This is a large upholstery grade axis deer hide.
Axis deer have gorgeous coloring and differs from fallow deer by the spots on the spine. Also known as Chital deer, Cheetal deer, and Spotted deer, their skins are in high demand for decoration or furniture upholstery (e.g., chair backings). They are ideal for wall mountings, floor displays that are not walked on, etc. because deer have hollow hair. If you walk on them or let a large dog sit on them, the hair will break and shed over time.
It is alum tanned.
Axis deer are not endangered. The animals are not killed just for their skins. These deer were harvested from ranches and most of the deer will be used including the meat. The skin is saved and tanned.
Not subject to CITES.
A USFWS export permit is required for shipments outside of the United States.
These axis deer hides are harvested in their natural habitat in the Texas hill country. Therefore NO axis deer hide is perfect. ALL animals in the wild get scratches and scrapes, etc. We do our best to sew any holes in the usable part of the hide. For furniture, that is across the front legs, across the back legs and where the spots form a stripe on the belly. (anything inside that) As if you laid a chair back pattern on the hide. There is no need to repair holes outside what will be used for a chair back. All hair on hides will shed with use. This is completely normal and un-avoidable. We recommend that you place the hide on areas that will not be in heavy use to extend the life of the hide. These hides are professionally tanned so there is no need to do anything else to the hide. For storage, we recommend that you do not fold the hides, rather roll them up from neck to tail with the hair out, or lay them out flat on top of each other in a moisture free environment. This keeps the hair from matting. Like us, each animal is the same but slightly different. Color, hair length, and texture will vary between each animal.
Reprinted with permission from our supplier of these hides.