Creativity and the option to preserve and use more parts of a deer than the meat and head alone bring the outdoors lifestyle into the everyday in ways that also bring the woods into closer contact with those who enjoy them most. From small decorative accents to key elements of life used every day, ideas for what to do with the otherwise leftover parts of deer are limited only by the bounds of imagination.
One of the most useful and adaptable items is the deer’s hide. On any deer not destined for the taxidermist and a traditional shoulder mount, a careful job of skinning can leave the hunter ready to make any number of beautiful items.
Here, the initial handling of the critter is key. Hides can be tanned into leather for gloves, slippers, handbags and more, and this can be done with the hair on or off. Hides tanned to preserve the hair are especially pretty, but depend on having good hair to start with.
Hiding out
If large swaths of the hair have slipped in the process of dragging the deer out of the woods, the perfectly good opportunity to tan the hide into standard hairless leather remains. On a deer with a cape that is still in very good condition once it’s skinned, consider tanning the hide and leaving the hair on.
These capes or pelts make beautiful drapings for bare floors, the backs of chairs or couches or other decorating accents, and they can also be cut and sewn into throw pillows, handbags and more.
Deer hair is hollow and easily broken, but will last many years with reasonable care and use. The hides can be handled without damaging the hair, but they shouldn’t be walked on or used roughly.
At its heart, though, the underlying leather is supple and durable, great for gloves, mittens and other leathergood designs.
There are countless videos online demonstrating how to tan a deer hide yourself, but first attempts at this should be made without high expectations for the product that will result. If the first hide a hunter wants to try this on is one he or she also wants to end with a beautiful finish, sending it off for tanning through a reputable taxidermist is the most reasonable path to get results to be proud of.
To the bone
Deer bones, cleaned and air dried for a few months, are great for carving and can be turned into any number of neat finished products, from ink pens and knife handles to a wide array of desk items and more. Since the dawn of time, fish hooks have been crafted from bone, and any artwork rendered in bone draws a special spirit from the natural origin of its medium.
Bone responds well to carving techniques. Anyone using a power tool to cut, grind or sand bone should take care to wear a breathing mask as well as eye protection, because the small, sharp-sided dust particles created are especially irritating to lungs and breathing passages.
To the point
Easily the most decorative and versatile of all deer parts, antlers turn up as usable art and functionally repurposed items in every aspect of many outdoor enthusiasts’ lives. If they’re not destined to hang on the wall, antlers can be removed from bucks taken in the field and put to any number of uses. Also, since deer shed their antlers every year, the inclusion of this cast off bone soon becomes part of the home life of almost anyone who spends time in the woods. Baskets of sheds are pretty, but a quick saw and a cool idea are all it take to turn some of their number into much more.
Points of light
From drawer pulls to lamp and chandelier bodies, from knife handles to jacket buttons, jewelry, bolo clasps, hooks, hangers and more, antlers offer the most instantly recognizable, durable and useful items around.
Lamp wiring kits are available at any hardware store and are all that may be needed to turn a basket of bones into a lighting accent of any size.
Visit pinterest.com and search the term “deer antler crafts” to find any number of ideas to help incorporate this most instantly identifiable item into everyday life.
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