Hair on shooting bag?

[James Stella]

I have an elk hide tanned with the hair on. I am thinking about making a shooting bag with it. I have not seen many shooting bags with the hair on.

Is there a reason not to make a shooting bag out of elk hide with the hair still on?

I do not want to use the hide for this if it is a bad idea. Thanks for any imput you might have on the subject.

 

I've seen hair on bags. Most of the time I think the hair is only on the flap or just part of the flap.
One disadvantage I can think of over a bag without hair is that you might have to worry about moths removing the hair later on.

 

[LaBonte]

Any member of the deer family including elk have hollow hairs so you will lose a lot of hair over a short time since it tends to break easily.
Bottom line - I wouldn't recommend elk for a hard use pouch - keep it as wrap for those cold evening around the fire..

 

[necchi]

Yeah LaBonte said it.
You can make a nice fur on pouch from the Deer/Elk family hides and they look nice, but they only look nice for awhile then the hair starts getting all beat up.
Beaver, Fox, Coyote, Badger,, fuzzy fur like that stays better,, longer,,

 

[George]

I recently did an inventory of leather types in Madison Grant's hunting pouch book and there were 3 calfskin with hair on. Also found 2 of the same in the 18th-century newspapers.

Spence

 

[crockett]

It is probably pc but you still have to ask yourself if you want elk hair all over the place once it starts falling out.

 

[James Stella]

OK I am very glad I asked. No elk hide, with the hair on, pouch.

I guess I will have to shoot one and have the hide tanned without hair. :wink:

 

[BrownBear]

...and have the hide tanned without hair.

I dunno about that. You can buy elk leather lots of places, but hair-on hides are hard to come by. A hair-on hide is real notable to anyone who sees it, and makes a dandy camp blanket as someone already pointed out. And as a blanket, it's look even more "authentic" as the hair gets worn and broken a little. :wink:

A bud of mine had the hide of a very large bull moose tanned hair-on, and uses it at home for a couch cover. You can hardly see any couch under the thing, but it's a real show stopper first time anyone sees it in his living room.

 

[Loxahatchee]

Hair/fur on hides are great for around the house/camp. For your modern houses, they do look great over a couch. A girl I know has a hair-on African lion hide on her couch :grin: Her dad used to work at a zoo, and one of the lions fell ill and died, so they let him skin it out and keep the hide. Alas, it was a female though :idunno:

 

[MSW]

thanks for the post ... I was about to get a deer hide with hair on for just such a purpose, but you've saved me a bunch of trouble and frustration.

thanks again, and

make good smoke!

 

[Pete44ru]

.

Since my state's deer hunting regs don't require a lighthouse beacon amount of Hunter Orange for ML season, I was always leery that some over-excited, newbie Nimrod would espy only the hair, through a gap in the foilage, and center my big butt with a boolit, thinking it his only chance at a deer.

Heck - if that happened, I might not have been able to shoot back.......... :cursing:


.

 

[BrownBear]

.
...I was always leery that some over-excited, newbie Nimrod would espy only the hair, through a gap in the foilage....

That's a serious consideration and not just with newbies around, sad to say.

I have a short hunting capote in a dark brown I really like, but I had to quit wearing it. Even hunting with a pard who knew I was wearing it, we came close to a fatality- either him having a heart attack or me getting shot. Turns out it's zackly the same color as a fall brown bear, and on my big body it scared him spitless every time I came suddenly into his view.

Put a guy, even an experienced one, out in the woods with his own thoughts and his own eyes and things aren't as clear cut as on a range or dress-up event.

 

[necchi]

Good point,
Thus the adornment of feathers,
Fur an Feathers, don't go together.

 

[Wes/Tex]

As most have already noted, the deer family of critters have rather fragile, hollow hair compared to fur like on a bear, for example. Bear hair is true hair and lasts a long time. Other canine family animals wold also work. One of the thoughts about hair on clothing and gear is that it channels rain off the item it's used on. I think this is only partially true, but can't claim to be an expert here. Good luck.

 

[Col. Batguano]

I hear that it takes about 101 Dalmations to make a beautiful coat. Puppies are best of course.

 

[freeze_1]

There is no reason why you couldn't use all hair or fur for a bag. I've made one out of raccoon back in 1976 and I'm still using it today.
I just made another one for another shooter friend, they hold up quite well.

 

[BrownBear]

I think the point is that hollow hairs like deer, elk, moose, caribou and antelope are brittle and break off with wear. Not so fur like racoon, bear, coyote, badger, wolverine, wolf, etc.

 

[Coot]

I have a hair on bag made of groundhog. Its based on an original in Jim Webb's book 'Sketches of Hunting Pouches, Powder Horns & Accoutrements of Southern Appalachia'. Holding up fine.

 

[LaBonte]

. One of the thoughts about hair on clothing and gear is that it channels rain off the item it's used on. I think this is only partially true, but can't claim to be an expert here. Good luck.

You are right it is only partially true - at first the hair will help channel off the rain but later it gets thoroughly wet and generally then stays wet far longer than plain leather...

 

[Rifleman1776]

Any member of the deer family including elk have hollow hairs so you will lose a lot of hair over a short time since it tends to break easily.
Bottom line - I wouldn't recommend elk for a hard use pouch - keep it as wrap for those cold evening around the fire..

Gotta dispute that wearability claim.
I had this deer hair-on vest for over 40 years before selling. It was worn many times at ronny and elsewhere. Still looked very good. Only problem, it shrunk around the middle. :haha:

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