How to Tan a Deer Hide

How to Tan a Deer Hide How to Tan a Deer Hide Deer hunters feel proud of mounting the antlers or the deer’s head on their wall as a trophy of their dear hunting experience. If you want your adventure to be a memorable one, you can spend some extra time and tan deer hide and keep it as memorabilia in your home.

Learn the techniques to tan a deer hide.

As soon as you hunt the deer, skin it. Make sure you take the hide carefully so that the entire skin comes out as one piece. Actually, it is important to keep the skin in one part and if you are not confident of doing it successfully, you must take help of a professional.
Place the hide on a sawhorse so that the fleshy part remains upward. Use a long bladed sharp knife to scrape the flesh. Remove the tissue that is attached to the skin.
Take a large plastic garbage can to mix water, lime and hardwood ashes. Stir the mixture till the ashes and the lime dissolves in water.
Dip the deer skin completely in water and leave it inside the liquid for at least 2-3 days. The solution will help to loosen the hair. Don’t forget to rearrange the skin in the water twice a day.
After taking out the deer hide from the mixture, rinse it properly with clean water.
Again mount the deer hide on the sawhorse, but, this time, keep the hair side up. Again use the long bladed knife to scrape the remaining hair from the skin and wash the skin with normal water.
Take a big plastic garbage can and fill it with adequate amount of water. Add 2 quarts of vinegar into the water and mix the solution. Put the deer hide into the solution and leave it in the mixture for around 24 hours. Stir the solution and rearrange the deer skin inside it frequently.
After 24 hours, take the deer skin and the solution out of the garbage can and fill the container with fresh water. Soak the hide in the clean water for at least 8-10 hours.
Dissolve alum in at least one bucket of water and stir the mixture. Immerse the deer hide in the solution and leave it for 6-8 days. Make sure you stir the solution at least twice a day.
After taking the skin out of the solution, rinse it properly for at least 15 minutes with running water.
Spread the skin on a flat surface and gently rub fine grit sandpaper on the entire deer hide.
Finish it by making it an attractive wall hanging as a memory of your hunting adventure.

Tips:

Don’t place the skin in the sun to dry. Allow it to air dry.
After the deer hide is completely dried, rub warmed neat’s foot oil on both side of the skin to make it supple.