Tanning Your Own Deer Hides
A good
portion of your deer's live weight is made up by the hide. Having a tanned hide from
a deer that you have taken can add to your sense of accomplishment. It is also a
good feeling to know that nothing has gone to waste.
Tanning Deer Hides
Skin your deer keeping the hide in one piece. Make cuts on the insides of the legs if
possisble: This will add to the attractiveness of your finished hide. While skinning
your deer try not to cut holes into the skin because this will be difficult to repair
and can be hard to work around.
After the hide is removed from the carcass,
be sure to skin the tail as well. The bones should be removed by making a cut along
the underside of the tail.
Follow the 7 steps outlined below:
Step 1
The first and most important step in tanning your deer hide is to remove the
fat, membranous tissue and any remaining flesh from the deer skin. This is done by
laying the hide on some type of raised surface such as a sawhorse and scraping the
flesh side with a long bladed knife. It is important that your knife be sharp and
that every last bit of tissue is removed from the skin. If any tissue is left on
the hide, it will not tan in those areas. If you plan to tan the hide with the hair
on, skip steps 2&3 and proceed with step 4. If you plan to remove the hair and
tan the hide into a "buckskin", go to step 2.
Step 2
To remove the hair from the hide and make a buckskin, do the following:
In a large plastic
garbage can mix: 1 gallon of hardwood ashes
2 pounds of household (slaked) lime
5 gallons of warm water
Stir the above mixture until it is dissolved. Completely
immerse the deer skin in the mixture. Stir the mixture 2 or 3 times a day until the
hair comes off easily. This will take 2 to 3 days. If the hide is left in the mixture
too long, it will begin to deteriorate. After you remove the hide,
proceed to
step 3.
Step 3
Rinse the hide with water. Place the hide on a raised surface
with the hair side up. Use the back of a knife blade to scrape off the hair. Rinse
the dehaired skin several times with clean water. Soak the hide for 24 hours in the
garbage can in a mixture of 10 gallons water and 2 quarts vinegar. Stir this mixture
with the hide in it every few hours. At the end of this 24 hour period, empty the
garbage can and fill it with clean water. Soak the hide in the clean water overnight.
Go to step 4
Step 4
In a small plastic bucket, dissolve 1 pound of alum
in one gallon of warm water. In the garbage can, dissolve 2 1/2 pounds of salt in
4 gallons of water. Pour the solution from the small bucket into the garbage can
and mix thoroughly. Immerse the skin and soak for 6 to 8 days. Stir the mixture 2
times each day to make sure that all parts of the hide are exposed to the mixture.
After the soaking period, remove the skin and drain it thoroughly. Rinse the skin
with running water for approximately 15 minutes. Go to step 5
Step 5
Tack the wet hide to a flat surface such as a sheet of plywood. If you have opted to leave
the hair on the hide, tack the skin on the surface with the flesh side facing out.
Keep the skin out of the sun but allow it to partially dry. When the skin is almost
dry, rub it with a light coating of warm neat's-foot oil. Remove it from the board
and repeat the process on the other side. Remove excess oil from the hide with an
absorbant cloth. Proceed to step 6
Step 6
Dampen the skin with a moist
cloth. DO NOT get the hide too wet! Rub the skin over a dull edge such as a saw horse
until it is supple and soft like a chamois cloth. As the softening progresses SPARINGLY
apply some warm neat's-foot oil to the hide. If you are working with a hide with
the hair still on, only work on the flesh side. Proceed to step 7
Step 7
After the hide has been softened, rub some fine grit sandpaper over every square inch of
exposed skin to smooth the surface. Only do the flesh side of hides with the hair
still on. When the hide takes on a smooth appearance, it is ready to be used as a
rug, wall hanging, or sewn into some other type of useful item.