Handling skins properly in the raw state is the most important step in the preparation of skins for tanning!

The animal should be skinned as soon as possible after death, especially if temperatures are above freezing. Large animals such as moose, elk, bison and bear are a problem because of their natural ability to retain heat due to their body mass. If they are not skinned early enough the skin may become damaged, as well as the meat. Antelope create a two fold problem. First, they are usually taken in warm weather and second, their body heat is retained due to its very high-insulating hair. If an animal cannot be skinned immediately, the animal should be hung in a cool place out of the sunlight with the body cavity opened as much as possible. If an ice pack is available pack the body cavity as full as possible. The ice should be kept in plastic to prevent contamination of the meat. Carnivorous animals tend to spoil faster than grazing animals and must be processed sooner.

Once the skin has been removed from the animal it should be salted immediately. DO NOT spend additional time removing small traces of flesh and membrane before salting. Rough the flesh and turn eyelids, lips and ears. Lay skin out and salt. (Use fine grain Non-Iodized Salt.) Apply salt generously coating all of the flesh side. Shake salt off the following day. Re-salt with new salt. After 12 hours you may proceed to the tanning process or dry the skin for storage until tanning. When salting a skin maintain a temperature above freezing. Salting a skin in freezing temperatures results in low saturation and in turn degrades the skin. At zero degrees salt penetration is only 20%. It is suggested that carnivorous animals be skinned immediately. If they are received frozen thaw only to the point where the animal can be skinned. Remember, bacteria is the main cause of hair slippage. The longer the skin is left unsalted the more likely bacteria damage is to occur.

In cases where the skin is extremely bloody, contains large amounts of body fluids on the hair, or the skin is in poor putrefying condition, it should be dipped in the following solution:

To each one gallon of water add three pounds of salt and 1/4 oz. of Basacryl NB-KU. Leave in this solution for one hour and then drain. The skin can now be salted and stored.