i got all my deer hides back from the tannery about a month ago. ive since mounted a half dozen. a couple of them seemed to have loose hair, even after drying. when i run my hand down the mount hair comes out. what could have caused this? the deer was skinned, fleshed, and salted the day after it was killed. it hung over night in below freezing temps. is this normal?
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
the archives, a popular question. maybe i should try a new tannery?
Ryan, Sounds like you prepared the cape properly provided that they did not warm up for too long during the prep. Sometimes a cape will lose hair from too long in the back of an SUV after the hunter killed it. If you get a deer, load it up along with your hunting gear and then stop off for lunch in town for a while- maybe drive it by a buddy's house to show it and all the while the heat from the floor board is warming the deer, well you get the idea. Maybe some spoilage began befor hanging in the cold. If it's a real thick haired deer the skin doesn't cool much over night as body heat cannot escape easily. It's hard to pin down exactly where the problem might be. For the most part, once salted and dried most tanneries would not have a problem getting good results. Having said this, I had one horrible experience with a commercial tannery years ago that convinces me that anything could happen.--Aaron H.