I recently got a black bear in. It was very greasy and had a strong odor but no slippage. I fleshed and salted it but probably did not get enough fat off of it. It was commercially wet tanned, when I received it it had a few small brown spots on the hide and still had an odor to it. How do I get all the grease out of it and remove the smell before I mount it. Thanks
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If it was commerical tanned and had what you say, I'd get a new tannery. It should have a tanned smell (leather), which will disapate in time, and may have some oil residue on it, not grease, which should wash off with a quick bath. The tannery should shave the flesh side anyway so some fat left on should not matter. What type of smell does it have? Bears are very greasy and with plenty of fat, and as long as the hair did not slip the cape was ok.
If it happened to be a bear that was feeding on salmon runs,that smell can hang in the hide long after it has been tanned-and is nobody's fault.This is a problem more common with Brown Bears and Grizzlies that feed on the salmon runs in the summer-early Fall,but it can occur in Black Bears to if they live in that kind of area.Your customer can tell you if that is the case.