Had a guy bring in a Kodiak bear he shot last fall. Told me it was a 10 footer. 9'9 nose to tail - 10'1 paw to paw. It was sent to me From Alaska split, turned, and salted. I sent it off to my tannery and got it back last week. I measured it dry and got 98 inches nose to tail. Rehydrated, stretched and squared the best I can get is 105 in. and thats stretching. Thats a foot under what he says his bear was and of course he claims the tannery screwed up or It isn't his bear. I've already confirmed that it is his bear. Sorry so long...My question is about shrinkage from the tannery. Could I have lost that much size or is the original story a fish tale?
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When I get one of these guys, I stand in the middle and do chin ups with the outside edges. You're working with a damned TENT of hide and getting it stretched out is going to be backbreaking tough. Some guys use a hand hide breaking tool to work even smaller areas of the hide.
I've covered in the archives as well the point about multiple sewings on the legs. They seldom stretch far enough, but if you keep the hide wet and wrapped in plastic wrap, you can sew it close with big stitches and come back a day later and sew inbetween those stitches and draw the hide together. These bears can fluctuate in weight up to 300 pounds in a year from hibernation to their coming out in spring. That means that hide really stretches naturally and it still will, but you have to be agressive with it and MAKE it do what you want.
are traditionally one foot wider claw tip to claw tip than they are from the nose to the tip of the tail, raw, before being measured for a squared measurement. Once salt is applied to the hide it starts its shrinking process. I took a big brownie, years ago, of course, and after two days of salting I argued that it was not my bear hide. If it was not sealed and had my tag on it...and was such an unusual color I would not, and still would not believe that this bear was mine. It did shrink one foot overall.
Having worked in the guiding industry, Alaska, skins are traditonally layed out naturally....then pulled long, to remove any slack in the skin or contours of the surface the skin is lain on, to obtain the nose to tail measurement...then again pulled to obtain the width measurement, again pulling out wrinkles and allowing for the curvature of the ground surface.
If you work with the skin, pull and stretch..you can obtain most of it back. A good idea would be to lay the skin on a clean smooth concrete floor, hair down, and stand in the spine area. Kick the skin, with your running shoes on of course, to the outer edges...stretching the hide as you kick the skin. You will be truly amazed as to what lost size you will regain.
Work all parts of the skin...the arms, legs, neck and body.
Hope this helps.
I'll keep stretching
A green hide measures much bigger than the carcass.The tanned hide will never reach the measurements of the green hide,but it will go back to the size of the carcass.Why do you think they never measure the carcass,only the green skin?Because on a big bear the skin measures a foot and a half more,that's why.It is physically impossible to mount on a form that matches the green skin measurements.The ignorance of bear hunters on this issue is a source of never ending problems for the taxidermist.You and your customer need to realize that a 105" bear is a huge brown bear.If you don't believe me,check the largest form sizes available.There may be 2 that will fit this bear and none bigger.I killed a 54" black-squared 60",one 60"-squared 66",one 64"-squared 72".As the bear gets bigger,the difference between body size and squared green skin increases.You need to understand this principle or you are in for a lifetime of customers driving you crazy because of their own ignorance and ego.The tannery did nothing wrong and that's a huge bear.
Thanks Jim.. I just got back from Alaska. While there I stopped into a tannery and talked to some guys that have dealt with alot of Browns. They said the same ting that you are saying. It's pretty hard to convey that to a customer and have him understand though. Thanks again guys for the advice.
I know what you are saying,it's like talking to a brick wall.You still have to try to make them understand to the point that they don't have you doing backfips over a problem that doesn't exist.Bear hunters are the worst!It's good that you talked to those guys-they know bears.