In The Eyes of a Tanner - Part 1
Hello folks it’s me; Mark Marlette the proud owner of H&H Fur Dressing, Inc.
What I’m about to do today is try and explain the process that a skin goes through when it arrives at the
tannery. But, first we must look at a few things that make up the body of the skin and how you can
prevent your skins from becoming “Untannable.”
This will be in several parts as we begin to break down the process from the very beginning and yes, this
starts with you. Why you? Well, if you’re the hunter or the person responsible for the taking of an
animal, then it all begins with you…..Well, Mother Nature does play a role here but, pretty much how
your skin will finish, will depend on you and what you do after you’ve “Bagged the Big One. “
So, here we go; Part 1
Many things begin to happen to the skin and animal literally minutes after it is harvested. Let’s face it;
Mother Nature is not friendly to us after death. The body will start the decomposition process as soon
as the heart stops pumping blood to the vital organs. The first process is called Algor Mortis. This is
when the body temperature begins its decline also known as the “Death Chill.” It will drop about 1.5
degrees Fahrenheit every hour until it reaches room temperature so to speak. Now of course, this will
depend on the outside temperature. If you’re hunting in a very cold climate, the outside of the skin will
match the actual outdoor temperature more rapidly than obviously the interior of the carcass. Almost
immediately, the blood becomes more acidic as carbon dioxide builds up. This in turn causes the cells to
split open, emptying enzymes into the tissues, which start to digest themselves from within.
The next step we have what is called Livor Mortis. This is where gravity plays its role as blood will begin
to pool in the tissues as there is no way for it to pump through the cells. In fact, coroners can tell almost
exactly what time a person died by the heavy purple splotches on the lower parts of the body. So, after
you’ve recovered your animal and want to do a photo-op where it lays….Well, you get the picture.
Let’s move on to; yes you guessed it, Rigor Mortis. We’ve all experienced it (figuratively speaking) but,
what is it? In the bodies of humans and animals we have a protein called “calcium” that leaches out
through the bones weakening them with age and eventually causing bone fractures. What does this
have to do with the stiffness that is so common in Rigor Mortis and in an animal when trying to gut it?
You know what I mean; trying to keep the hind legs apart and run a knife. Well, let me explain. There
are pumps in the membranes of the muscle cells that regulate calcium. When the pumps stop working
in death, calcium floods the cells, causing the muscles to contract and stiffen. This is Rigor Mortis. It
usually starts three hours after death and peaks after somewhere around twelve hours.
Let’s move on to the pancreas as this will help explain putrefaction. Mammals, birds, reptiles and
amphibians all have a pancreas. The pancreas has two distinct populations of cells. The exocrine cells
secrete enzymes into the digestive tract and the endocrine cells secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
Putrefaction follows Rigor Mortis. Enzymes in the pancreas make the organs begin to digest themselves.
Microbes and enzymes will team up and turn the body green from the belly upwards. You really see this
in coyotes, bear and raccoons. This is because they have so much bacteria living in their bellies. In fact;
there can be as many as 100 trillion bacteria floating around in the guts. The belly can bloat so much so
that it will eventually explode causing a volcano (if you were to watch it in slow motion) of interior
matter. As this bacterium breaks down, it releases putrescine and cadaverine. Putrescine is an oily
amine from arginine and cadaverine is diamine both are produced by the breakdown of amino acids in
living and dead organisms. This is what causes that foul smell you get when driving down the road in
the summer months with the window down. And all this time you thought it was your deodorant.
Nope, it’s just an organic chemical compound created to help speed up the decaying process.
Sometimes you can’t even see the dead animal but you sure know its there.
So now that we know what happens just minutes after pulling the trigger, you can see the importance of
finding your game, getting the guts out and chilling it as soon as possible. I know, I know. You want to
drive around town for the next few days showing off your trophy, then just hang it in the tree to age for
a couple more days, then off to the processor and last but not least, “The Taxidermy Shop” so you can
proudly display it in all its glory in your man or woman cave. Well, my friends, if your taxidermists calls
and tells you your cape or skin is slipping, now you’ll be more educated in knowing why. My thoughts
are this; cape or skin the animal as soon as you can and get it to your taxidermist. In warmer months it’s
extremely important to get that skin off the carcass and either freeze it or get fine table grain salt on it
to stop the bacteria from destroying your trophy. And folks, PLEASE do not put salt on it and then pop it
into the freezer. When you do this it really defeats to purpose. Either freeze it or salt it. When I say salt
it, I mean salt it. Really lay it on and rub it into the skin side.
In Part 2 we will take a deeper look at bacteria. So until then, enjoy your days!!
