I might be hunting a Bison on the Crow Indian Reservation this winter and am wondering if anyone knows of a tannery that won't force me to mortgage my house in order to get the hides tanned into some nice bedspreads?

Thanks in advance

JohnTheGreek

JohntheGreek,
Just got ours back from the tannery(my husband shot the buffalo) last month. It cost us about $700, however, it was a midwest tannery. They are a bit heavy for bedding it turns out, as that was what we had originally planned.

Good luck finding something reasonable near you!

Judy

Yow! Not cheap. Did that price include backing and trim?

I had one tanned here in B.C. last year. It was only $400 CDN.

Canuck

Canuck, who did you use? Hubby has another hunt next month for more bison, and will need to take care of the hides again. I thought we got a reasonable price, and no, there was no backing or any trim of any kind. Also, how much per square foot did they charge?

"Judy"

[ 11-05-2002, 06:03: Message edited by: Sniperonthegrassyknoll ]

Judy,

That is a premium price you paid and I have paid similar prices in the past. I have heard of guys getting them tanned in the US for about $400 and I am beating that with a canadian tannery I am currently using but I, obviously, dont want the hassle of shipping wildlife parts across the border if I can possibly avoid it.
They are a bit heavy for bedding. when I was in Utah I used to sleep with my window open in December if the skies were clear. I would just use the bison robe and a sheet or just sleep under the furry side of the robe. VEEERY toasty!

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

JohntheGreek,
Can you share the info/addy of the Canadian tannery? Might check that out, dang, that would be almost 2 hides for what we paid for this one! Am wondering though how much of a hassel the shipping across the border might be!
Thanks,
Judy

I am using Northfork Taxidermy in Carcross, Yukon Territory. I can't imagine that the hassle and shipping charges all the way up there would be worth it. I am still searching for good contacts. I have heard that Specialty Leathers in Boone Iowa is reasonable . . . (515) 433-0176.

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

[ 11-05-2002, 09:44: Message edited by: JohnTheGreek ]

Judy,

I'll have to check with my taxidermist. I am not sure which tannery he uses, although I am pretty sure it is in Kelowna BC. That would be about 2000 km closer to you guys than Carcross, so that could save on shipping costs.

The buffalo hide I had tanned perfectly fits over my queen size bed with about a foot overlap on the sides. It is heavy, but very warm!

Canuck

Much appreciate the info, guys! Thank you. JohntheGreek, we actually used a tannery in Iowa for the hide this last time~guess we went to the wrong one! Am glad I posted on this thread, I didn't know I would end up learning something!
"Judy"

OK, I guess I'll stick my neck out on this one . . .

A "good" and "cheap" tannery . . . I would have to suggest that you should pick either one because I don't think that you'll get both choices at the same tannery.

As a retired taxidermist I can tell you that just fleshing and salting a bison is a major job in itself. Once the tannery gets it they are going to thin the hide down to a manageable thickness during the tanning process. That is one job where you can count me out! Moving the hide from solution to solution is not easy either . . . considering that the thick hair acts like a sponge.

The going rate for tannery charges on a bison flat hide is about $10.00 per square foot. If a tannery charges much under that I would guess that either . . .

1) they have never done a bison hide and don't know the amount of work involved or . . .

2) they are cutting corners somewhere.

In either case I would be leery about them doing the hide.

If you're going to spend the $ on a specialized hunt like a bison, go for the quality work where you don't have to worry about the end result.

Just my $ .02.

JDS

Just a word of caution. Ask what chemicals are being used on your hide if you plan on using it for something like a bedspread. You won't want certain things on your skin.

If anyone is interested I can provide my taxidermists email for inqueries. He uses a tanning method that creates a hide that can be washed with no ill effects. No, it isn't the "cheapest" but the longer lasting tan may be worth the cost? Something to think about.

jds,

I agree with you! By "cheap", I basically meant reasonable. I have been hearing quotes like $20 per square foot for bison hides! $10 per square foot sounds OK.

Ann,
I would definitely be interested. Either email the information to me or feel free to post it here.

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

$10/sq. ft. is definately in line with what I call cheap. Thanks for the post JDS.

You are also right about the fleshing etc. It's a nasty job! My taxidermist actually screwed mine up. Apparently he has a mechanical flesher/hide thinner and he over-did it. Patches of the skin became too thin and I lost a some of the guard hairs on the shoulder. It definately wasn't the tannery's fault and it was not indicative of the quality I have come to expect from the taxidermist. It still pissed me off though.

Ann, I would be interested in the info too, if its not too much trouble.

Thanks,
Canuck

OK, Gang, since you didn't string me up let me add to what I posted above . . .

The cost of $10.00 per square foot is average for what the tannery charges for it's service. That will not factor in what the taxidermist charges for the fleshing, salting, drying, packing. The taxidermist also pays the shipping to and from the tannery (and the "to" charge can get hefty with a dried buffalo hide).

Most taxidermists I have known over the years (and I owned my own taxidermy shop for several years) will double the tannery cost and charge that to the customer.

Bison in particular often have other charges added on - by the tannery. For instance, this is right out of the wholesale price list for Midwest Tannery in Fremont Nebraska:

Bison Flat hide (per sq ft) . . . . $10.00
$100 extra charge on all hides that are 1/2 " thick or more
$50.00 extra charge for all capes and hides not combed out (removal of burrs) before they are sent
$25.00 extra charge for all hides that arrive not completely dry.

If you want to flesh, salt, dry, and ship the hide yourself, you can get the wholesale rate. If, however, you have your taxidermist do it they're gonna have to charge for it to stay in business.

Now you know why buffalo robes are so expensive!

JDS

John and Chris,

I've sent you some mail with contact info.

JohntheGreek,
Hope you see this note. We got our bison on Wed, and due to location went with Specialty Leathers in Boone, Iowa that you shared the info on. (Ann~if you catch this, thank you for your help, also, this tannery worked out better with the drive)

The people at this place are great, we were not able to arrive in Boone until later, 8pm-ish, and they came in just to meet us. Only 8.75 per sq. foot, and it sounds like it will be a great bedspread! Will let you know the results when we pick it up!

The last one hub and I had done, was our first. We didn't know anything about this process, or how long it should take to have done. Thanks to all of you in this thread for your wonderful input!

Happy holidays to all of you! Catch you around these parts when we return from vacation.
~Judy

Fox Valley Tannery in Utah. They did an elk & bison for me several years ago. I don't recall the price, but it couldn't have been too steep, or I wouldn't have done it.

Wooo. I just check on their website. $17 per sq. ft. I must have had more money than I remember back then.

[ 12-24-2002, 07:49: Message edited by: ktg ]

JohntheGreek,
Just wanted to let you know, we just got our bison hides back from Specialty Leathers in Iowa. They are beautiful!!! Just under $400 a piece! Thank you so much for the tip, they really are a great outfit. Nice people, run a wonderful shop there. The price is without any backing or trim of any kind. We are really pleased.

~Judy

Judy,

Glad they worked out well for you!

JohnTheGreek

I wouldn't use Fox Valley tanning in Utah on anything I cared about. They are a "factory" tan at best, with verly little real care given to their product. You might get lucky and get excellent results, but I would still call that lucky, and not to be expected. Their quality control is definitely slipping, if not non-existent.

Good Luck,

Bill