Deer Hides

[noclue]

My father and I have a butcher shop in wyoming co. and we will have aprox 50 or more untanned deer hides for sale this year. The price is $10 for an entire hide. I can salt the hides to preserve them temporarly but they will need to be tanned. Shipping may be possible at an extra cost? Send me a pm or email. Thanks.

 

[littlelehigh]

Why don't you just donate a few to the awsome board members here who have helped you out with all your questions over the last few months.
Anyone willing to tan it themselves would surely pay the shipping.

That's just me and what I would do.

 

[PSH]

Does anyone know any good reference material for learning how to tan deer hides?

 

[reds]

PSH, I cannot help on that, but I have OK Bests book on dyeing and treating and I believe he recomends against tanning deer hides if you wish to dye the material any other colors because the dye does not take properly.

I have a hide in my basement which i treated with Borax and salt and dried in my old attic for a summer. It was the hottest driest place I could find and well ventilated. It is still in good condition and the hair is in perfect shape. I treated it this way so I could dye sections later for tying sculpins, but never got around to dyeing them.

 

[PSH]

Thanks, Reds. I'll give the salt and borax approach a shot. I have an attic above a garage that gets hot and dry. Ventilation is OK.

Did you have any problems with moths or other vermin?

 

[reds]

I did not have any problems, no mice in that house, my new place that could be a problem. I believe the borax is supposed to take care of that. The other thing is nail it to a board before it dries, the area I used was unfunished pine planks so it was easy for me.

 

[noclue]

In response to Little Lehighs suggestion as to giving these deer hides away.
My father is the one that owns the butcher shop and controls what is done there. The butcher shop is not a steady business but instead a service that is provided for hunters to take their deer to be processed. The main reason my father processes deer is to be able to pay the taxes on his property. Thats it! there is no profit for him other than paying his taxes. He is 70 years old and lives on a $1000 a month S.S check. He is mearly trying to make ends meet. When he called the guy that buys the deer hides he told my dad to throw them away because they were worth nothing this year and he would not even pick them up. So instead of throwing them over the bank I thought that since I see the price of one buck tail in the fly shops cost $75 why not try to sell an entire hide for a mear fraction of the cost of a single tail to help him pay his taxes. My father has always done for other people when he could at one time the man had a 2 million dollar a year company that he lost everything he ever owned when he was stuck for 1.3 million. And rather than keep what money he had he dicided to pay people that he owed because he was afraid of somebody else being put in his positon. When my father was thrieving in business he donated plenty to his community.
Maybe it would be better if he just sold his access rights to the 1 mile of trout stream that runs thru his property to someone like Donny Beaver then he would not have to worry about paying the taxes. Or maybe he should just close his section of the creek and make it a private club, both of which I'm sure would cause an up roar here. While he could possibly do either one of those, my father who was an avid fly fisherman for large mouth bass would not because he enjoys walking the stream in the spring and watching people enjoying themselves catching stocked fish.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone her by trying to help my father. I believe any of you would do the same for your dads. I appreciate all the help from all the board members here that have helped me this year with my flyfishing. Enough said!!

 

[Fishidiot]

Noclue,
I have no problem with you trying to sell some deer hides for your dad. Sounds like a good idea to me and $10 is very reasonable. You might also put in a query to a local leather shop, taxidermist, or tannery as they might be interested. However, unless you miss-tyed, I think you might be a bit off on the value of a bucktail. Single deer tails typically sell for only a few dollars (not $75) as your post seems to imply.

 

[noclue]

Sorry, it was to be $7.50 my mistake. Hides are gone! Dad threw them over the bank as directed.