What parts of the deer hide to keep for tying?

[BrookieChaser]

I know I can use the tail and the back hair. Is there any more of the hide I ought to keep? Also should I salt it or just let it dry? My deer hair supply is running low.

I usually just sell the hides, but it ain't worth the fuel money to have a guy haggle with me over $3. I told him the last time I'll throw it in the woods before I bring anymore.

I plan to tie some mice patterns, plus I use deer hair for the tails on my Wullf variations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lv2nymph]

Depending on length you can use the hair on the head for comparadons, the hair though out the body is different lengths have a look and find the different lengths and colors too. What I do with pieces of the hide I'm keeping is scrape as much of the fat and meat off as you can, and pin it to a board stretching a little as you go. Sprinkle some borax on it, let it sit about a week and check it. It should be starting to stiffen up, dump borax off un pin it and scrape anything that will come off. Pin it back down and add some more borax repeat as necessary until completely dry. You pin it down so it will not curl up on you. The buck I just shot in archery has a beautiful swath of black hair tipped with a mahogany tan color from his neck down to his tail about 10" or so wide, beautiful markings. It's drying in the shed as we speak. :-D

 

[BrookieChaser]

Thanks. I'll take a look at it. It had a really cool patch of hair on the chest, it was coal black with a white stripe. It looked similar to a black bear marking.

I may skin some of the head off too if I know exactly what I need.

Your borax method sounds like the same method I use, except I use salt.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I found this link. I thought it may be helpful to someone in the future.

http://globalflyfisher.com/staff/helm/selecting/chart.html

 

[BrookieChaser]

I kept a little more than a square foot of each section listed on that diagram, plus the mask.

I figure I'll have enough deer hair to last the rest of my life.

 

[PENZZZ]

With deer hair another consideration is the date the deer was harvested. The length and degree of hollowness will vary between the earliest harvest date and winter. My 1977 deer was taken on the first day of the early archery season, and was tanned professionally. It wasn't until recently that I took it out of storage and cut into squares. The short and fine hairs make nice over wings on caddis dry flies with just the right amount of flare. Ties similar to elk hair.

Jeff

 

[delta_dog]

The buck I just shot in archery has a beautiful swath of black hair tipped with a mahogany tan color from his neck down to his tail about 10" or so wide, beautiful markings. It's drying in the shed as we speak.

I can't wait to tie with it. ;-)

 

[lv2nymph]

Just happen to have a piece with your name on it.

 

[Stenonema]

Brookie, Don't use salt. I also used salt at one time. The salt will draw the moisture out of the leather but it will not preserve it the way borax will. The grease or fat that is left after the salt will draw moths and moths will destroy everything. I have cured pheasant, grouse, woodcock as well as deer tails with borax. Some of them were over twenty years ago. Borax is the way to go.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Thanks for the advice Stenonema. I'll get some borax today. I didn't know there was a difference in the way the leather dried between using it and salt. I guess that's why taxidermists use borax.

 

[Stenonema]

Take pictures along the way. I have wanted to do the very same thing. Different uses for the different sections of hair. So many different options, textures, colors, lengths, thickness, hollowness. Like someone mentioned earlier the time of the year that the deer was harvested weighs in. Very interesting.

 

[sandfly]

salt for animals and borax for birds
borax does not get all the moisture out of hides and they can still go rancid. salt is best method while the skin is streatched. when its all done at least 3 times salting and scraping then you can put some borax on to help keep the critters out. bird skin has no moisture so all you need to do is borax between sheets of newspaper and lay something heavy on top for a few weeks.
Guys I've been prepping this stuff for fly shops since 1966 and it's the only proper way of doing it to keep from getting ruined materials.

 

[Stenonema]

Thanks Sand.... Good info.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Thanks Sandfly. I guess I'll keep the borax until the end and stick with the salt.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Stenonema wrote:
Take pictures along the way. I have wanted to do the very same thing. Different uses for the different sections of hair. So many different options, textures, colors, lengths, thickness, hollowness. Like someone mentioned earlier the time of the year that the deer was harvested weighs in. Very interesting.

I got the buck Thursday of last week. So it should be prime. I marked each section on the board it's stretching on, so I'll be able to write it on the hide once it's dried. My main use for deer hair, for now at least, is for tails on my one-off Wulff patterns.

 

[lv2nymph]

sandfly wrote:
salt for animals and borax for birds
borax does not get all the moisture out of hides and they can still go rancid. salt is best method while the skin is streatched. when its all done at least 3 times salting and scraping then you can put some borax on to help keep the critters out. bird skin has no moisture so all you need to do is borax between sheets of newspaper and lay something heavy on top for a few weeks.
Guys I've been prepping this stuff for fly shops since 1966 and it's the only proper way of doing it to keep from getting ruined materials.

The person that showed me how and what to use recommended borax and it's always worked, do you think perhaps it's how long I've let it sit with it on it after it seems completely dried out that's worked so well? I know you know what you're doing, you have made me curious and now I'm wondering about it. Thanks Sandfly.