What is the proper method of field care for a moose cape while on a hunt for 10 days ( assuming I get something ) Thanks.
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But moose are a true pain - literal, physical, and practical. A small moose is a big moose and caping one out is like replacing your carpet without moving the furniture out of the room.
Are you doing a cape, lifesize, or just a full body hide? On all of them, remove ALL chunks of red meat. If you are caping it out, you MUST turn the ears, split the lips and thin the eyes. Plan on spending a day with that damnedable horse nose in getting it all turned out. Then and only THEN do you salt the hide heavily. Drape it over a lodgepole or something to allow the fluids to drain. Resalt the next day and rehang. That should get you in the ball park of protecting it for the trip home. If you or your guides aren't taxidermist, freeze it if possible, but salting an unfleshed cape can spell disaster.
George. I have not worked with a moose yet. I will cape it out and thin as much as possible. How Much salt do you think it will take to do the cape x2 ? Any suggestions will appreciated>
Kacee
If you're using table salt, I'd say that each cape would probably take 4 pounds PER SALTING and you'll probably have to salt twice. That's 16 pounds of salt. Once you get it fleshed and laid out, sprinkle the salt over the cape. Be generous with it but don't mound it up. Then rub it into the hide to insure full coverage. Hang it in a way to drain overnight and then resalt the next day. Two saltings usually fills the bill, but they will still be very HEAVY.