. when i get deer heads theyre usually frozen, i let em sit on the bench over night and thaw out. then i skin, flesh, and salt. should i salt the ears as soon as i get them while the rest is thawing out? maybe thats where i goofed. are ears prone to slip? also a few of the briskets were a little slipped, could this be from rut activity? thanks.
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
It is bacteria buildup due to you not getting the deer skin dry as its salted.
I know everyone has their own methods and I'm not one to say any one way is best, but what has worked for me is I use Stop Rot on every cape. Even if I have to thaw them to apply it and put them back in the freezer. I know you are not suppose to do that but Stop Rot and the freezer have been my capes best friend. I think Glen Conley will tell you that 3 days in the freezer actually enhances the effect of Stop Rot.I soak the ears and rest of the face from hair side also .If I can't get around to turning the ears right away I just apply Stop Rot liberally to the outside of the ear and freeze.
Haven't had one slip yet.
ears can be a problem on mammals such as fox, coyote, bobcats etc. I personally have never had too much trouble and never on a deer. i always try not to freeze before caping and turning, but if it cant be avoided get your ears inside the hide or some place they will stay cold, naturally with no meat and thin skin they will thaw long before every thing else, leaving them prone to bacterial growth. are you using a ear turning tool? if not get one! the quicker you invert the ear the better! less handling and less heat from your hands transferring to that thin ear skin. stop slip or stop rot might help if your slow. sounds like tick damage at your brisket areas, could be a factor on your ears also. dont get real fusy turning your ears
1/4" from the edge is plenty, you can get the last bit after the tanning process. one more thing after salting, get your ear positioned that the fluids drain out. hey good luck!
You shouldn't be having slippage if you salted correctly and dried correctly because the ear skin is so thin it dries out quickly. Make sure after salting you really work the skin over the next day and flatten those ears and make sure they are not folded in on themselves. I always put a mound of salt under each ear, and flatten the other side out and rub the salt in well and keep replacing it until the salt is dry.
Where are you located? I have seen Texas capes like that, the hair missing is from tick and insect damage. Could be the case.
for the replies. im in ct, most of my deer are from ri though. i usually recieve deer frozen and they sit overnight. after i skin out the skull the ears are the first thing i do with ear splitters. i use a lot of salt, probably way more than enough to be safe. maybe its because they thaw out so quick. is stop rot a liquid? ive never used it.when i salt them, i leave the ears inside out and are usually covered in salt.
Do you remove all meat around the bases? Just a thought, if not then there could be spoilage. Make sure you clean off all meat around the bases so that all that remains is the clean cartilage.
I turn the ear inside out and fill the hair side with salt as well as salt the outside skin. After a day, shake out the salt so air can get in and dry the ear. I've never had a problem. Make sure you flesh them well..
I have never had any problems with any of the deer I've mounted where the ears slipped. I see slippage on a couple deer a year, but it is usually around the thick hair of the neck and brisket or around wound areas. I've used stop slip a few times in the past couple years and it does help. I didn't loose any capes this year dispite warm, wet weather the first week of deer season here in Michigan. In all cases, the slippage I've seen only occures when the customers let their deer hang or lay around in warm weather too long. I do not salt dry my capes. I salt them overnight so they toughen up, then flesh them, pickle them, nutralize them them, wash them and then tan them.
Ryan, Some good suggestions but here's what I think. When you thaw a deer head over night, the ears thaw quickly as they are thin and stick out. The rest of the cape stays cold longer while the ears start to spoil-it doesn't take long. Next day you skin and salt but the damage has been done. When I thaw game heads I wrap the ears tightly to the neck as soon as they will bend and leave wrapped up in a towel. This way they stay cold from the thawing neck meat. Remember that bacteria acts quickly on thin skin areas such as ears. If you want a little insurance you can pour on just a little denatured alcohol which knocks the bacteria out but still wrap those ears till the whole head is thawed. Enjoy, Aaron H.
but I use a different tannery. I've sent capes that were salted once and dried...no problem. My youngest son salted one for me a couple of years ago and I neglected to check it until the next day and he had actually missed salting some spots... it tanned up with no problem and mounted beautifully. I've sent in some questionable capes that I really thought might be slippers because of lack of field care and they came back in great shape with no problems.
I would contact the tannery and discuss the problem. There is NO WAY that every cape you sent has the same slippage problems from something you are doing. Then switch to Wilderness Fur Dressing...the one that was on the Discovery Channel taxidermy show. That's the one that works for me.
for all the replies, i hate to blame the tannery, but ill call today and see what they say. has anyone used sivko before and how do you feel about them? id say it takes me 2 hours from the time the head is thawed till the time i salt a cape after everything is split. is that way too long? im new at this by most standards, just graduated school in december of 03.
of dirt about Sivko Fur Dressing on this site. I read they recently recently turned over a new management/ownership? and are trying to redeem themselves. The reason I am pointing to the tannery is because you mention "ALL your capes" had this happen. Might be something in their process or the way they are handling them.
2 hours is a bit long after skinning for splitting and turning but you will get better over time. You could turn the ears first and get some salt on them while doing the rest of the cape. I think handling the ears would be more to blame for the problem (heat from your hands after they have already been sitting for that long) or perhaps the time they sit out at room temp while the rest of the cape thaws.
Anytime I have to skin a frozen head I begin as soon as it is workable. Make the incision on the back of head and if the meat is still frozen I pour salt in there to speed the thawing process. Once you get the ears cut loose from the head you can turn them and get salt on them while waiting for the rest of the head to thaw out. I will admit I don't like skinning frozen deer heads and it does take longer than a fresh head to skin. Plus with all the salt it makes it much more messy.