processing | Alligator Hunting

There are two methods may be used to temporarily preserve and/or cure an alligator skin until it can be sold or sent to a tannery. The first method is through repeated salting of the hide and storing it in a cool, dry location. Method two (which utilizes some similar techniques to method one) is through the use of a brine solution.

Alligator Hide Curing – Method 1

After an alligator has been skinned, the hide should be scraped thoroughly using a knife, a piece of metal pipe or another appropriate object until all bits of meat, fat, etc. are removed. After scraping, salt the hide with approximately one inch of white, fine grade table or mixing salt (available at most feed and seed stores). Thoroughly rub the salt into the hide, then roll the hide tightly, secure it and store it in a cool place. After 3-5 days, unroll the hide, discard the salt and repeat the salting procedure as described above. Re-roll the hide tightly and band with a one-inch rubber band or other rubber tubing. Store the rolled hide in a cool, dry place until transported for validation. Continue reading How to Cure an Alligator Hide

First, if you have a gator to skin, congratulations on a successful alligator hunt. If you plan on heading out for a gator, then good luck. Now, like a cat, there is more than one way to skin an alligator. The first method is a belly skin. This save the belly to make alligator products. The scutes or osteoderms are the bony plates embedded in the back skin of an alligator. They give the alligator the bumpy appearance and protect the alligator. This first skinning method leaves the belly skin of the alligator intact and is the preferred method if the hide is to be sold or tanned and made into leather goods.

This method consists of making an incision on each side of the alligator (leaving one to two rows of osteoderms or scutes along the belly side) and on the top of each leg and then removing the hide with the belly skin intact. The underside of the skull also should be skinned with the rest of the belly. The back skin of the alligator with the osteoderms or scutes in it can then be removed and discarded or kept according to your wishes. Because of the difficulty of tanning the osteoderms, the back skin is not considered very useful and most often is discarded. Continue reading How to Skin an Alligator