I have a small black bear hide that I want to rug mount but the tanned hide is old, I don't know how old but I know that it is more than four years old. My question is will this bear mount up or is there something that I should do befor I try? Thanks for any help, Marco
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Marco,
You're likely playing Russian roulette if the hide hasn't been frozen for all that time. Tans for mounting aren't "guaranteed" for over a year usually. Longer than that, the elements take their toll and you may have if "dissolve" during the rehydration process. Then again, it may not. You have a 50:50 chance.
Hey Marco...,
Try wetting a small section of it,maybe the rear leg.Saturate a towel with water and lay it on the rear leg. Cover this area with plastic so the water wont dry up too fast. Let it sit overnite and then see how it is. Pull on the hide lightly to see if it rips.I have found old hides go through a phase where they are rubbery when soaked then to a point where they start to break down and tare.If it starts to tare,just let the skin dry back out, no harm done. If it seems to still have some stretch and body to it the it "should" be ok to wet up and rug. Next time,Like George said, You may want to roll it up and freeze it. best of luck...AL