Tips on how to prepare your bear skin for taxidermy

When it comes to having a mounted bear, taking down the animal yourself is only half the battle. You will need to start preparing the skin as soon as it dies. If you delay this process, you could spoil your trophy.

The most difficult part of the process is removing the skin. The specific way you do it depends on how you want to mount it, like a life-size mount or just a head mount. Your taxidermist may have something to say about your cutting procedure, so ask if there is anything specific you need to do.

When you’re cutting the skin, make sure you don’t go too deep. Doing so will cause a lot of bleeding which is not good for the skin. Also, avoid poking holes in the skin when you make the cuts.

Whenever you’re working with the skin, you’ll need to decide whether or not to keep the underside of the feet, known as the pads. Whether you need to keep them or not depends on the type of mount you’re trying to get.

If you intend to make a bear rug then you don’t need to keep the pads. If you simply want to tan your skin or do a life-size frame, then it’s important that you keep your pads on.

As mentioned above, you never want to delay preparing the skin to go to the taxidermist. She should start working on it while it’s still fresh so she doesn’t have a problem removing tissue and fat. Get rid of all the entrails and blood as the blood will attract bacteria. Any bacteria that gets into it will cause the hairs to start falling out.

It is important to use salt to remove moisture if you are too far from home and freezing is not an option. There are certain areas that especially need a good coating of salt, including the ears, nose, muzzle, feet, and toes. You should use fine grain salt for this process.

The specific amount you need will depend on the type of bear you are working with. Carrying 20 pounds of salt is enough for the smallest black bears. However, grizzly bears will need twice as much salt. Salt is not an expensive investment, so you should always have a lot of hand.

It’s also important to note that you’re better off lining up a taxidermist before you kill a bear. Time is of the essence. By the time you get back, you won’t have enough time to find an excellent taxidermist, so you may be forced to do business with the first one willing to take your bear.

You can’t expect a high-quality trophy to be made if you leave your bear in the hands of an experienced taxidermist. Be sure to see examples of his previous work before you do business. You shouldn’t try to save time by setting things up over the phone.