Powerwash Deer Capes

been using a pressure washer for 10 plus years with no issues, flesh salt and send to tanner

 

Not at all. may in fact be better. You get the bloody bacteria filled crap off the skin faster. With the right fleshing beam and spring hand clamps. you can do almost all of the cape. I did two bear, lifesize two elk capes, and 14 white tail capes in about 4 hours.... I turned the lips on the capes with the 15 degree tip and roto turbo tip for the rest.

 

Flesh all my capes and hides with a power washer. I turn lips, nostrils, etc by hand and flesh the face on the round blade. Let them drip dry for about 30-40 minutes and then salt. My salting table right now is an old 2X4 slat porch tilted at a slight angle. Moisture drips out the bottom and allows air to circulate under the cape as well. Nothing better than power washing a bear or a beef hide!

 

Get a long apron that’s vinyl coated, a face shield and don’t do it near anything such as your garage or vehicle because crap will be sent flying everywhere. I can’t do it because one of my labs will eat rocks if it has anything edible on it and that becomes expensive.
Question for those who do it? Do you have an are to contain all the fat and flesh to dispose of? During the summer that stuff gets rancid and really smells if left out.

 

I live in the stix. Nothing is left the next morning. Buzzards first, then at night every creature in the woods cleans it up.

 

What psi pressure washer do you guys use to flesh/turn capes with?

 

i use 3000 psi

 

I have an adjustable pressure washer from 1000 PSI to 3200 PSI. Actually, the adjustment is on the wand. Makes it a bit safer for the delicate areas and thin skins. It does make a mess but by the next day there is nothing left. Between buzzards, coons and whatever else lurks in my woods they clean it all up. Take the advice and use a face shield. The first time I used it I was doing a bear. Somehow that fat blew back into my face. It was nasty!

 

After powerwashing we roll the hides up in old towels. Let's sit for 10 mins then salt and hang. We use kiddie pools from the dollar store to salt in. Easy clean up and helps keep the salt off the floor.

Like Joey, we live out.....the powerwasher cranks and the dogs come running. What they don't clean, something else does cause there's never anything left the next morning.

 

My shop is in town, still nothing left the next day. All though one morning the police chief did ask if I poisoned the dogs in town. Since everyone turned their mutts out that evening and the dogs gorged on the pounds of deer and bear, then went home and threw up their fill.

 

If you have any free ranging chickens they will take care of it., or the neighbors bulldog. I'm in the sticks as well and I usually try and pick up the largest scraps and put in a bucket and haul off to the woods. Keep the coyotes fat. You can go back and its gone the next morning. Buzzards never have a chance around here except for bigger animals and armadillos or similar. But scraps disappear quickly in the night.