Author Topic: Curing a deer hide  (Read 13587 times)

Offline knurren

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Curing a deer hide
« on: Oct 24, 2008, 12:35:12 PM »
Not to get too far ahead of myself, I wanted to throw this topic out there now so I'm ready if I do get a deer.

Have any of you kept your deer skins?  I don't really want to tan it, I want the fur left on it so I can use it for fly tying and things like that.  I may eventually tan one, but for now I'd like to just get the whole hide.  Any suggestions on what I might need to do this and how to do it?

Thanks  :)

Offline adkRoy

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #1 on: Oct 24, 2008, 01:42:41 PM »
If you don't want to tan it here is what you can do.  Get a large piece of 1/4 inch or thicker ply wood.  Stretch the hide and tack it down to the ply wood.  Then take a knife and slowly, and carefully scrape every bit of meat and fat off the hide.  Then, when you are done, salt the heck out of it and keep it dry. Let it stand a few weeks and you should be good.
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Offline HuntinFool

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #2 on: Oct 24, 2008, 05:33:34 PM »
i work for D&C Expediters and Taxidermy of Butte Montana and Anchorage Alaska: When you get your deer, skin it as close to the hide as you can. take your time if needed, so you wont have as much to flesh later..... now when you get the hide ready to flesh, take an ulu or roundknife, sharpen it as best you can, and in a downward direction gently scrape the fat and excess flesh off the hide. deer hide is very thin so unless you dont mind holes be careful. after you are finished with the fleshing, take salt and rub it all over.... adkroy is right just salt the hell out of it, and keep it dry, within a few days it should be fairly good.
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Offline ALASKANSS

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #3 on: Oct 25, 2008, 09:31:54 AM »
i keep the tail vac sealed in the freezer for tying flies

Offline knurren

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #4 on: Oct 25, 2008, 10:45:15 PM »
Thanks, everyone.  I never thought of vacuum sealing and freezing it.  I just keep thinking of all the comparaduns I can tie with a full deer pelt.

Fly tying is one of the reasons I want to get into ducks, turkeys, pheasants, and other small game next year.  I honestly don't have the time this year, but it'd be great to not have to buy pheasant tails, duck biots, and stuff like that.  Not to mention all the meat in my freezer for winter.


Offline HuntinFool

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #5 on: Oct 26, 2008, 10:56:58 PM »
im goin to kodiak island on halloween to hunt blacktails, foxes and we have a brown bear tag. limit for me is 6 bucks,  (the biggest, most beautiful, most various color phases ever). Id like to bring home a few deer pelts and as many fox pelts as i can. as well as a few skulls.
Ive Hunted Almost Everyday Of My Life, The Rest Have Been Wasted

Offline knurren

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #6 on: Oct 28, 2008, 06:55:11 AM »
Someday I want to get out to either Vancouver or Alaska to hunt brown and black bears.  I've seen some of the boats they have out there and they have really nice set ups.

Also, some of the moose buggies they have with gin poles and all that... it's very cool to hunt in AK.

Good luck on your hunt.  Bring a grizzly claw back for me  ;D

Offline HuntinFool

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #7 on: Oct 28, 2008, 02:18:13 PM »
we're not huntin from a boat. we're just gettin dropped off in the middle of nowhere and huntin by ourselves, we got a 2 room cabin rented for the duration (10 days). i think that will be way cooler than on a boat. ill never hire a guide to take me hunting....hell, most of the guides i know here barely know what theyr doing anyhow. especially the younger guys, which is the majority. you learn more if you do it yourself i think and it feels more like a real accomplishment
Ive Hunted Almost Everyday Of My Life, The Rest Have Been Wasted

Offline AD

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #8 on: Nov 25, 2008, 01:31:24 PM »
If you don't want to tan it here is what you can do.  Get a large piece of 1/4 inch or thicker ply wood.  Stretch the hide and tack it down to the ply wood.  Then take a knife and slowly, and carefully scrape every bit of meat and fat off the hide.  Then, when you are done, salt the heck out of it and keep it dry. Let it stand a few weeks and you should be good.

Would this work if you were just going to hang it on a garage/den wall?      I wouldnt need the hide to be soft/pliable but something that I could have on a den or a game room, or inside of a garage wall. 
....  You can't eat the antlers ....

Offline Bailbuster

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #9 on: Nov 25, 2008, 02:58:01 PM »
Borax and Van Dykes Instant preserve?

Offline gunner

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Re: Curing a deer hide
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2010, 11:17:01 AM »
We use to use salt and borax--dries them right up..  My father used to wash the tail with soap and water and hang it up to dry---we would sometimes dye them or leave them white and tie jigs for fishing.  Gunner

 


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