FIELD CARE - HINTS AND TIPS
By Taxidermist Sascha Smith
In my day-to-day life as a Taxidermist, I am asked advice on a broad range of subjects; from boiling out skullcaps, to cleaning the stench out of goat skins. However, there is one area of confusion that seems to crop up, time and time again; and that's field care.
‘How do I take care of my skins?’ ‘What if I'm along way from anywhere??’
These are the questions I am most commonly asked and that I will try to expand upon here.
I'm going to focus on small game for this issue, but I’ll just point out that the processes are much the same for all mammals, whether they be large or small. I will touch on both skinning for a flat skin, and skinning for a taxidermy job. I know that most of you have a fair idea of how to skin an animal so I won't get too bogged down in the nuts and bolts.
First things first- I have a bit of a rule of thumb when approaching any skinning job.
‘If I can’t eat it, I can't use it’.
The skin needs to be fresh, so the job needs to be done relatively quickly; or spoilage and slip will occur… especially on a hot day!
‘Slip’ occurs when bacteria starts to grow in the skin, breaking down the hair follicles and causing the fur or hair to fall out. Once this process has begun, your skin will be ruined and there is no going back!
If you don’t know how to skin or cape out your animal, then it will need to be frozen as soon as possible. Curl the animal up, seal it inside a good thick plastic bag and place it in a freezer. It will be safe like that for some time.
If you are out in the middle of woop woop, the animal will at least need to go onto ice….. But this should only be an emergency measure til’ it can be skinned out or frozen.
There are a number of different ways to skin an animal, from case skinning and dorsal cutting, to skinning for a flat skin.
Skinning methods can vary, due to the size and type of animal. If you plan to have your animal mounted as a trophy, then you should contact you taxidermist to ask for their specific requirements.
Here are four generally accepted skinning methods that should see you through. Diagram 1 shows the cuts for a basic flat skin. The other 3 diagrams show methods used for taxidermy.
My preferred method for a taxidermy mount is the dorsal cut. The tail will either need to be stripped from the bone like a sock and packed with salt, or split down the underside. (This cannot be seen in the diagram). The dorsal cut makes for a nice, clean, full-bodied trophy mount and can be used on any sized animal, from a bunny to a Kudu. Larger animals will require a cut down the back of each ankle to help free the foot.
Some hooves and paws are too large to be skinned like a sock. Always use a sharp knife and try to avoid severing too much hair along your cuts, especially if you want to have the animal
mounted as a trophy. You can avoid this by flipping your blade
over and making your cut from below the skin, pushing your blade tip along the cut lines. This will also help to avoid cutting into the meat. The skin will pull back pretty easily on small game.
For a trophy animal, you will need to know how to turn the ears, lips, eyes and nose. This is something that your taxidermist or an experienced friend will have to teach you, as it can be a bit tricky to start with. I find that the best way to learn is to have someone instruct you as you turn a face and ears yourself. I do this a lot with novice skinners and find they can then move on confidently with skinning their own animals of all sizes in the future.
If you can’t turn a face, then you can always skin the animal up to the back of the neck and sever the head just behind the skull….. But the head and skin will still have to go into the freezer until an experienced skinner can help you with the rest.
If you can get your skins off without any trouble, then they will need to be salted and dried. Some like to just dry their rabbit skins in a cool area, but it is a good idea to for all skins to be salted as a precaution, especially if you are new to skinning. Salt is cheap, quick to apply and will ensure that the hair sets in the skin. It will also inhibit bacterial growth. I prefer to use fine grain, NON-iodised salt.
Rub the salt liberally into the skin side, making sure that you get it into all areas. Pay particular attention to the face, ears, tail and paws on trophy animals. Then the skin can be rolled or layed flat for a day or so before the old salt is shaken off and new salt applied.
Don’t be ‘tight’ and re-use old, dirty salt. Salt is cheap. Use a fresh batch every time. Your skin can now be rolled up for another day or so. Once you are satisfied that the salt has fully penetrated, the skin can be shaken off and hung in the shade to dry, skin side out.
Rabbit skins will get away with one salting, but anything larger I prefer to salt twice.
Skins such as deer and pigs should ideally be left to drain on an incline during the first salting….. You will be surprised at how much moisture drains out!
Here's one more handy tip…
Along with some salt and a good knife, throw some vinegar or methylated spirits in the back of the truck. Meths or vinegar doused onto the fur side, especially around the face, ears and rear end will inhibit bacterial growth on any cape or skin. Vinegar will actually help to draw salt in against the dermis if salt is rubbed on over the vinegar. Salt can also be packed into ear canals, eyes and mouth until the critter goes into a freezer or is skinned.
If you want your trophies and skins to look A-1, Then proper field care is where it all starts!
Taxidermist Sascha Smith is based in Sydney.
She is always happy to help with your queries.