Tanned deer hides "unboxing"

Pneumothorax · Mar 4, 2015

I hate wasting venison of course. But the thought of just throwing away the hides doesn't sit well with me either. So instead I save them all to be tanned. I've used Sebring Custom Tanning in FL for the last couple years and they've done a nice job.

I roll the hides up and keep them in the freezer. At some point after season ends, I'll thaw, salt, and send them to Sebring in a batch. This last batch that arrived today (from the 2013 season) was 7 hides that I had done in natural color with the hair off. The cost was $191 plus my shipping cost to them.

It does take many months. This batch was shipped to them in May of 2014 and just arrived today. I have 2014's batch of hides in the freezer now waiting to be thawed, salted, and shipped.

Years ago (when I guess I had more patience) I brain tanned my own hides. The end result is the softest, fluffiest leather you've ever felt! But is sure is labor intensive. Takes lots of time and elbow grease to do the job right. Cheaper though for sure.

Anyway, just some info and pics I thought I'd share in case anyone was interested in an option for turning their deer hides into leather. I'm not associated with Sebring in any way other than being a regular customer. And I have found some others online that will turn your hide into gloves and lots of other things. More cost associated with those services of course.

BowChilling · Mar 4, 2015

Thanks for sharing this! Couple of questions. How clean do you have to have the hides as far as fleshing goes, before you send them? How soft is the finished leather?

Again thanks for sharing.

Pneumothorax · Mar 4, 2015

BowChilling said:
Thanks for sharing this! Couple of questions. How clean do you have to have the hides as far as fleshing goes, before you send them? How soft is the finished leather?

Again thanks for sharing.

You're welcome!!

I currently use what I call "the golf ball technique" with a boat winch to skin my deer. I use a knife to make the initial slits but then I use fingers and fists and the knife gets put away once the winch starts pulling. The hides come off pretty close to 100% clean of any muscle at all.

However, if you do have chunks or strips of meat on there, I'd either leave it on or scrape it off carefully as opposed to slicing it off. Those little knife slits trying to get that meat off there might be doing more harm than good. And they do scrape the flesh sides during the tanning process.

So bottom line is, I've sent them hides with "a little" meat still on there and they came back just fine. But I try my best to have no meat at all (and no knife marks at all).

The finished product is quite soft. How soft? Good question. What to compare it to? I guess imagine a pair of deerskin gloves. Soft but durable if that makes sense. The neck area is the thickest and stiffest.

Bow Only · Mar 5, 2015

I send mine to Seminole Fur Dressing. It costs a little more than what you're getting but I do them with the hair on.

jerry russell · Mar 5, 2015

A great use of the resource. Thanks for sharing.

bowhunterdavid · Mar 5, 2015

Thanks for sharing also, I would like a few with the hair on, just curious do you display them are use them to make stuff?

Pneumothorax · Mar 5, 2015

jerry russell said:
A great use of the resource. Thanks for sharing.

bowhunterdavid said:
Thanks for sharing also, I would like a few with the hair on, just curious do you display them are use them to make stuff?

I had the same question for Bow Only about what he does with his with the hair on.

As for what I do with mine, I have a man cave / office that has arrow curtain rods draped with tanned deer hides. That's pretty much it as far as display. And I've made many small pouches. Ex: eyeglass "sleeves", car GPS pouches, things like that. And I've made many Native American style pouches that have been given as gifts. They usually have some sort of antler button worked in. My latest was a leather back quiver that has a bunch of deerskin fringe. I like it!

Mostly, I just hoard them. :biggrin3:

I have way more tanned hides than projects (or skill) to turn them into something. But still I keep them for when that day comes. Please don't ask my wife about my boxes of deerskin. :hair:

Nicodemus · Mar 5, 2015

Nice skins. They look good. Natural color is good too.

Pneumothorax · Mar 5, 2015

BowChilling said:
Thanks for sharing this! Couple of questions. How clean do you have to have the hides as far as fleshing goes, before you send them? How soft is the finished leather?

Again thanks for sharing.

I was thinking...I have my 2014 batch of hides in the freezer to thaw, salt, and ship. If I remember, I'll take pics and post here of how they look on the flesh side before sending them in.

BowChilling · Mar 5, 2015

Pneumothorax said:
I was thinking...I have my 2014 batch of hides in the freezer to thaw, salt, and ship. If I remember, I'll take pics and post here of how they look on the flesh side before sending them in.

Good deal! Thanks again for the info! I think I'll save mine next year and send them in. :cheers:

Bow Only · Mar 5, 2015

I've got 4 or 5 rustic hides laying around that are used for decoration. This Wisconsin buck's hair is so thick, it's like a carpet.

crackerdave · Mar 5, 2015

Some taxidermists will let you send your hides to the tannery with theirs.They use hair on,for mounts,but you can order hair off.
A young doe has a softer hide.Last time I sent any,it was $30 each.Well worth fifty bucks if you ever tanned one before. :pop:

Nicodemus · Mar 5, 2015

They are nice to stand on when it`s cold outside, and nice in a chair too.

Pneumothorax · Mar 5, 2015

Nicodemus said:
They are nice to stand on when it`s cold outside, and nice in a chair too.

Now THAT is how you sit around the fire!!!

bowhunterdavid · Mar 5, 2015

Pneumothorax said:
Now THAT is how you sit around the fire!!!

I couldn't agree more. :cheers:

GTHunter007 · Mar 6, 2015

I bet they would make pretty sweet seat covers for loc-ons or replacement seats on some climbers. Just sew them up around a pad and you are set.

Very cool!

Nicodemus · Mar 6, 2015

Pneumothorax said:
Now THAT is how you sit around the fire!!!

Thanks. I`ve set on that deerskin a many a mighty cold mornin` while turnin` on the "central heat unit".

Nugefan · Mar 6, 2015

Nicodemus said:
Thanks. I`ve set on that deerskin a many a mighty cold mornin` while turnin` on the "central heat unit".

or throwing pine burrs at Klem to keep the fire going ...

Nicodemus · Mar 6, 2015

Nugefan said:
or throwing pine burrs at Klem to keep the fire going ...

Until he got big and strong enough to throw me out the top of those smoke flaps.

Even when he was a little bitty knot, he could build a flint and steel fire fast as anybody I ever saw.

rjcruiser · Mar 9, 2015

Very cool. I'm amazed at the price. I once had a taxidermist do one for me with hair on and it was $75. $25 sure sounds a lot better.

So...my questions are these...after skinning...freezing etc etc. You take them out...thaw them and then salt them. Do you use just regular table salt? Does the skin not harden when you salt them? I would figure it would dry out and get stiff as a board and be impossible to roll up.

Tanned deer hides "unboxing"

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