Proper raw preparation is one of the most important steps in preserving a trophy before it reaches the taxidermist. Correct field handling, skinning, cleaning, salting and drying help protect the skin from bacterial damage, hair slip and deterioration during storage and transportation.
Correct field preparation is essential to preserving the condition of a hide or skin. Please follow the guidelines below carefully:
Skin the animal as soon as possible. Remove all excess fat, blood and meat from the skin, then wash away all remaining blood and dirt.
If possible, soak the skin for a minimum of 3 hours, or overnight, in a saturated salt solution together with a bactericide such as Dettol. Recommended mixture: approximately 20 kg of salt and 50 ml of bactericide per 100 litres of water.
Remove the skin from the solution and open it out flat on a clean surface with the flesh side facing upward.
Cover the entire flesh side liberally with salt. As a guideline, use approximately the same weight of salt as the weight of the skin.
Allow the skin to remain in salt for at least three days. After the salting period, dry the skin thoroughly. Drying it in the sun after salting is acceptable. The sooner the skin is dehydrated, the better.
Pack the skin generously with salt, roll it carefully and refrigerate it where possible. Dry the skin properly as soon as possible at the next destination.
To avoid damage to the hide, please take note of the following:
Curing protects freshly removed hides and skins from microorganisms and helps make them suitable for storage and transportation before taxidermy processing.
The most important factor is speed. Delaying the curing process allows bacterial activity to increase and may damage the hair follicles, eventually resulting in hair slip.
Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game is one of the world’s longest-established systems for recording and comparing recognised game trophies. Minimum qualifying measurements and record measurements are published for African game species using defined measuring methods.
Hunters and clients wishing to review current qualifying measurements and record information can refer to the official Rowland Ward records.
It is always better to ask if you are unsure. We are here to help you protect your trophy.
