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[user1]

I have two bear skins salted and in my freezer that i would like to tan . they were washed and then heavily salted before putting them in. any tips? one has been in there 2 years the other for 10 months. I will be going out for a spring hunt shortly (thats when they are the best eating) so any tips on immediate treatment of the hides; how much scraping etc. would be appreciated. I have often wondered how I
would spread the little bit of brain I could get without breaking open the skull (I like to boil and keep the skulls) over a whole hide

[The Tanner]

First, the best way to preserve a hide is to salt it right away. Make sure to remove any chunks of meat and fat still on the hide. When you salt a hide you don't need to freeze it. It will keep for up to two years salted. NOTE - You do have to watch for mice and moth type infestations.

Unfortunately, if a hide is frozen for more than a year it doesn't turn out very well. The leather gets freezer burned which chemically alters the leather fibers. The hide will look fine after its tanned for a little while then al the hair will fall out.

Tanning a bear hide has a few extra steps. You need to turn the ears inside out,split the lips, and filet open the paws to remove the bone. Also, bears are very greasy (because of their diet) so you need to vigorously degrease the hide before you begin the tanning process.

Brain tanning is an interesting process. If you would like to brain tan the hide there are many resources out there. We don't currently offer any brain tanning advice.

[user1]

thanks for that. i just wondered if the brain thing might extend the time or help with the end result

[The Tanner]

We have been getting a lot of questions about tanning bears lately so I wanted to answer them here incase anyone else may have the same question.

Can you tan a bear with our home tanning kits?

Yes you can but there some extra steps.  If you leave the head and paws attached I would recommend finding a local taxidermist that can split the lips and turn the ears for you.  It is not something I would try to explain in this forum.  If you are just tanning the hide then go to the next step.

Next, degreasing the hide.

Bears are very greasy and need to be washed thoroughly 2-3 times before the tanning process is started.  Wash it once then lay it out flat and scrape the flesh side of the hide.  This opens up the pores so when you wash the hide again any grease remaining can be washed out.

We use a very strong degreaser which you can buy from us.  It is like Dawn soap times 100.  It is completely non-toxic so you can just rinse it down the drain.

Once the hide is degreased then proceed with the tanning process as explained in the kit.  It should turn out great.

[tanner2be]

I have a bear hide that has been in a freezer for 2 years and has never ben salted. Is it salvageable? I am trying to learn all the processes and was wondering if that would be something to start with or not.

[The Tanner]

When you leave a hide in the freezer for more than a year they have a tendency to become freezer burned.  The chemical structure of the leather has changed.  When you tan the hide it will look fine for about a month and then all the hair will start to fall out.

If you want to tan the hide for leather they will usually do fine.

If you just want to try the process, it would be a good hide to practice on.

Happy Tanning!