Deer: Beyond the Mount

Obviously the dictates of ethical hunting demand that we eat what we kill, but in the case of deer it is possible to go far beyond the simple delights of venison on the table. Looking back at history, both Native Americans and hardy colonists found myriad ways to use deer. They tanned the hides for clothing, footwear and other purposes; used the brains as part of the tanning process; made possibles bags from the scrotums of bucks; turned sinew into bow strings and thread; and fashioned both practical items and decorative items from antlers.

Turkey Tote: A four- to five-inch section of antler can easily be turned into a lightweight yet effective turkey tote. The only tools required are a fine-toothed saw (a hacksaw is perfect) to cut the antler and a drill to bore a hole through which a cord is inserted. Almost any section of a main beam will work as long as it is reasonably straight, but I look for one with a tine extending from the middle of the piece of antler. Cut off all but a couple of inches of the tine and it will fit nicely between your middle and ring fingers while the tote handle (the main beam antler section) rests in your palm. If you take this approach, the hole for the carrying cord needs to be drilled at a 90-degree angle from the tine extension. Clean up the rough edges left from sawing and drilling with heavy-duty sandpaper, slip a suitable size and length of nylon cord through the hole, knot it and then burn the ends of the cord to prevent fraying. If you want to take it a step further, you can carve your name or initials into the tote or try your hand at scrimshaw.

Today's hunter may possess neither the time nor the inclination to go to the lengths they did, but with a modicum of craftsmanship and some ingenuity it is possible to turn any buck--whether it is just another meat pole deer or a real trophy--into items that are far more practical, and, in many eyes, far more pleasing than a mount on the wall gathering dust. Let's look more closely at several examples of such approaches, including a couple of step-by-step directions on how to make hunting tools that will have a special meaning to you.

Hide. Although it requires considerable trouble, tanning a deer's hide can provide a number of interesting projects. An entire hide makes a nice throw rug or wall hanging for a hunting camp. For those truly devoted to tradition, making deerskin moccasins, leggings or a jacket is always a possibility, and if you want to skip the actual tanning part you can take it to your local taxidermist.

Most fishermen know how useful deer hair can be. A deer's body hair is hollow, giving it a great deal of buoyancy that's great for dry flies or popping bugs, and the tail hair is excellent for jigs. What they may not know is that slender pieces of hide with the hair attached make a realistic minnow imitator for trout or bass.

Hooves. When cured properly with the lower portion of the leg attached, hooves can be made into a gun rack--which is perhaps their most common use. A single pair set in wood can make an attractive display for hanging an antique or favorite gun over a fireplace, while several pairs employed in similar fashion can serve quite nicely as a storage place for guns in hunting camp.

You can also fashion bookends out of hooves. Just be sure to put some lead in the wood that serves as the base holding the hooves--or perhaps pour molten lead into hollowed out leg bones--to provide stability.

Antlers. Antlers offer the most potential for creative use, and you don't even have to kill a buck to be in business. Winter shed hunting can produce the raw material for a bunch of projects. In addition to the two outlined in the accompanying sidebars, here are some other ideas.

The tips of tines can be sawed off to make buttons, tips to bolo ties, keyring fobs, necklaces, cuff links, tie tacks and more. In every instance you start with a hacksaw and sandpaper. The latter is to smooth off the saw cut. Don't sand the rest of the piece of antler; nature has already done a wonderful polishing job for you. In most instances, you will also need to do a bit of drilling, either through the tine tip or into the middle of it.