Skinning a Bear

1.  tools to have

-sharp small bladed knife
-sharpening stone or steel (know how to use it)
-length of cord or small rope (provides resistance for paw work)
-good light or wait until daylight
2.  start process ASAP after photos (depending on the weather you may have more or less time, max 12 hours)
-use level surface free of branches, rocks etc
-get the bear on his back, and spread him out

-all important 1st cut starts just under the tail(belly side) and goes midline to jaw line.
-leave the evidence of sex on the hide (it’s the law in some places)
-keep cuts under the hide but not into the gut (many like a special gutting tool, but i just like a sharp knife)
3.  legs next


-front legs- starting at the center of the paw (don’t cut into the pad) then cut toward the elbow, then on to the center of the chest to your already done midline cut. (many times there is a subtle line of thick and thin hair along this cut)
-make sure both front legs are mirror images of each other.  not hard to do if the bear is all squared out on his back
-hind legs- cut from the center of the paw along the long, short hair line and finish at the point under the tail where you started the midline cut.
4.  carcass skinning

-skin the hide carefully away from the body of the bear being careful not to cut holes in the hide.  Ideally, leave little fat or muscle on the hide.  If care is taken there is a plane of tissue that allows you to separate the hide from the body.
-once the skinning process is completed separate the paw, (leave with the hide) at the ankle joint and the head at the neck joint.  These joints do not need saws, just patience.
-now you have the hide with the paw and head attached.  At this point I usually transport the hide back to camp as the rest is more tedious.
5.  bear’s head

-mouth- know where the eyes are and start trimming around the gums between the teeth and hide trimming back the hide off the upper and lower jaws.  The lower jaw is easy but on the upper jaw be sure and leave plenty of nose cartilage on the hide. I try and stay pretty close to the bone one the entire head. old scares and wounds often adhere the hide to bone.
-eyes and ears-  as you carefully skin pull the hide inside out over the skull toward the eyes, and ears.  cut the ear cartilage close to the head and continue. When you come to the eye again stay close to the skull and cut deeply into the socket freeing up all the hide, tear ducts etc with the hide.
-with the eyes and ears done finish the head and be proud. (remember the skull is a neat trophy!!)
6.  paws

-I cut around the large pad on each foot and skin the pad off the bones of the foot toward the outside (lateral), leaving the pad attached to the hide just on the lateral side.
-now tie the middle bone of the foot to something above you the do the tedious work of slowly skinning down the foot toward the claws.
-using the traction of the cord or small rope this process is time consuming but not difficult.
-trim down to the last joint so just the bone with the claw attached is left.  I promise it can be done!!  Then cut the boney foot off the hide
-there are usually four paws making for lots of toes so get all your buddies involved on this part.
7.  lips, nose and ears

-ear- I use a thin tipped stick and skin the thin skin from the carilage out to the tip of the ear.  This requires the tiniest blade and most patience but again not rocket science.  the tip of the ear will have almost no thickness to it when your done.
-lips- skin the gums separating them from the hide.  this cut starts where you first cut the gums.  Again, leave no real thickness so the salt can do its work on cureing.
-nose- with the hide inside out you can skin the cartilage off the hide but leave the cartilage hanging. About 1/8th inch thickness is all you dare allow for the edges of nose, lips and ears.
8.  cleaning up the hide

-no magic here.  Now clean the fat and muscle off the hide so the salt can hit the real hide.  I doesn’t have to be perfect but DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!!
9.  salting (approx 20# of fine salt per beast)
-salt the hide under rain protection.
-spread the hide out and rub the salt into the fleshy side of the hide EVERYWHERE.
-get the salt into eyes, paws, ears everywhere and spread it out evenly.
-I leave it out if it can be watched or carefully roll it up and put it in a porous bag.
-the salt will suck out a lot of moisture, drying the hide and setting the hair.
-usually i leave the salt on the hide for 24 hours and re salt the entire hide or at least areas that appear to need more salt.
-you can reuse the more dry salt.
Well, good going, and or good luck.  I hope this helps.  You’ll enjoy the process and the process make the trophy more yours.