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Animal hyde/skin preservation

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Hey guys, does anyone on here preserve there own skin/hyde that they have either found or saved from hunting? I frequently hunt and would like to keep parts of the animal for fly tying but have so read so many things about parasites, diseases, bugs, and all that good stuff. It really worries me and if someone could point me in the right direction of how to properly do it and be safe with it!

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If you turn the hide inside out and scrape all the flesh/fat off it, you don't need borax or salt. Trappers back in the day (1820s) never carried huge quantities of borax or salt with them. I've produced hides before and if the flesh side is clean, no problem. And any trapper today will tell you the same thing. I wouldn't do it in hot weather, but when it's cool, no problem. You'll end up with a stiff hide.

 

Stretch the raw hide with the skin side out and let the sun and air dry it.

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From what I understand ...

Drying, basically, DOES disinfect. Properly dried, any bugs still on the pelt will be dried, too. Diseases are very rare unless you have actual blood contact or ingestion, and after drying, even those pathogens are destroyed.

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what about the bugs and disease? is there anything i do to disinfect them after/during drying period?

 

I wouldn't worry about bugs and disease. If the pelt is relatively healthy, it will stay relatively healthy when stretched and dried. Parasites almost always live on blood, and once the animal is dead, the parasites leave for greener pastures.

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what about the bugs and disease? is there anything i do to disinfect them after/during drying period?

 

You could wash them with soap and water. You should actually.

 

But if you don't pickle the skin and set the hair you'll risk losing the hair.

 

But bugs usually want more of an offering than just skin and fur, and I can't think of a disease that would be present in the skin. As long as you flesh it well, set, wash and properly dry it you'll be fine.

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I process buck tails by first freezing them for a while. I have heard this kills off any bugs but I actually do it because it usually takes me a while to get around to processing them after someone gives them to me. I debone them and then salt them for a couple of weeks. I then wash them in a bucket with 2 gallons of water, 1/4 cup of bleach and 1/3 cup of oxyclean. The oxyclean really softens the hair nicely. I would imagine this would work for most other animals too, although I would omit the bleach unless you are processing white fur or feathers

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Here is a detail of the method that I follow: http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/topic/93920-winter-project-processing-bucktails/

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Bugs, that is parasites like ticks and fleas, will bail out when they sense the animal's temperature starting to cool. They will simply look for another place to feed. Just watch for them on you, though.

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Just something to think about when handling animal carcasses.

 

CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE (CJD)

A degenerative viral brain disease causing progressive dementia and myoclunus (sudden muscular contractions). The disease is considered very rare, and there is no effective treatment with death expected within weeks to months after onset of symptoms (80% die within one year of diagnosis). CJD is limited to adults with the average age of 60 at death. The etiologic agent has been described as proteinaceous (prions) producing unconventional slow infection. In 1968, the disease was shown to be infectious by allowing chimps to eat organs from infected animals. While the source of CJD is unknown, it has been found in monkey, other primates, sheep, goats, deer, calves, minks, ferrets, cats, raccoons, skunks, mice, and rabbits. The search for risk factors have focused on eating habits. Human-human transmission has occurred by contaminated cranial electrodes, use of growth hormone from infected cadavers and cornea transplants. The risk of occupational exposure is considered low however reported cases include one neurosurgeon, one pathologist and three pathology technicians. CJD prions are extremely hardy and resist routine hospital sterilization, disinfection, and cleaning procedures posing a serious challenge to Infection Control Professionals. Formaldahyde fixed tissue is still infectious. Safe Work Practices in excess of standard universal precautions are recommended with known or suspected cases (Appendix A).

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thats exactly what I'm talking about, is really worth it with all that being said? Clearly lots of people still do this but it worries the heck out of me!

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thats exactly what I'm talking about, is really worth it with all that being said? Clearly lots of people still do this but it worries the heck out of me!

Well just because not everyone salts or Boraxes the skin that isn't to say you can't.. Then take it and wash it in a bubbly mix of water, detergent and fabric softener if you like. Rinse and re dry it real good, bugs should be well gone. It's over kill but hey it's your skin.

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thats exactly what I'm talking about, is really worth it with all that being said? Clearly lots of people still do this but it worries the heck out of me!

 

Probably 1/10000 deer are checked. That number probably skyrockets outside the cervid population.

 

I'd worry more about all the money I'll win in the lottery.

 

Seriously though, I do wear gloves when processing critters. That's about it. And I don't process road kill.

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thats exactly what I'm talking about, is really worth it with all that being said? Clearly lots of people still do this but it worries the heck out of me!

 

Probably 1/10000 deer are checked. That number probably skyrockets outside the cervid population.

 

I'd worry more about all the money I'll win in the lottery.

 

Seriously though, I do wear gloves when processing critters. That's about it. And I don't process road kill.

 

Ah okay, i guess its that roadkill thats built up bacteria or anything, most of the skins id try to process would be the ones i hunt for

 

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