Cleaning raw/ hair on deer hides, Help

[DecidingOdin 251]

I recently acquired some old deer hides that have seen better days. There were in a trash bag for a few year and rats got to them. Theirs a few holes in them and they're pretty gross right now with rat poop. Is their anyway to thoroughly clean them. If I can what should I do with them? I think they're tanned, can I remove the hair from them completely? Thanks

 

[M0NR0E12]

If they're tanned , you might still be able to save them. Start by wearing gloves and giving them a good soak in warm water with mild detergent to clean off the mess. Just be careful tho since they've been exposed to rats. Once dry, you can try removing the hair with a lime bath or commercial hair remover, but it depends on the original tanning method. They might be usable for small leather projects if they hold up

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You may find that you can clean them and removed the hair, but they may have been tanned "hair-on". In that case you might want to use them for the outer flaps on shooting bags.

Here are two examples of such bags that I found on the internet:

LD