Hunting Down Under

[Jorge in Oz]

Where you live...
 
Jorge - glad to see the macropod pic. They may be boring to you, but they're interesting to us Yanks. Is there anything that is or can be done with the hide?
 
Paul

Sure Paul, many dudes tan the hides and keep them. Kangaroo leather is widely used, especially for the tourist trade. Roos are culled commercially so I'm sure they put most parts of the roos and wallabies to good use.  I've had a few wallets made of kangaroo leather.

My folks had some skins back in the 80's, don't know what happened to them. I don't know how to tan skins but I wouldn't mind learning.

Cheers

[gitano]

There is a very easy tanning method called "chrome tan". It uses sulphuric acid (battery acid) and salt. It's an easy, fast, not-too-messy process. Of course the purists mean-mouth the results, but I've tanned black bear and dear hides using it, (as well as lots of smalll critters), and it is fine for doing hair-on tans that aren't going to be used where they might get wet.
 
Google "chrome tan" and you'll have more explanations than you can shake a stick at. I would recommend starting off with a small skin. The most tedious and unforgiving element is the final 'staking' in which you must work the hide over a "stake" (or anything similer) as it dries. You cannot stop in the middle of the staking process. If part of the skin dries before it is properly staked, it gets stiff as a board. You must then re-wet and start over.
 
Anyway, I'll look forward to seeing any dead critter pics you care to share.
 
Paul

[RatherBHuntin]

The most tedious and unforgiving element is the final 'staking' in which you must work the hide over a "stake" (or anything similer) as it dries. You cannot stop in the middle of the staking process. If part of the skin dries before it is properly staked, it gets stiff as a board. You must then re-wet and start over.
Paul

 
Which is fine if you're just going to hang it up.  But if it's not staked it will dry smaller than when it was wert due to the fibers drying and contracting.

[Jorge in Oz]

Thanks for the tanning tips Paul & Glenn will give it a Google and follow up the process.
 
Cheers
 
Jorge

[gitano]

By the way, chrome tans also work for plain ol' leather (hair-off). You just soak the hide in lye for a few hours first. The hair 'slips', and can be scraped off the hide.
 
Leather tanned this way and cut into strips for lashing is fine even if it gets wet, as it will shrink tighter as it dries.
 
Paul

[Paul Hoskins]

Jorge, I've never had the opportunity to eat wallaby or kangaroo but sure would like to try it. At least you didn't come home empty handed. ...........When I tan hides, I ust put them in a big jar, weigh them down so they won't float and cover them with automobile antifreeze for a couple weeks. You have to work the skins/hides after you remove it from the antifreeze or they will be stiff. You can soak them in antifreeze again if they get hard and rework them. I never tried any big hides. Only fisher cats and such. I see no reason it wouldn't work on bigger hides. It might not work on varmints with hollow hair tho. A saucer of antifreeze is good for killing cats too.   .............Paul H

[Jorge in Oz]

Hey Paul H,

I like roo, the missus gets a bit funny about it as we use to have a show in the 70's and early 80's called "Skippy" about a smart kangaroo that could go for help and defuse bombs and capture terrorists. But still cooks it.

Does the antifreeze have an effect on the hairs?

Cheers

[Paul Hoskins]

Jorge, I've had skins tanned by this method for twenty some  years and they look good as they did the day I killed the varmint. No hair slippage at all.   ..........Paul H

[Antler3]

I have tried using the battery acid tan. My problem was getting the flesh off the hide, cleaned up nice. Any tricks in getting that all off ?  I bet I triedeveryway possible and it stuck tight. I ended up tacking it to a board and hanging it on the porch. A bobcat by the way. I would love to know how to do a better job so as to be able to lay the finished product over a chair back or something.

[gitano]

I'm afraid there is simply no substitute for "fleshing", and I know of no shortcuts, EXCEPT to have someone else do it.
 
That's precisely what I do most of the time. Most reputable taxidermists will flesh and salt any hide you bring in. In my neck of the woods, it's about $50 for a caribou. It's well worth it to me, because they are set up to do it, and they do a good job. In fact, that's precisely what I did with the elk hide from the elk HB shot two years ago when I was down there for the hunt. I think I paid $100, but it might have been less, and that was with the 'scalp' (head skin) on AND I had them 'turn the ears and split the lips and nose. They also salted it. When I picked it up, it was ready for shipping, freezing or tanning.
 
You should be able to get a bobcat done for about $25.
 
Paul

[Antler3]

Well after trying to tackle the bobcat I got a good wake up call. I would love to watch how they do it. The fleshing is one hard job to accomplish. And yes it would be well worth having it done. $25 not bad at all for such a difficult job. Thanks for the info.

[buckshot roberts]

good post.....never had wallaby,or roo.......have you tried wrapping the meat with bacon....it well help kill the gamier taste..........Ron

[kombi1976]

What I really need to try is a stew or a chilli con carne using roo meat.
Cook it long enough and it should soften up.
If you can manage it with chuck steak (caserole beef) then roo shouldn't be much harder.