Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

DRESSING GAME AND FISH 275quite a task to skin a bear, as the beast usually iscovered with fat, which adheres to the hide andmust be scraped free. All of the caul fat shouldbe saved for rendering into bear's oil, which isbetter and wholesomer than lard. The brain,liver, and milt (spleen) are good eating.Owing to its greasiness, the skin of a bear isvery likely to spoil unless carefully scraped, especiallyat the ears. Slit the ears open on the inside,skin them back almost to the edge, and fill withsalt; also salt the base of the ears. The feet likewisemust be skinned out and well salted.Preserving Skins.— If a hide is to be preservedfor some time in a green state, use nothingon it but salt. Spread it out flat, hair side down,stretch the legs, flanks, etc., and rub all partsthoroughly with salt, particular pains being takento leave no little fold untreated. A moose-hidewill take ten or even fifteen pounds of salt. Assoon as the salting is done, fold in the legs androllthe hide up.Methods of tanning, and of making buckskinand rawhide, will be discussed in Volume II.Care of Meat.— When a deer has merelybeen eviscerated and is hung up to be skinned, andcut up at a more convenient season, prop open theabdomJnal cavity with a stick, so that it may dryout quickly. If the weather is warm enough atany hour of the day for flies to come out, keep asmudge going under the carcass.* It takes fliesbut a few minutes to raise Ned with venison. Ifblows are discovered on the meat, remove them,looking especially at all folds and nicks in themeat, and around the bones, for the blows workinto such places very quickly. So long as theyhave not bored into the flesh they do it no harm,A surer way is described by Doctor Breck:* This means in ramp, where there is someone to look afterit. Do not leave a smudge to take care of itself out in thewoods: a wind springing up in your absence may cause it toset the forest afire.