Tanning Game & Domestic Hides

[Carla D]

I have some drop dead gorgeous black and white lambs this year-boys naturally. So their names are Dinner. I'm thinking save the hides to be tanned and make myself a jacket. I have 4 beautifully marked ram lambs. But I won't tan them myself, I will cheat and have it done.

A friend took his son to the high wire fenced ranch behind us, yesterday. The owner has exotic deer and has to harvest a certain number each year. He gives away the hunts-to kids only. So our 10 year old neighbor boy bagged a beautiful spotted fallow deer. His Dad found a place to have it tanned for $100. I'll see how his turns out and will probably go that route.

I bet a black and white jacket would look gorgeous on you. I love you long beautiful hair.

Your neighbor with the exotic deer. I didn’t know there was anything there than white tail, mule, black foot deer. I have been hanging out with the wrong crowd my entire life. It has been these last few months that I’m being exposed to so many new and interesting things. Now I’m going to need to google “exotic deer breeds”. I’m so curious. But darn it all, I feel like such a backwoods country bumpkin.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

I have some drop dead gorgeous black and white lambs this year-boys naturally. So their names are Dinner. I'm thinking save the hides to be tanned and make myself a jacket. I have 4 beautifully marked ram lambs. But I won't tan them myself, I will cheat and have it done.

A friend took his son to the high wire fenced ranch behind us, yesterday. The owner has exotic deer and has to harvest a certain number each year. He gives away the hunts-to kids only. So our 10 year old neighbor boy bagged a beautiful spotted fallow deer. His Dad found a place to have it tanned for $100. I'll see how his turns out and will probably go that route.

Spotty hides are gorgeous, although I may be a little biased. I've tanned my own but after the hassle of dealing with wool-on hides I happily spend the $54 to have them processed elsewhere into lovely, washable pelts. I even buy green hides off of other breeders to process and sell. Most people don't want them and I can sell way more than I produce in a year. I greatly admire people who tan their own, it's hard work!

 

[Carla D]

@Baymule , I found Ox Ranch on the internet. They have so many amazing animals there. I would absolutely love to go on a hunt there. I have absolutely no interest a trophy mount though. If I could afford it I would buy a week long “hunt” to see how many different species I can spot. I can’t believe there are places like this that exist. It’s places like this though that may hold the remaining “12 in the world” of any species. There was a mention of some of their animals are “lab created or produced” something along those lines. That these lab animals wouldn’t survive in true wildlife. Do you know anything about these? Here are a few amazing animals I’d love to “hunt”. These are all from Ox Ranch. I don’t think I’d have the heart to kill something so magestic. If I want a trophy, I’ll hunt something like white tail or mule deer since they are plentiful at this time.

 

[Baymule]

I looked up Ox Ranch. Goodness! They have LOTS of exotic animals, plus shooting machine guns and driving a WW2 tank! That's Texas for ya', over the top! LOL

Texas is famous for high wired fences, wild game ranches and all that goes with it.

@Roving Jacobs where do you send your hides? Do you dry and salt them first or just send them frozen and green?

I bet a black and white jacket would look gorgeous on you. I love you long beautiful hair.

Thank You!

 

[Carla D]

Good morning @Baymule ,

In the past you have asked me if I have a plan. Primarily a plan for our goats and livestock. Between this thread and that question it has turned my thinking cap into full gear.

I now have a plan. Not only a plan for goats and livestock but for financial security, and pleasure in our time of retirement. I was wondering if it might be something you’d be interested in seeing and giving me some feedback on? Ive never done anything like this before. It may be clunky or clumsy, over the top grand, or missing things. You seen very smart in this sort of thing.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Definitely love hearing about others tanning or having hides tanned to craft and sell. Yea there are folks who will look funny in passing and wonder why in the heck you have a squirrel hide or deer hide for sale, but others are just waiting for something nifty like that to hang in a cabin or man cave! I had a woman buy all of our squirrel hides and tails in one pop to decorate funny hats with! Alot of crafters want tanned hides and furs to make things with without doing the nasty work themselves!

 

[Carla D]

Definitely love hearing about others tanning or having hides tanned to craft and sell. Yea there are folks who will look funny in passing and wonder why in the heck you have a squirrel hide or deer hide for sale, but others are just waiting for something nifty like that to hang in a cabin or man cave! I had a woman buy all of our squirrel hides and tails in one pop to decorate funny hats with! Alot of crafters want tanned hides and furs to make things with without doing the nasty work themselves!

Oh Poo on them for their lack of imagination and waste not attitude.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

@Roving Jacobs where do you send your hides? Do you dry and salt them first or just send them frozen and green?

I mostly use Stern's in WI these days. I really like the product they turn out.

If the hides are coming to me straight from my processor they're already fleshed and salted so I just need to let them dry. If I get them from another producer it's a mixed bag but I usually need to flesh them and salt them. I also do like a bottle deposit and give customers who buy lambs to slaughter at home $5 back if they let me take the hide afterward and it's in reasonable condition. If it comes back with some holes I attach (homegrown) felt on the back and can sell it that way so I'm not stressed about perfect skins. I send all hides fleshed, salted, and dry. Just vacuum the salt out and fold them before they're totally stiff as a board so you can fit them in a smaller box.

Definitely love hearing about others tanning or having hides tanned to craft and sell. Yea there are folks who will look funny in passing and wonder why in the heck you have a squirrel hide or deer hide for sale, but others are just waiting for something nifty like that to hang in a cabin or man cave! I had a woman buy all of our squirrel hides and tails in one pop to decorate funny hats with! Alot of crafters want tanned hides and furs to make things with without doing the nasty work themselves!

Almost all the jacob breeders I know have piles of skulls and horns and hides all over their homes. I just have to tell people they can't call dibs on skulls when they're still in use. When you aren't raising commercial stock you find any way you can to make a little extra money and not waste any part of the animal.

 

[Baymule]

@Roving Jacobs do you make buttons from the horns? I once saw a web site on someone who raised Jacobs and they sliced the buttons, polished them and sold them for buttons. They cut the tips off, drilled two holes and made them into buttons too.

I'm thinking I want a jacket from my gorgeous spotty boys and some Jacob buttons would look so cool on it.

 

[Carla D]

I mostly use Stern's in WI these days. I really like the product they turn out.

If the hides are coming to me straight from my processor they're already fleshed and salted so I just need to let them dry. If I get them from another producer it's a mixed bag but I usually need to flesh them and salt them. I also do like a bottle deposit and give customers who buy lambs to slaughter at home $5 back if they let me take the hide afterward and it's in reasonable condition. If it comes back with some holes I attach (homegrown) felt on the back and can sell it that way so I'm not stressed about perfect skins. I send all hides fleshed, salted, and dry. Just vacuum the salt out and fold them before they're totally stiff as a board so you can fit them in a smaller box.



Almost all the jacob breeders I know have piles of skulls and horns and hides all over their homes. I just have to tell people they can't call dibs on skulls when they're still in use. When you aren't raising commercial stock you find any way you can to make a little extra money and not waste any part of the animal.

Pocket change can add up pretty quickly. Especially if it is mostly quarters and $.50 pieces. Pennies are questionable. If you understand what I’m trying to say.