Moose hide

[Mad Professor]

Well a good friend took a moose a few years ago skined and salted the hide and put it in the freezer (not sure about the skinning and salting job).

He let it sit for a few years, until he made an Alaska trip and came home with lots of halibut. No more room for the moose hide.

I got gifted the moose hide, if I want it? What are chances it's still usable and how to use it? My freezer will be too full soon with summer/fall harvest.

Ideas or suggestions? Don't have time now to thaw/scrape/tan. Should I pass it up, or someone might be able to use it?

 

[Katahdin]

Check on a local tannery and see what it would cost to have it tanned.Then make up your mind.

 

[crockett]

Well, if it was frozen it should be okay. Before taking it out of the freeze call: http://www.moytown.com/
and ask them what to do. They did a coyote for me for around $15 (just the hide tanned- no mount) and I was very happy with the results.

 

[Mad Professor]

Will give them a call.

The site says no frozen hides, only dried/salted?

 

[Mad Professor]

Nothing local here. Just Taxidermy places that will ship out hides.

Where in maine are You? Have a friend that travels to Bangor area if there is a tannery near let me know

 

[Black Hand]

Salting then freezing seems to be a little redundant - each alone is enough to preserve a hide. I usually just allow my hides to dry flesh-side up without salting, though if a hair-on hide is desired, the salt does appear to "set" the hair. That said, these are deer hides that will eventually have the hair removed.

You should be able to remove the hide from the freezer and allow it to thaw then dry. Just make sure you add more salt once it has thawed. Essentially drying and salting achieve similar results - removing moisture from the hide. Without moisture, bacteria & fungi can't grow. Salt will kill/prevent growth of bacteria & fungi by creating an unfavorable environment.

 

[Mad Professor]

Thanks!

 

[Black Hand]

Be generous with the salt.

Also, check with whomever will be tanning the hide - they may have a preference for the type of salt used (I believe most/all avoid the standard iodized kitchen salt).

 

[nwtradegun]

SEBRING CUSTOM TANNING SEBRING, FL. DID A BUFFALO HIDE FOR ME. COST 180 THAT WAS WITH THE HAIR http://www.sebringcustomtanning.com/ON.

 

[Mad Professor]

I do all my own vegetables, canning/pickling so have lots of pure canning salt no iodine or anti-caking crap

 

[Mad Professor]

Link did not seem to work?

Thanks anyways

 

[crockett]

If you are a hunter and shoot an animal you don't have time to stretch and dry the skin so you rub in salt. I scrap off wet salt and keep going until I've gotten as much moisture out as possible, then I roll up the cape/hide and it seems to keep okay until it gets dropped off at a taxidermist- say a couple of days.
If you are a fur trapper, the industry (people who buy your furs) don't want salted hides. The fur trapper therefore stretches the hide on a board to dry and sells the fur dry- rawhide with fur.
If you live in the deep south where hides can have mange, ticks, lice, fleas, etc. etc. It is common for a taxidermist to freeze the whole critter if it is medium or small in size- to kill all the parasites, and then thaw and skin.
So... there are a lot of nuances. Probably best to make a few telephone calls and find out how the person you intend to deal with wants the hide.
Any hide with fur, in warm weather you have a very limited time frame. If the animal is only dead a few hours- that may be enough for the fur to slip- it just sheds off the skin in clumps.

 

[Black Hand]

We must remember to make a distinction between hides and furs.
The first would include deer, elk, bison, cow, moose, etc. where the hair is usually (but not always) removed and the remainder made into leather. The second includes beaver, muskrat, coyote, mink, otter, etc. where the fur itself is used.

 

[nhmoose]

Link did not seem to work?

Thanks anyways

http://www.sebringcustomtanning.com/

 

[nit wit]

I went to Sebring custom tanning's web site. You can't beat those prices!
Nit Wit

 

[Mad Professor]

Thanks. Link works and their prices very reasonable

 

[Al-z]

If you have time and a place where to do it wash the hide very well and then braintan it! You'll get a quality you can't find on commercial tanned hides.

 

[Billnpatti]

Go ahead and take it. Let it thaw and scrape off the salt that is on it. Then put a generous layer of table salt mixed with about an equal amount of alum. Roll it up and let it sit for a couple days and then remove the salt and alum and replace it with another layer of fresh salt and alum. Roll up and ship it to a tannery. The salt and alum will draw out moisture and become damp. That is why you need to change it. Do not use coarse salt like ice cream salt. The large crystals will leave spots on the hide that will show up on the finished tanned leather.

I have no idea what it will cost to have a moose hide tanned. They charge by the square foot. But the resultant leather will be pretty valuable stuff and worth having it tanned.

I wouldn't try tanning it yourself. I tried tanning a deer hide and it is a lot of work. Let the professionals do it. It's worth whatever they charge to get leather that you can use for whatever you want.

 

[omarick1948]

You are getting a lot of comments here on how to handle the situation, but the best thing I think is to call a professional tanning company!

 

[Billnpatti]

Yep, PROFESSIONAL is the key word. :thumbsup: