I have been salting down my bears, twice as we are supposed to before sending them to a tannery. But my bears don't seem to get very stiff at all. Why is this and will it hurt me in the long run? I have been tanning some of my deer, it has gotten pretty simple. Can I tan my own bear or are they best left to the tanneries?
Todd, after the second salting I hang my bear in front of a fan, this dries them nicely after a week or so, if you tan your own be sure not to skip the degreasing process!