After skinning a deer is it hard to save the hide? What do you have to do to keep it from rotting or smelling and how long does it take? I'm thinking about doing it and was wondering if it is alot of trouble? Any advice would be great. Thanks!

We have tanned several deer hides in the past. Notice I said 'the past'

We actually started out using the old school brain tanning method like Native Americans used. There are several tanning kits you can purchase from taxidermy sites and catalogs, but they all involve a lot of tedious scraping.

You best bet (if you have the $) is to drop off the hide at your taxidermist and let him send it to a tannery. I'm not sure how much it costs, but in my experience the $ is almost easier to come by than the elbow grease and time it takes to do it myself.

rw

and to add...

I just wanted to mention that when you get done with the hide and all the edges are trimmed, etc, you aren't left with nearly as much hide as you would expect. They're awfully sharp though draped over the back of a rocking chair or hung on the wall with head mounts