How to prep deer skin?

L

Lavid2002

New member
Hey guys, I am looking to get my first deer this fall with a bow, and since it is too expensive for me to mount the deer I would like to keep the skin at least (And maybe find a cool display box for the arrow)


I have done squirrel hides before but they always come out rock hard. (Staple it to a piece of wood and use salt and baking soda on the skin after skimming off all the fat + meat.)

How do you treat a deer hide? Is this something I can do relatively easily?

Thanks guys!

-Dave
 
There are some really good and relatively cheap products at outdoor stores. I don't know where you are from, but by me scheels allsports has some good stuff. They come with instructions.
 
The original way makes a leather that is very soft yet very strong . It's a labor intensive job ! As I remember the hide is soaked in water with ashes which will remove the hair . It's then treated with the brains of the animal..It's also worked - stretched etc.
 
Look at taxidermy supply stores. You can buy hide tanning kits that have all the stuff you need to make hair-on or hair-off tanned hides, and complete instructions for using the kits.
 
Or... Do a search here for "hide tanning".

The best prices I have ever seen on deer/elk/bear/cougar/antelope/gator tanning was a place highly recommended on this forum. (can't remember the name - I think the place was in Georgia)

If you don't want a green hide (actual color, not metaphorical "green"), it's probably best to send it out. I understand the desire to do it yourself, but I've never seen a successful DIY-tanning operation from one of the kits. They come out green, or start to fall apart within a year.

If you're going to send it out:

For hair-off:
Clean all meat, fat, and flesh from the hide.
Spread a 1/4" to 1/2" layer of fine salt (not iodized, and "table salt" sized granules) on the inside of the hide, and roll it up tightly.
Seal in multiple trash bags. And store in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight, until you can ship it out. (In warm climates, you may have to refrigerate the hide, and get shipped out quickly.)

For hair-on:
Clean all meat, fat, and flesh from the hide.
Roll the hide tightly.
Double, or triple, bag it.
Freeze immediately.
Contact the tanning company, and ask what care measures you need to take (for hair-on, most companies have different preferences for preservation).
-Or-
Call before you go hunting, and take those preservation measures as soon as the hide is cleaned up.

I'm all for doing things myself, but tanning has a steep learning curve (or used to - I haven't even seen a DIY attempt in 12-15 years). If you absolutely want a good hide, send it out. If you're more interested in learning the process, I'm all for trying it at home.
 
The reason it came out stiff,,,

Was that you essentially made rawhide.

There is a product available through your local Tandy Leather store,,,
It's called "Tannit".

Scrape the hide real well and apply the Tannit as per the instructions,,,
It's labor intensive but it will work to do one hide.

Good luck,,,

.
 
Indians used a oak stump filled with water, the tannic acid in the oak soaks into the hide tanning it. Do some research at the library and you will find it isnt all that hard to do.

We did some back in the late 60s like this as a boy scout thing. Dad had a jacket made from them hides by a guy name Mannheimer, had a place on 7nd st. here in Omaha but the tornado of 75 took his shop and scattered hides mink etc all over. We picked em up and gave em back to him Dad got a coat for almost free.

Another man I know uses a old refrigeratr on its back filled with the liquid tannic acid mix.
 
You may also consider what is called a european mount if you get some horns.
It is just horns and bleached white skull mounted.It can be a DYI cheap.
You might look in Cabelas,the have a kit.
"The Book of Buckskinning" is one the Rendevous folks refer to a lot.You may find what you need in there.
It will be a brain tan.Thing is,if you are in a CWD area I wouldn't play with deer brains.I think there are substitutes.There is also something about smoking the skin.It will be stiff,but then the hide is worked.Its all in the book
Good luck.
De-hairing is a project.
 
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Some years ago, a friend of mine had a 3/4 length deer-hide coat made out of several hides. He had the hair left on and natural color.. Didn't think I'd like the hair-on design but coat was absolutely beautiful. Don't know where he sent hides to but this coat was one of the warmest, water-proof coats I've ever had on.
ALSO THE HEAVIEST.
 
I still do an occasional hide or two every year.

Assuming you want hair on.

Always wash the hide. I use dawn dish soap and change the water several times.

Stretch and scrape the hide.

After a couple of days, scrape it and re-salt it.

Once you get it salted and dried (Use non-ionized salt) you need to break the hide.

This is done by using something like a board set at an angle (I use a 4x4 mounted at a 45 degree angle. Run the hide back and forth over the 4x4 until it starts to fold pretty easy.

If you have an old clothes dryer, throw a pair of work boots in it and set it to tumble with no heat. (If I remember correctly you said in another post you were not married. If you are married, DO NOT use your wifes' dryer, trust me.:()

Then you need to use a leather preservative that will soak into the hide and soften it. I have used mink oil (like the shoe polish), Hubbards Shoe oil and things like that.
 
Krotann Whitetail 2000 and stock salt for 4 days, neutralize with baking soda for 4 minutes, wash with laundry detergent and rinse thoroughly. Drip dry and tack hair side down to 4x8 plywood to dry. Oil with neatsfoot and break in the dryer with a couple of pairs of old boots on unheated air dry until the flesh side is uniform white. A quart will do about 4 average whitetail hides. Not poison, very forgiving, excellent results.
 
If you intend on saving the hide and having it tanned, then scrape the inside, lay it down on a tarp, cover the inside with rocksalt, roll it up into a tight roll and put into a bag. Cloth bag is best, but plastic will do. Store in a shady place untill you come home and then proceed to a tanner or if you really want to, get a tanning kit. I tried tanning once. The mess and stench was terrific. I send it out to get it done.
 
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