Anyone keep the hide?

[Lark Bunting]

I would love to tan a hide if one of us get an elk this year. Anyone do this? If so, how would you go about skinning the animal to preserve the hide while doing the gutless method? Most gutless videos show them cutting down the back. I suppose you just cut down the belly? How much does an elk hide weight?

Sorry for the laundry list of questions.

 

[timberland]

I was taught by a Native North American in Quebec to skin a caribou up from the belly to the backbone and then remove the quarters then rolling the carcass onto its own hide and skinning up the other side. Detach the hide from the head last. this keeps the meat and carcass off the ground.

 

[Swede]

I have never had a hide tanned for myself. I don\'t know how much they weigh, but a head and hide should make a good pack load, at least for me. I have never skinned an animal starting at the back. That is always where I end up. I have thought about doing it starting with the back, but probably would not save the hide.

 

[Deertick]

I\'ve thought about doing that this year. I\'ve got quite a bit of taxidermy, but I\'m not really a \"taxidermy\" guy in terms of decorating ... but a rug would be nice.

 

[WW]

Before you even think about it, you might want to check with a taxidermist to see what it would cost to do a hide. Then if you still want to do it, make you incision up the belly being careful not to cut into the cavity. Skin it on up one side to the backbone and proceed with the gutless method on that side. Then roll it over and do the same on the other side.

 

[cnelk]

I have done a whole elk hide but I have gotten a piece of elk hide tanned for my son\'s fisrt elk.
It is the size of a small rug,

I use Moyle Mink & Tannery for my tanning needs.

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They are very reasonable

 

[bnsafe]

i cant imagine carrying out all that wt. would look nice im sure, but alot of extra work an money

 

[Wake26]

We shot a bull at one of my cousins ranch that we kept the hide ( we were able to drive the truck to it). My mom had it tanned and we stretched it between 4 rustic logs and put it on the wall behind the bar. I think it looks great. If I shoot an elk and if it is not to bad of a hike I will do another one for my game room.

 

[skullclnr]

Yeah I second Moyle Mink. I did one last year from a bull I shot, don\'t pay a taxi if you have a hour and a little space at home. Take the hide home scrape and cut all the meat and visible fat off of it, as much as you can, then get a bag of feed salt from the local feed store ($3). Pour it on and rub it all over the flesh side, make sure every inch gets rubbed with some of the salt. Then put the hide on something that you can tilt at an angle, a sheet of plywood with a cinder block on one end is great, the salt will make the thing drip and put out water so do it in the garage. After a day come back and shake off the old salt and redo this and let it sit until it starts getting firm maybe slide some 2x4\'s under to get some air underneath and I put a fan on it if its cold or humid. When it gets firm start bending it into a manageable ball, do this as it dries so it doesn\'t dry as a sheet, shipping will be a little more left like that . The main thing is to get salt on all of the FLESH side, don\'t worry about the hair side, and then get it dry, the salt pulls the water out and starts to preserve it. Once completely dry ship off to moyle mink and ask for the fur dresser tan, not the taxidermy tan, this is the one they use for wall hangers. They will shave it, brush it and I think I payed $150 all in to have the hide done and it is the exact same process your taxidermist will charge you $300+ to complete with a little better work on the fleshing is all.