Deer help

[tommy the cat]

Well my friend has got 3 deer coming his way due to a cull and was after some advice.
Any advice on removing sinew?
He has done it before but found it really difficult.
Looking at using the hides have had a look on braintan but leaving the hair on is deer hide worth using as an underblanket aka reindeer?
Also does storing in a freezer damage the hair on a hide?
Any other hints tips etc greatly received.
Dave

 

[jungle_re]

alum, get it kibbled from a swimmingpool chemical company much easier and more effective than brain tan and the back will look and smell like chamois leather. Make yourself a decent flesh scaper as that the most important and tiresome job. Good luck

 

[Chips]

I have used a deer hide as an underblanket and it was very good. When I do it, I salt the hide, when it's stretched on a rack. Then, after a couple of days, peel off any more membrane you can. I then drop it in a mix of sulphuric acid and salt for a couple of days, then wash it very throughly. It then dried hard, then, just work it until soft which is a bit of work. I keep meaning to try rubbing lard into a hide as well, but I never get round to it.

 

[tommy the cat]

Ok thanks for the tips but probably a bit more info on quantities on chemicals would be useful. Am I going for a sharp scraper or blunt?
Will the chemicals damage the hair?
Thanks in advance and for the replies so far.
Dave

 

[Toadflax]

I found this link a while ago on how to remove and prepare the backstrap sinew: http://torjusgaaren.blogspot.com/2007/04/processing-sinew.html. I think Torjus is one of the members here.


Geoff

 

[Globetrotter.uk]

I was thinking about hides the other day and as someone who has very little experience in these things I was hoping for a down to earth set of instructions on how to harvest a road kill etc. IE stage 1 removing the hide stage 2 harvesting the meat and so on.

 

[tommy the cat]

Absolutely Globetrotter me too. Also any special tips on removing the hide from the deer as my mate has not needed to keep the hide before so it didn't matter. I obviously would like to keep the hide as complete as possible.
dave

 

[amott69]

Have a look at this I've used Alum a number of time and just the other week me and my mate did the whole lot from gutting skinning to making a roast wish i had taken some photo now
www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_l/l-103.html
Hope this helps

 

[tommy the cat]

Good article with read it fully later.
Thanks Dave

 

[trail2]

Getting the sinew off the legs is easy enough. Skin from "knee" to hoof.(do it on the front side) peel off hide then clip the sinew from the the rear lower leg,from joint to hoof.
Don't forget the back sinew. Best done before you butcher the deer. Use a really blunt knife,work it under the sinew at the neck and proceed to the tail end.If you go slow and don't cut the sinew it will come off in one big piece. One either side of the spine.
Then dry and use as needed.
Hope this helps.
Jon R.