Bear hide question

[mdunc8]

So I got my bear back from the taxidermist. By no means was it ever a big bear, but it shrunk quite a bit. I think about 6". Is that normal?

Is it typical to lose some hair from spring bears during the tanning process? The hide has a very noticeable bare spot under the chin that I'm pretty sure didn't exist before I dropped it off (correct me if I'm wrong Cabin).

Am I being too critical? I'm not too concerned about it. Just curious.

 

[Gerald Martin]

It's quite normal for hides to shrink some. I can't see how big the hide is from your pictures though. It does look like the hair slipped a bit under the chin. The causes for that could run a gamut of reasons from not being fleshed and salted properly to how long it took to get the hide to the taxidermist for skinning. I'd hate to try and say who's to blame for it happening.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I would expect about that much shrinkage but the loss of hair isn't "normal" based on the hides I have had tanned. Were you able to keep it cool and get it to a taxidermist as quick as you wanted? If so I would not be happy with that result but I've only had a handful tanned. Curious what others have to say as well.

 

[mdunc8]

I think I had the bear to the taxidermist about 15 hours after shooting it (dropped it off the following morning). Yes, I had it on top of a few bags of ice in the garage between shooting it and dropping it off.

Not really looking to pick a fight with the taxidermist. I've been happy with the two mounts he's done for me. However, I am a little disappointed as this is probably the only bear I'll be shooting anytime soon.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I think I had the bear to the taxidermist about 15 hours after shooting it (dropped it off the following morning). Yes, I had it on top of a few bags of ice in the garage between shooting it and dropping it off.

Not really looking to pick a fight with the taxidermist. I've been happy with the two mounts he's done for me. However, I am a little disappointed as this is probably the only bear I'll be shooting anytime soon.

Seems like 15 hours on ice should ensure a good result.

Not much point is fighting with them as it's too late now. Personally I wouldn't take them another bear hide though until I understood what happened.

 

[Bambistew]

Was there bullet damage under the chin? Did ot sit in blood?

You can do every thing right and still lose hair.

Hides shrink some, but can be stretched too...as in when their green and measured

 

[nmtaxi]

A dry tanned hide definately shrinks. It would need to be re-hydrated and stretched to get back to it's original size. Hard to tell with the chin. Either slipped, or was fleshed too close and all the hair folicles were cut. Are there hairs sticking out the skin side in that area?

 

[buglum]

The shrinkage is normal, the slipped hair is not. Somewhere along the line somebody did something wrong, hard to determine if it was the taxidermist or the tannery though.

 

[BiggWimm]

Like everyone said, shrinkage is normal. Normally the taxidermist will stretch it back out as they mount it. The hair slippage is something that I haven't figured out yet. I have shot 6 different bears and had really bad slippage on 2 of them. It seemed to be pretty random to me, but I may have to try a new taxidermist on my next one.

 

[CabinFever]

I can't say I remember him being that thin under his neck, but don't recall looking closely at it either. I wonder if it was just an issue with that bear, considering what we were looking at around his pit area on the front legs as well. The neck is definitely more suspicious, I'm pretty sure we would have noticed that when you killed it, did you mention it to Terry? I'm sure he wouldn't take offense, he might have some insight.

Glad you posted those pictures again, now I can remember what the brats I ate ten minutes ago looked like on four legs. mmmmdelicious.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Bears are notorius for hair slippage. If I were you I would ask your taxi what his opinion is of the cause. (take care not to imply that you are blaming him, it may not be his fault.) Usually, if the hide is fleshed properly and in time, the salt will penetrate and set the hair so it doesn't slip. Salt will not penetrate thick fat.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I can see by the kill photos the hair was there originally. Definitely had some slippage. Is it possible that the neck area didn't get chilled like the rest of the bear before you got it to the taxi?

My first bear hide was ruined when I thought I'd prep it myself. I made the mistake of taking the hide out of the freezer and trying to flesh it outside on a hot summer day. After about four hours of wasted time in heat that was turning the fat to grease, I noticed that the hair was pulling out in when I tugged on it. I tried to salt it quickly, but ended up throwing it away after I showed it to a local taxidermist. He thought it was too far gone to try and save.

 

[mdunc8]

Is it possible that the neck area didn't get chilled like the rest of the bear before you got it to the taxi?

It was in a large cooler (small bear ) so everything was about the same temperature.

NMtaxi, the hide looks good on the inside, so I don't think he went overboard with the fleshing.

Like others have mentioned, what's done is done. Just curious as to what might have caused it. I now know the possibilities.

Even if it was the taxi's fault, I don't think I would quit using him. I stop by to chat with him once or twice a month and I've liked everything I've seen him working on as well as the two shoulder mounts he's done for me.

Thanks for the input.

 

[mdunc8]

did you mention it to Terry? I'm sure he wouldn't take offense, he might have some insight.

No, but I'll probably show it to him next time I'm over there.

 

[----]

That is kind of a bummer, but at least it's in a spot you can hide pretty easy by hanging it loose.

 

[greatbasin]

I have about 5 tanned bear hides hanging on a hook, and all have shrunk about that much. Also, all have issues (size, color, rubbing) that have kept me from wanting to pay for a finished rug. I just enjoy them for what they are and the memories assoicated with 'em.

 

[sbhooper]

I am a trapper and used to doing some fleshing. On a bear, would it be worth giving him a good fleshing immediately? This is good info for me, as I hope to do a bear hunt in the near future.

 

[Gerald Martin]

On a bear, would it be worth giving him a good fleshing immediately

Definitely get the bear skinned as soon as you can. Bears retain heat for a long time with their fat and hair. The most important thing is to get the meat and hide chilled in a reasonable amount of time. (several hours)
It sounds like Mike took good care of his hide, it could have been a number of other factors that caused the slippage.