Educate Me on Bear Hides?

Tag_Soup

Tag_Soup

WKR
Joined
Nov 8, 2016
Messages
310
Location
Middleton, Idaho
I have been part of two black bear harvests, but we only kept the meat on those occasions. I am hoping to take a bear and preserve the hide for a rug either this fall or next spring. I would assume late fall/spring would be best for a rug? I know that the hide needs to be salted fairly soon after harvest, but would like to have some insight on the type of salt and amount required. If I do a backpack hunt, how much salt would I need to bring with me vs leave at the truck? Also how thoroughly does one need to scrape the hide prior to salting? Would the hide need to be packed on ice after harvest? What would a mature bear hide weigh? Would likely be a solo hunt, so guessing 1 trip for meat, one for hide/skull and camp...

I searched threads here, but couldn't come up with specific answers/guidelines. Thanks in advance for any knowledge!

Cheers,
-Travis
 
Tag_Soup said:
I have been part of two black bear harvests, but we only kept the meat on those occasions. I am hoping to take a bear and preserve the hide for a rug either this fall or next spring. I would assume late fall/spring would be best for a rug? I know that the hide needs to be salted fairly soon after harvest, but would like to have some insight on the type of salt and amount required. If I do a backpack hunt, how much salt would I need to bring with me vs leave at the truck? Also how thoroughly does one need to scrape the hide prior to salting? Would the hide need to be packed on ice after harvest? What would a mature bear hide weigh? Would likely be a solo hunt, so guessing 1 trip for meat, one for hide/skull and camp...

I searched threads here, but couldn't come up with specific answers/guidelines. Thanks in advance for any knowledge!

Cheers,
-Travis
Click to expand...

What state you planning on hunting?


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Shoot one, skin it and take it to a taxidermist for them to do.

A hide is safe from being spoiled while backpacking, just be sure to let it get ample air flow prior to stuffing it in your pack. If you can get it out and back to town in a reasonable amount of time, it'll be fine.

Personally, I wouldn't salt a hide unless you are able to flesh it properly. So either learn how to do that or take it to a taxi.

Black bear hides won't weigh much if you do a good job skinning, even less if you take out the head and the paws. I'd guess 40lbs maybe?
 
Tag_Soup said:
Idaho spring and fall, Washington fall, maybe spring if lucky.


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Click to expand...
Well Idaho you legally don't have to take meat. I don't ever eat fall bear I think it's gross personally spring bear is decent in my opinion but if you are more worried about the hide going bad. You don't have to take the meat. My recommendation would be once you get it down get the hide to a taxidermist asap. The taxidermist I use to work for hated when people brought in salted stuff. It's alot harder to flesh salted hides. Makes 10x the work.

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Oh, Hide and Meat, skull... yep, it'll be around that weight...

You deleted your post, hide, head and paws isn't 70-100lbs on a black bear. That's what I was referring to and no, I wasn't being a smart ass.
 
Nick Muche said:
Oh, Hide and Meat, skull... yep, it'll be around that weight...

You deleted your post, hide, head and paws isn't 70-100lbs on a black bear. That's what I was referring to and no, I wasn't being a smart ass.
Click to expand...

Nevermind...
 
Nick Muche said:
Why are you deleting your posts?
Click to expand...

Because I am not interested in having a back and forth with a random guy on the internet. I made a statement, that was not clarified enough for you, enter your little quip, and instead of continuing, clarifying, or providing reasoning I would rather just go about my day.
 
Sometimes a "back and forth" is required in order to understand what it is you are actually saying. Enjoy your day.
 
Thanks guys! Bowhunt3r208, I rather enjoy the fall bear meat we have been able to take in the past. We hunt areas that are fairly thick with elder berries and huckleberries, which I believe is partially why the meat is so flavorful. If I have to choose between saving the meat and hide, the meat is going to win every time, regardless of species (wolf excluded).

I appreciate the comparison between the meat and hide having the same relative "shelf life", and will use that as a barometer. I will give a couple taxidermists that my family has used for deer and elk a call and get their take.

Assuming worst...or rather best case scenario of a trophy quality bear, I should be able to get everything out in two trips. So long as I don't take it in archery deer season (I go pretty far in and wouldn't want to end a deer hunt to haul out the bear), it sounds like I should be good to go in the areas I hunt!

Thanks again everyone. If anyone has anything to add, i'm all ears.
 
If your backpack hunting and can't get the meat and hide back to an ice chest within a day, day and a half, you have some valid concerns. I would not be concerned with salting. You could sun dry instead. However proper skinning and defleshing is of ut-most importance. You want to take it down to where you can see the hair follicles, but not cut them. If you can, you want to split the lips, turn the ears... How you do the feet, depends on what you want the Taxidermist to do with it. If your doing a rug, you can cut the pads off. But you will want to turn the toes/fingers to the nails. Keep in mind that, if you can keep the hide cool, you can leave most of this for the Taxidermist.
 
Bubblehide said:
If your backpack hunting and can't get the meat and hide back to an ice chest within a day, day and a half, you have some valid concerns. I would not be concerned with salting. You could sun dry instead. However proper skinning and defleshing is of ut-most importance. You want to take it down to where you can see the hair follicles, but not cut them. If you can, you want to split the lips, turn the ears... How you do the feet, depends on what you want the Taxidermist to do with it. If your doing a rug, you can cut the pads off. But you will want to turn the toes/fingers to the nails. Keep in mind that, if you can keep the hide cool, you can leave most of this for the Taxidermist.
Click to expand...

This is the exact situation I was concerned with.

I am familiar with turning lips and ears on deer, so that wouldn't really worry me, but I don't have experience fleshing. Any tips for what to use?


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I have always used a couple different knives, sometimes rocks. The thing is that bears are greasy, no really really greasy. Their hair is full of oil, and it just never stops coming out. Or seems to never stop.

as far as fleshing, you simply need to keep an eye for the hair follicle, and be sure to not cut into it. Your might try youtube, or try it with a rabbit or something, to start with, granted the bear will be a whole different feel. Considering your not experienced at this, you might try it with a sharp knife, but not a really sharp one.
 
rlmmarine said:
Last year I shot a black bear weighting 456 we skinned it and left the head and paws for the taxi. It filled a 100 qt cooler and took two of us to lift it out and set up for skinning at the taxidermist. View attachment 55750
Click to expand...

Was that Alaska? I would consider a 300 lb bear a trophy where I'm from. Your image didn't come through, but I would love to see it!


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I can assure you with great certainty that a bear like that is not the norm, even in Alaska. Maybe back east somewhere. If one like that is shot, consider yourself very lucky. Congrats!
 
Usually the shorter the growing season the smaller the bear. I know as u go south and east they have much longer forage season so they get larger.
 
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