fleshing a black bear

I beam em.

 

https://fleshingmachines.com/tanning-secrets-101-taxidermists-sportsmen-2/

 

I turn the lips, nostrils, eyes and ears, remove the feet and tail, then pressure wash the crap out of them, which takes about 10-15 minutes on a 2-300 lb bear. Hang to drip for a while, then salt.

 

With a beam and a sharp draw knife I can flesh a bear easily in less than an hour. The draw knife has to be sharp for it to work for me.

 

Pressure washer 3500 psi and a turbo nozzle makes quick easy work out of it, 15 minutes and its a done deal. The toes on a bear took me a little while to figure out. I can still hear JL'S comment years ago "what's your hurry slow down" I use a vise and do each toe individually works like a charm and no holes to repair.

 

Foredom mini flesher after using an ulu

 

An ulu is a tool that I use often in the shop.

 

Isn't this getting a bit shameless???

 

Ha ha. I've fleshed three bears now. All three were very long and gruelling episodes. I'm pretty sure after the second one I said something about Never Doing It Again. Not that I mind gruelling- just that I'm sure there are more important things stacking up in life while I'm busting my ass and back over some bear skin rug project I don't particularly need.
Anyway- last month I shot the neighbourhood problem bear- on my front doorstep yet again. My gf talked me into keeping the fur- and it is a very big bear so a shame to waste it.
After the rough skinning which took us a night- we spent two long days fleshing it- went over the whole thing twice and in some places three and four times to get it very clean. We weren't in a hurry and were trying to do a very good job.
My memory of the other bears was that it took me at least a Long day, if not a couple days to skin and flesh them. The head and paws take time- the thing is large, fatty, and time consuming.
I don't have a pressure washer. Haven't tried my drawknife fleshing. I've skinned a zillion deer and plenty of other animals. Compared to some I guess still a beginner skinning and fleshing - but not totally incompetent either.
So this is just to say that -maybe for the average person- 8 hours isn't anything to be ashamed of (??) I'm looking forward to learning from the experts on this forum how to do it faster/better. keeping my eyes open for a pressure washer.

 

I have done several black bear, and I found that for me there are two ways to tackle them

1) put them on your fleshing beam and flesh it or,

2) I split the lips, eyes, and turn the ears and nose.... then I lay it out on my rug table and completely cover the skin side in salt. Once all the moisture is pulled out of the hide, I begin slicing the fat and flesh off while its dry. Once its fleshed enough to ship, I send it to the tannery and let them do the rest.

 

Knives on a beam, you can rub some salt as you go or put in freezer a bit, either will tighten up hide and make fat come off easier. I have a power washer but hoses are frozen as its cold outside so that's not an option .

 

The bears that I have done must be different than the bears elsewhere. I just lay it on a beam and with a razor sharp draw knife, just push draw knife down the hide. It leaves about a 14" or so swath about 8 to 10 inches wide and the depth is just to the hair roots without cutting through them. I can do this time and time again just as fast as I can push the knife. I have to keep it razor sharp with a steel to do it.

 

Fleshing wheel, 2 hrs after most fat and meat removed on beam

 

I use the round knife of a fleshing machine. Bears taken west of the Mississippi take me no more than 20 minutes. East of the Mississippe can take me up to 2 hours and the "guides" will leave 50 pounds of fat and flesh on a hide when I get it.