Wolf pelt prep in the backcountry

[blueridge]

I picked up a wolf tag for my upcoming AK moose fly-in hunt. 11 days near the glacial headwaters of a river. I have no experience turning ears, lips, webbed paws, feet, etc, and honestly I would rather leave it to a pro to make sure it’s done right. Is there a way to do the primary skinning, leaving the tricky bits, and keep all of it stable enough for a few days in the backcountry until pickup?

Salt, take it up to the glacier, in a bag under water, … What are my options and which one is best?

Granted, it’s likely I won’t see or have a shot at one, but hypothetically…

 

[reallyoldman]

On The Trail TV show with Laramie "Sashquach" (sp) Miller has a show this week that shows every detail. He killed two young wolves that were harassing his horses at night. He shows every step and even eats a hind qtr....his advice on how to preserve. will really helpful if you have never done it.

 

[blueridge]

On The Trail TV show with Laramie "Sashquach" (sp) Miller has a show this week that shows every detail. He killed two young wolves that were harassing his horses at night. He shows every step and even eats a hind qtr....his advice on how to preserve. will really helpful if you have never done it.

Would love to see it. Unfortunately I don’t get the Outdoor channel.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Would love to see it. Unfortunately I don’t get the Outdoor channel.

Tyler Freel has a great wolf skinning video on YouTube.

 

[Hunting Wife]

What do you want to do with it? Just a tanned hide, or a mount? If you just want a hide for the wall you don’t have to be as meticulous.

 

[blueridge]

What do you want to do with it? Just a tanned hide, or a mount? If you just want a hide for the wall you don’t have to be as meticulous.

It would be a pelt on the wall. I could just go around the wrists, split the tail, do the best I can with the head.

 

[blueridge]

Tyler Freel has a great wolf skinning video on YouTube.

I will check it out. Thanks!

 

[Hunting Wife]

It would be a pelt on the wall. I could just go around the wrists, split the tail, do the best I can with the head.

I wouldn’t worry about splitting the lips and you could probably get away without worrying about the ears, honestly. They’ll wind up hard and probably kind of bent/wrinkled if you leave the cartilage in but I can’t say it’s something that bothers me on any of my pelts. Flesh it the best you can, definitely split the tail, then salt it really well, especially the face and ears (and feet if you leave them on). It’s not that hard to keep the feet, just time consuming.

We’ve got two on the wall, one without feet and face all turned, one with feet and no turning anything. Really don’t notice much difference to look at them on the wall.

Hope you get a chance at one!