You might have seen a stretched deer hide in the background of a few of the pictures I posted here. This hide had been on that frame for 4 years. I take it to schools when I take my Tipi show on the road. If you're interested in making your own to hang on a wall, it's pretty easy to do and costs very little. Step 1. Shoot a deer and skin it. Get as much meat and fat of the hide as you can. Spread the hide out on a sheet of plywood. Tilt the plywood a bit so the liquids can run off. Cover the hide in a heavy layer of salt and let sit 24 hours. Scrape off and discard the salt and apply another layer. after 24 hours, scrape off the 2nd layer of salt and poke lacing holes around the edge of the hide. Fashion a frame of wood and lash the stiff hide to the frame. Coat the hide with 20 mules team borax and set in the sun. When dry, you can soften the hide with a long sharpened stick. When totally dry, vacuum off both sides of the hide and drape over a chair or tack to a wall. Or display it next to your Tipi.
Man, I want you to be my uncle. Nobody could replace my dad, but you would have made one damn cool uncle! Good stuff, you have made the forums light up the last few days! Thanks
thank you New to the site. Just took a small rack big bodied 8pt from my Wisconsin property. Was looking for a simple way to preserve the hide for display, as its the largest hide I've taken. Your process is simple and very affordable. Thank you for the advice!
