Coon Skin Tanning
 

Hey guys, I killed a big coon on opening day of bow season last year. He took off running through the briars, breaking my arrow in the process (notice the broken shaft in my quiver), but I found him about 15 yards away from where I shot him. Even found my broadhead the next day. Anyway, I wanted to tan the fur, and cook the meat. I'd eaten coon before and it was good. I'd done a smaller coon skin before, and it came out well. That is, until my little daschund named Bubba got it one day when he was a puppy, and chewed the nose and ears off. My fault for leaving it where he could get to it, and he just thought it was his chew toy. Oh well, you live and learn. I can still use it as a visual lure to hunt coyotes. Anyway, with this one I removed the hide, scraped most of the fat from it, poured on a generous amount of plain (non-iodized) salt to cure it for tanning. I salted it properly, not missing any spots, and changed the salt a couple of times until the hide was dry. I was not able to remove every bit of fat, but I figured the salting would prevent spoilage until I had time to flesh it out thoroughly and tan it. I was storing the dry hide in a plastic bag in an old refrigerator in my tool shed to keep it dry and away from bugs. Well, the fridge conked out (it was old when I got it-garage sale) and the hide got smelly and damp. Don't know how long the fridge died before I discovered it. The hair is still on, and I re-salted the hide. It seems like it held up, probably due to it having been thoroughly salted before. My question is, does anybody know if it's still salvageable? The flesh side got real dark i some spots, and sort of orange/brown in others, but didn't fall apart or decompose, at least not completely. I plan to use alum and borax to tan it. I know it may be lost, but I plan to try and salvage it anyway. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Hey Swamp Critter, one of the best test is smell. Does it smell like it has started to spoil/rot. Also you said that the hair is holding which is very good. I would try to start the process soon so the curing can start. You should be ok with it. Good luck and keep us informed how it goes.

It did start to smell, and a little hair slipped. However, re-salting stopped the smell, and the little hair slippage MAY be reversable. It's a dry pelt, it's just discolored on the inside. My last coonskin I tanned, I used alum, saltpeter, and borax. The alum, as I remember, was the chemical that tightens the skin and holds the hair firmly. I just can't remember the amounts, because it was years ago. If I could find that recipe (and I've searched online - not as easy as you'd think), with the proper amounts, I'd be ready to try this one. Still, I'm not against trying something different. I know there are kits available, and I may have to end up going that route. Still, I'd like to try some home method that's simple and with easily available materials.