Will be going on my first plains game hunt in RSA, in July. I plan on taking lots of pics as trophies, but also intend to bring 3-4 things home. My question is of the following, which have the most durable hides for making things such as bar stool covers, pillows, etc. blue wildebeast, impala, kudu, blesbok, gemsbok? I want a zebra, but it will be a soft skin placed over a table in my basement. the others I was thinking of having some backskins tanned, for wall/projects at home. What do you suggest?

Mad Dog

you're really going to have to take this one yourself. Some of the backskins are really attractive (like impala, puku) some aren't. its just a personnal choice which one you like. remember that african game doesn't have hair on it like it does in the u.s.

butchloc, thanks, I can appreciate what you mean by attractive, but what I want to know is durability. Is one hide more "fragile" than another? ie: are gemsbok/wildebeast hides "tougher" than say kudu? Or does it not really make any difference.

Mad Dog

I don't know if this is true before and/or after tanning but, my PH said that Zebra slips quickly. I've seen Zebra skins used as rugs and thay generally look pretty said after a while if there's been a lot of traffic on them.

If the tan is good, throw pillows of anything should hold up pretty well. Anything that gets traffic- sitting or walking, will get damaged over time. The hair will eventually rub off. All of the leather/skin is tough enough. It is the hair that will become brittle and break off with wear.

Master

My expereince is exactly as Grafton has said. I covered my dinning room chairs and bar stools with my back skins. The leather is fine but after awhile the hair does begin to look a little ratty.

Mark

Mad dog ive seen blue wilderbeast skins that have been used as mats and have lasted a long time.One very important thing that i can tell you is that its really important that once you have shot your animal that the skinning gets done quickly and gets salted really well as this prevents alot of hair slip.The smallest piece of meat or fat left on the skin can cause hair slip at that place.The longer the skin stays out of the salt the quicker bachteria works on the skin and causes hair slip.Blood also causes hair slip if not washed off

Mad Dog,

I am pretty sure of the general correctness of my reply, but check out what others have to say!

Skins that are good for use as mats in heavy trafic areas: Blue wildebeest and Blesbuck.

Skins that are good for use as mats in light trafic areas: Impala and Zebra.

Skins that can hardly take any trafic when used as mats: Gemsbuck, kudu, springbuck, mountain reedbuck and klipspringer - probably one of the most useless to use as a mat.

Skins that I do not know well enough to make a definate statement about: Red hartebeest, black wildebeest are thought to be good for at least some trafic before they start looking worn out.

The best skin may be porcupine - people will tend to walk around it, rather than over it.

In good hunting.

andrew McLaren

I have quit a number of Zebra skins on my floor and some are quit old and they have taken the traffic really well, even with the grandkids wallowing on them..Eland is tough but looks like hell when tanned with the hair on, they just don't have a lot of hair to start with.

Thanks for all the replies guys. This will go a long way in telling me what to do with the skins.

Mad Dog

you can always try a zebra skin bedspread and then see if the mrs. wants to horse around

Great idea butchloc! I'll bring that up to mama!

Mad Dog

I have a rug made from, Eland, Zebra, Springbok and Bontebok. It has been down a couple of years and is in the entrance to my office. Some people step over it, I walk on it and it is holding up very well but time will tell.

A question to the posters on this thread please: when you say 'rug' do you simply mean the flatskin...my flatskins seem stiff and not rug-like?? Thanks.

I had the my stirrups covered with Zebra on my roping saddle and I worked a lot of cattle in the brush on that saddle and the Zebra held up as well as cow hide, its pretty damn tough stuff. It lasted several years and thats hard abuse..I am going to have them redone in something else this time, but not sure what. Got to give that some thought..maybe elephant.

i tanned the belly skin of a hippo - now that is some tough stuff. otherwise i had a couple of rugs made from various backskins i saved over time, its made from aboaut 8" squares sewed together with a leather backing. and i can just imagine that marks bar stools are well worn

Phoned my taxidermist in hes opinion the hardest wearing skins are blue and black wilderbeast red hartebeast and blesbuck.he saya they wear really well