Anyone tan a seal?

I have a personal seal license and am allowed 6 seals a year. I’m going to send 5 to the tannery but would like to try one myself. Anyone on here ever attempt to tan one? They are unbelievably oily. Not sure if the alum/washing soda tan would work on them.

The one time I allegedly might have maybe skinned one ,the amount of oil was shocking, other then some kind of commercial degreaser I don't know how you'd get it oil free. YMMV

They would require some serious degreasing, and lots of shaving. If you’re able to get those two things done, should tan up similar to other skins. Curious to hear any first hand accounts.

How big is it?Some seals are as big as a bear.
You can totally de-grease it with gas.
But be careful not to blow yourself up.

Ok I’ll try the gas. I was reading a bit today that mineral spirits might work as well. The 3 I have are grey seals. 300 -350lbs each. We get the really big 800-1000 lb ones here in the spring.

Would you flesh then salt the skin for a few days before degreasing or flesh then put it right in the gasoline?

Use a commercial degreaser. Its not worth all the dangers to save a few pennies. Honestly its probably about the same cost. Just follow normal tanning procedures, just like a coon or coyote. Though you may end up wanting to degrease multiple times. If there’s any question if its degreased enough, it probably isn’t.

I do skunks in gas after pickling.Gas really works well for degreasing but you have to wash and air out the skins if you use reg gas.naphtha will evaporate without leaving a smell.Never use any gas indoors to degrease skins-always outdoors.And dont light up a cig.If using gas to degrease keep it in a sealed container at all times.The big gobs of fat from the skin will be in the bottom of the container,and the gas can be poured off and re used indefinitely.Follow the same safety procedures as you do when using naphtha to dip traps in thinned paint.-Outdoors and away from any sparks.
I degrease stuff before the pickle with dish soap and a scrubrush.That is sufficient for the majority of the skins I tan at home.
If you're scared to blow yourself up,dont do it.

But Nova put in your will who gets your traps if you blow yourself up.

Don't forget the skulls if they are not blown up

Lol, I’ll be sure to have my duds in order as they say before I start

Nova you might ask this in the Wilderness trapping forum. Some of the Alaskans may have some insight to add.

Osky

How do you catch seals? Can you post any pictures? Sounds very interesting since most of us will never have that opportunity.
Thanks

Ok thanks !

We hunt them, I use a 22-250 and try to get a shot while they are on a rock out of water. But if they are in an area that’s only 15-20 ft deep then it’s fair game once they are in the water. We use a treble hook similar to what you would see on swamp people for retrieving from underwater.
I only have one picture on my phone but I will try to take a few next day I get out.
This was a really nice one. Around 300 lbs

Good that you have clear water

bow with a fish arrow works as well.
That will be some nice rendered oil when done with the scrapings

Well, now I’ve just added something to my bucket list that will never happen. But boy does that sound like fun.

I would try GUNK. It is a good engine cleaner. Dawn dish soap. Wouldn't you flesh them like a raccoon? Never seen or worked on a seal.

I know that you use the oil , but what does the meat taste like ?

That sounds like a heck of a time!! Thank you for the pictures,.

It is a lot of fun!
It’s usually long shots and small targets. Head shot is the only way to stop them in their tracks. That one was a 190 yard shot.
The meat is extremely dark and is similar in texture to duck but with a slight gamey/fishy taste. They say it is one of the healthiest meats you can eat. Very high in omega 3.

Was given a gallon of rendered seal oil it makes the best marten/ fisher lure when spread on the trees. No more skunk lure for me to rub up against and come home smelling.

You should get 50$ a gallon.

It is an excellent stand alone lure or can be used as a base. As long as it is naturally rendered and not the filtered commercial stuff. I’m going to try making a k9 lure with some as a base this spring.

I had a brother-in-law stationed in Newfoundland that brought a stuffed white one back when I was a kid. Kids all wanted to come to my house to see it. Then after I grew up and everybody tired of it, I left it upstairs in the the big crate it came in for a couple years and weevils or some kind of worms ate it up, lol.

How about the degreaser solution in the car wash? I dont know just guessing. Did not realize they got that big, walrus's yes, but not seals......jk

How do the Eskimo and Inuit do them ?

I can neither confirm nor deny that I have shot and skinned an animal such as a seal which is protected by the marine mammals protection act.

You could try to contact Caribou on here (Chip Hailstone). His wife Agnes and daughters all have worked on seal skins on "Life Below Zero" and could no doubt pass along some tips.

Being a fisherman I don’t have much love for them. And with a population of over 400000 just along our coast they most definitely should not be protected. I’m still working on my commercial license and once I finish my time to acquire that I plan to hunt them as hard as I can. Not that it will make any difference at this point.
If they looked like an alligator we could have a tv show about hunting them.

Do you get to hunt the big ones in the spring you mentioned?

Yes we do get a few weeks at them. They usually show up the first part of April.
Only allowed 6 a year on my personal license. They are almost too big to handle

When I was younger,even though it was dangerous I always wanted to go out on the spring pack ice for whitecoats.never got the opportunity unfortunately.

Looks like a tuna body, solid as heck!

Inthe early 1900s, there was a porpoise factory in Hatteras, NC. Their hide was used for ladies handbags and the flesh was processed for oil. A few bricks remain on the sound side where it once stood.

Bet they were oily also.

Skip is that you? Don’t “poach” a pen deer but infer its ok and perhaps comical to poach a seal.

A pen deer? not sure where you got that from. And the seal in question was in a remote area in the Bering sea. The circumstances surrounding the seals there and the situation are too complicated to explain to anyone who thinks a deer on a ranch in Texas is a pen deer.