My Deer Tail =)

[sandyj]

I showed this funny post to my 15 year old son, who is a deer hunter. He said he'd actually been thinking about something like this. His thought was more of a coat hanger! Thats just as funny. Give the hoove a high five!!!
sandyj

 

[BirdBoy88]

Quote:
LOL here is an idea for him...

my uncle took the antlers and made a coat rack and a hat rack for guest it's really nice once you set it up

 

[SamG347]

Cool, but based on your pics the tail is still whole. The bone/cartliage is still all in there. My thinking is that it will still decay and start to stink/breakdown. You need to take a knife...split the hide down along the bone....fold it off to the sides of the bone....and carefully skin the hide away from the bone. Then salt the whole thing.
Good Luck

 

[BirdBoy88]

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lol i notice that earlier so back in the salt it went... i will have my dad come over and look at it tomorrow

thanks for the tips though

 

[xke4]

Help me here....does the gun rack consist of bones only or is there still muscle and skin attached to the limbs? If still attached, how is it that it doesn't rot?

 

[Cetawin]

I like it! Well done. If you want to take all the moisture out of the end near the tailbone area....stick the tail down into a butter dish of Borax. Leave it be for a month. that will pull even the slightest amount of fluid moisture in the fleshy part out...the stuff that salt misses. it will not hurt the hair but just stick that end down into the borax and let the rest just hang over the side.

I do complete bird heads, wings, feet and such that way all the time and you get perfect feathers and everything dried out.

deer tails were and are quite revered in many native tribes. We split them and put them in the center of our dresses. It has many symobolic meanings but the deer tail dress and the elk tooth dress both were considered special and a status sign. Just for some info about that little tail you have.

 

[the1much]

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everything. and you salt it,, its only the elbow to hoof,, not the whole leg,, there isnt much meat there at all.

 

[BirdBoy88]

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Where do you get Borax from?

 

[silkiechicken]

The laundry isle if I remember right.

 

[Darin115]

The best way to preserve a deer tail is to skin it when you are processing the deer. I always just pull the hide right off while I am skinning the carcass. It leaves the bone and meat attached to the deer. You can then pour salt down the hole and let it dry. A squirrel tail is easily done with 2 pencils.

You can also cut down the white side and and pull it out. If you do this the skin will stretch out flat. You can then salt the skin side and wait until it dries out completely. It will leave no smell.

The tail you have now will smell reguardless. High humidity will cause it to smell worse. The meat will start to rot if it gets the least bit damp. It is probably too late to skin it now unless you soak it back in water to soften it back up.

Darin