How to Care for a Deer Pelt

Proper field care makes for a good quality tanned hide.

A deer pelt, also called a hide, can be preserved in two different ways. It can be tanned with the hair left on, or made into buckskin leather for clothing or leather projects. Tanning or leather-making can be done by a professional taxidermist, or the hunter can purchase kits from a taxidermy supply store and do it at home. No matter if the pelt is to be tanned or made into leather, the first order of business is to properly handle the raw pelt to insure a good quality finished hide.

Things You'll Need

• 4-inch blade knife
• Plastic trash bags
• 5 lbs. salt

Instructions

1. Skin the pelt off the deer as soon as possible after taking it. Clean all excess flesh and fat off the skin side of the pelt. Hang the pelt so the air can circulate all around it to cool it down.

2. Take the pelt directly to a taxidermist in the raw condition. The taxidermist takes care of the pelt from this point.

3. Freeze the pelt if it will be more than a week before it can be taken to a taxidermist or tanned at home. Fold the pelt, flesh side to flesh side, then roll it up. Place it inside of two plastic trash bags and put it in the freezer.

4. Salt the pelt if you are in the field for several days. Spread the pelt out flesh-side up, and cover the entire flesh side 1/8 inch deep in salt. Leave the pelt spread out like this for 24 hours.

5. Scrape the wet salt off the pelt after 24 hours. Fold the pelt, flesh side to flesh side, and keep the folded pelt in a cool place. Cover it with a canvas tarp, so birds can't eat it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will tan the pelt at home, purchase the tanning kit before hunting, so it is available for immediate use while the pelt is fresh. If the kit must be ordered, freeze the pelt until you are ready to tan.

• Keep the pelt dry. A wet pelt spoils quickly and causes the hair to slip out.

• A pelt wrapped in two plastic trash bags can stay frozen for up to a year before there is danger of freezer burn.

• In the field, salt preserves the skin and helps solidify the hair roots so they don’t slip out.

• Never apply borax or any tanning compounds to a deer pelt that will go to the taxidermist, as these items can hamper the tanning process. Use only salt or take the raw pelt to the taxidermist.

References

• “Outdoor Life Complete Home Taxidermy;” Tim Kelly; 1987