Hair slip

tater85

tater85

New member
When does hair slippage occur? After or before the tanning process?

The reason I ask is because I have a fox and a coyote that were skinned immediately after they were shot. The pelts were turned green side out and dried, then turned to sell. They have not been fleshed. So will that cause slippage if it isn't doing it now? I would like yo get them tanned but I don't want to waste my money if they will fall apart.
 
I'm interested in this answer also. From what I have read the flesh and or lack of salt is the number one cause of hair slipage. I plan to either freeze of complete the process and avoid as many problems as possible! I feel the ears and face will be my biggest area of concern in a pelt orior to tanning.
 
Im fairly new at this critter skinnin business but I do know they definately need to be fleshed.If they are'nt they will rot more than likely.I've never let any dry without fleshing them first though so cant say for sure what will happen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
They have not been fleshed.

that right there is the biggest problem of hair slip. also don't roll the fur and freeze it, lay it flat, flesh side out in the freeze or it wont freeze before the rot starts.

You have to flesh all furs before drying them, and if your getting them tanned, you can flesh and dry them like they do for the fur market and then when dry ship them, you don't need to salt them that way.
 
slipping is caused by rot which comes from not getting the moisture out of the hide. this is greatly accelerated by heat. salt or freezing after skinning and fleshing stops the rot.
i use salt. after fleshing lay the fur on a piece of plywood and cover it with about 1 inch of salt. let it set a day, shake off the salt and do it again. the salt soaks up the moisture

here is a good page to look at
http://furharvesters.com/pelthandling.htm
 
a lot of slippage occurs around the ears and the nose. a little 20 mule team borax rubbed into these areas helps to dry them and keeps them from rotting.
 
Slippage is caused by bacteria growth and can occur anytime even in the pickle if your ph isn't right.Keep skins cool,clean and dry.Flesh and salt as soon as possible.I'm a taxidermist and believe me I know all to well about slippage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
you should flesh. the fat left on the skin will rot and cause the fur to eventually slip. GO to walmart and buy BOrax in the laundry aisle. flesh your furs and rub then down with borax it will really make your fur a better product.
 
I would also add the climate can cause hair slipping too. In southern Arizona, humidity is practicall zero except during the monsoons. Bacteria love humidity and hate dryness... I would guess that Idaho is much more humid than Arizon. I do flesh my coyotes if they are really fat but lean ones I don't worry about too much. Just my .02
 
How do you avoid slippage in the field? I have always brought my animals home quickly, froze them, and then skinned them later and that works well for me. But last year I killed a fox when I was out of town hunting that I didn't skin in the field and it sat in the heat in the back of the truck all day - the pelt was ruined. Later, just around the end of the season, I killed a nice bobcat, again away from home, that rode around in the truck for about 4 hours in 70 degree heat - it was starting to smell a little foul when I put it in the freezer. It's been in there now for a couple months, as I haven't gotten around to skinning it yet. Is that pelt ruined?
 
Rizzo next time bring a cooler with blocks of ice in it. However I prefer to skin it in the woods if I have a question about the weather. A rough skin job that can be touched up at home is far better than a bald critter after tanning. I have also partially skinned them removed the innards then stashed them in a cooler. Cut around the vent and down the hind legs. This allowed me to get the pictures at the end of the day wile still saving the hides. It was a PITA but worked.
 
So do you think that the bobcat in my freezer is ruined after spending a few hours in the sun? The corpse does stink pretty bad, and normally once I freeze an animal it doesn't stink at all.
 
Only one way to find out. I'd skin it and give it a try. If you skin the critter and the skin looks green on the inside that is a bad sign.
 


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