Cow Hide Rugs

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Limiman

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May 1, 2007
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I'm currently looking for a nice cow hide rug. Does anyone have any experience buying one and have a company they would reccomended buying one from.

Thanks for the help
 

firesweepranch

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SW MO
Sams Club had some last month when I was there for $99, and that is cheap! They were pretty nice, almost bought one...
 

flacowman

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Jun 25, 2010
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all of the western stores around here carry a few, we always had our show steer hides tanned hair on.  We have some black, gray, white, brindled red, and black with chrome and love them.  You can also vacuum them without fear of the hair slipping as well
 

leanbeef

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flacowman said:
all of the western stores around here carry a few, we always had our show steer hides tanned hair on.  We have some black, gray, white, brindled red, and black with chrome and love them.  You can also vacuum them without fear of the hair slipping as well


Where did/do you have your hides tanned? I have one now to send off, and I'm not exactly sure who to use. The two places I've talked to are estimating 6-10 months to get it done...is that normal?
 

RidinHeifer

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I would talk to a local taxidermist.  That's who I'm going to try to get a lamb hide done by. 
 

angus214

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May 9, 2011
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Florence, Mississippi
We sent our show steer hide off to our local taxidermist and he scraped it and then sent it to a man in TX and it took 4 or 5 months and cost over $500.00 but when it came in it was well worth the money!
 

leanbeef

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Yeah...I did that several years ago, and it cost a FORTUNE! Plus I got it back & it had a couple of small holes where the guy who scraped it & prepped it actually tore or punctured it. I wasn't real happy. I have a good friend now who prepped this one for me & did a good job. I just need to find a reliable tanner to tan it for me. I've talked to one place in Florida & a place in Wyoming & both seem good...just wish I knew a little more about what to ask.
 

Davidsonranch

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Dec 2, 2011
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SE Oregon
Try Moyle Tannery in Idaho.  They do a lot of my furs.  But larger items like cow hides, buffalo hides, bears, etc, they charge by the foot.  It's probably going to be in the hundreds of dollars. For some reason $85 a foot is what I remember.
 

leanbeef

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Limiman said:
I'm currently looking for a nice cow hide rug. Does anyone have any experience buying one and have a company they would reccomended buying one from.

Thanks for the help

Hey, check out Sutherland's...i was in this huge hardware/home & garden type/farm store in Utah a couple years back & they had a bunch of really pretty hides. I almost bought one, but I wasn't sure about how to get it home. Not sure where all these stores might be located or if they have a website...I would assume they do. Cool store... Good luck!
 

RidinHeifer

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Well, the taxidermist I have do deer heads etc does his own tanning...I know a friend that gets lamb hides done for about $75
 

rf21970

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Mar 10, 2010
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Middle TN
Experience with taxidermist for steer hides, deer heads, fish and waterfowl is that a taxidermist month is longer than a human month.  (lol)

I have the hide from my last 4h steer that my dad fished through many greasy green hides to recover from the packer. It has been hung on the wall and laid on the floor as a rug. Very durable. Not quick and not cheap though. But a great keepsake.
 

leanbeef

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Lol I'll keep that in mind about the timeline...

My hide is just one I thot was too pretty to throw out. We needed a beef to feed last summer, and one day at the sale barn was a real pretty registered shorthorn heifer...she was nice enough that she stood out in the pens at the sale barn, and I even thot about keeping her around after I found out what she was. I bought her thinking I'd like to have that hide, and after I figured out how hateful she was, I didn't think much about not keeping her around! The reason she ended up there in the first place...she was a show heifer that no kids could handle! If I was a shorthorn breeder, it'd be super cool lol. The hide is obviously not a Simmental, but I still think it'll be neat.
 

flacowman

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Jun 25, 2010
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Sebring Custom Tannery in Sebring did all of ours in 3-4 months for less than $200 apiece and they are great, just send them a frozen hide and they do everything and fedex it back.
29 Webster Turn Drive  Sebring, FL 33870
(863) 655-1600


I would call them about shipping directions because we always dropped them off on our way to the races.  They're literally at the back corner of the sebring raceway
 

leanbeef

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I've talked to Sebring! That's probably where I'll send it. He told me 6-10 months, which I thot seemed like a big window, but I was a little worried because the quote seemed almost TOO reasonable. I was a little worried we weren't on the same page with what we were talking about. Thanks for the info & the recommendation!
 

SlickTxMaine

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Feb 11, 2009
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641
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Texas
I wish I had this info. back in March.  We were trying to have the hide from my son's grand champ steer tanned for him - he graduated this year so last year to show. Everyone was quoting us $500. and up.  We passed as we could not see spending that amount.  I would have gladly paid $200.00, course don't know what it would have cost to ship it from Texas to Florida??
 

flacowman

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Jun 25, 2010
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673
They are great, and you'll probably get it back on the 6 month side of that window.  That's what they always told us and we almost always got them back by 7 months.  The do a lot of deer hides and gators, which is why they take a while, but it is well worth it.  Last time we were there they had about 30 steer hides visible in different stages of the process.  Be sure to tell them hair on as well just to make sure you get what you want.
 
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