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| To the common eye, this may not show signs of a disaster, but you would be wrong. |
In this tutorial I will be addressing
the on going problem with skins coming from Africa. Regardless of
the country in Africa, hair slippage and skin rot has always been an
issue but never has been addressed. I hope to be able to shed
light on the salting and curing procedure that is so important to a
finish trophy. Culture plays another part of poor skin handling in
the field. I will explain how different cultures look at the
wildlife in their own country and how that contributes to mishandling
of skins.
Field care and handling techniques
determine the quality of skins once tanned. These skins that have
been presented to my facility demonstrate how important proper
salting and skinning directly affect the finished trophy. This is
the salting method I have found to be best for handling of trophies
world wide.
First Day; Step One:
After the trophy has been skinned and
all flesh has been removed, a thin layer of salt is laid down on the
floor where skins are to be salted. The skin is salted, being sure
that all edges and hidden areas are covered completely in a layer of
salt. At this time the skin will begin to discharge moisture at a
very fast rate. It does not take long before the salt on the skin is
loaded and can not hold any extra moisture. This is fine for the
first 12 hours while the salty brine is CURING the skin. We are not
trying to dry the skin; we are curing the skin.
Second Day; Step Two:
Within 12 hours of the first salting
the salt will now be removed and the skin should be scraped down
removing any remaining salt. The scraping will open the pores in the
skin, allowing the next salting to penetrate even deeper. Allow the
second salting to remain on the skin for 24 hours. By now there is
no moisture accumulating around the edges of the skin.
Third Day; Step Three:
This is the third salting. Resalt the
skin one more time. This salt will stay on the skin for 24 hours.
The skin will have a nice blue color to it once this salt is removed
on the fourth day. The salt has cured the skin all the way to the
hair follicle. Now at this time the skin should be cured completely
though. If the skin is thick as in a Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, ect, one
more day should complete the curing process. At this time skins can
now be hung to dry. There should be no dripping of moisture at this
stage. The skins should be dry to the touch when they are being
hung. If skins are wet, the salt used was old and not able to
perform its duty.
These are the proper steps needed to
cure skins for taxidermy purposes. In my opinion, this is the proper
way to handle skins, and any other method will prove to be
unsuccessful.
You may ask, why are all skins not
handled this way. It comes down to culture. In Europe, Wildlife is
more than just a renewable resource. There is a stronger connection
between the people and wildlife. The wildlife is revered as a sacred
gift given to them to look after. The killing of wildlife is
something to celebrate and honor the animal death. In Germany, the
clothing that the hunters wear is all part of the respect given to
the wildlife. I recently had a friend hunt Roe Deer in Germany. It
was mandatory to wear the proper hunting clothes before, during and
after the hunt. Once the trophy was taken, offerings back to the
animal and the land was highly important and part of the hunt. There
is a great heart felt connection between the European culture and
wildlife. I did fine a connection in Cameroon (West Africa) between
the people and the wildlife. The Boca people have lived in the
forest for thousands of years. They believe that there are spirits
in the forest both good and bad. They believe that if they do not
give back to the spirits, they will not be protected from evil. They
never waste any part of the animal, in fact they use ever last piece
including the bones. So you can see with a deeper connection to
wildlife, these hunters, put there heart into persevering ever last
part.
Hunting Africa since the early 90's, I
have hunted with many different cultures. I have hunted with the
very spiritual Boca people where the animal is highly respected and
never wasted. I have also hunted the Northern Transvaal in South
Africa where the animal is just a commodity. I found that in
countries with this believe field care and trophy preparation was at
its poorest. Hunters will never change a culture. We can see in
history where many times we have tried to change how others live and
what they believe. That has never worked out yet. Changing how
skins are handled in places like South Africa's Northern Transvaal
will never take place. The hunter has two options. He can allow the
outfitter to handle the skins and hope for the best; or take care of
the skins himself. I have learned to take care of my own skins.
