Curing Small Animal Pelts, Squirrels Rabbits etc..

Step 4: Salt the hide to properly dry

Add a good amount of non-iodized salt to the hide. Be sure to liberally salt the edges and any folds in the skin. Work the salt into the head and tail. Any unsalted spot is unprotected. You should repeat this after the first application of salt becomes saturated with moisture, usually in two to three days. The curing lasts about ten to fourteen days. With a smaller animal like this (if you prefer) you can simply tack it down and let it dry if you have properly prepared it (i.e. scrapped, cut off any excess, no folds in skin).

Comments

[tywatters]

u get all the flesh and fat off it and salt good for 2/3 day the u can get the brain out of the animal mash it up then add 1/2 cups of water then rub it in it call brain tanning . ever animal has anough brain to tan its on hide beide bufflo

[mcaliber.50]

how long do you soak it for?

[solarpolar32]

can you use regular salt idkk were to get uniodizzed

[skelloween]

Any salt is fine, unionised is just cheaper. You can buy it at animal feed stores and co ops.

[randone]

canning salt works. you can get that at walmart or grocery store

[heinzsinvt]

Does anyone know a local market for rabbit pelts...Montpelier VT... [e-mail]

[J@50n]

 Talk with people at your local sporting goods store, usually people make a round every few weeks buying pelts, you just need to know when and where they are.

[deer-slayer51]

can i do that with a deer pelt

[J@50n]

 i dont see why not, just got A LOT of salt :)

[iheart7s]

this came from http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_l/l-103.pdf

[cemetz]

iheart7s,
Yes, it mostly did. I aggregated it because I could not find it anywhere. Good catch and props to nmsu.edu.
r/
cemetz

[iheart7s]

it was a lucky draw on google... i'd been looking for a way to do this so thanks for being awesome and posting it for all!  I <3 U!

[lukechewypellets92]

Im pellet gun hunting squirrels, but anyway so I skin it get the fat off with salt then scrape off the salt and its permanently good right?? or wrong?? And I dont have the need or hope to tan them.

[cemetz]

Luke,
Skin it then do a very good job scraping it. After salting/curing making it pliable is a manual process. Look up how the Indians did it with a sharp corner. Tanning makes it soft but a decent job can be done with elbow grease.

[cemetz]

scrape, scrape, scrape, salt, salt...... and its good. You want the moisture out.

[evanthehunter]

hmmm, im wondering that too. I heard that some people rub eggs mixed in water into the skin to tan them. ill try it on my squirrel once its done drying

[cemetz]

Solarpoler32,
Recommend un-iodized salt.
r/
cemetz

[deer-slayer51]

i liked it it taght me somthin good

[buck bay man]

how do you accually tan a pelt

[gunny]

u can buy tanning solutions from places like cabela's and they have instructions on the bottle

[kenny94]

you can use alum