Author Topic: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew  (Read 5863 times)

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Offline blindarcher

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Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« on: December 24, 2017, 06:25:40 pm »
I hit the mother load of free deer leg sinew yesterday.  I am not a hunter, so I have to purchase or beg for arrow and bow making supplies such as turkey feathers, bow wood, arrow wood, pine pitch and sinew.  Fortunately I have friends who like to turkey hunt who keep me in a steady supply of turkey feathers.  I have friends and contacts where I can get a steady supply of white ash and hickory for bow wood.  Also, I hike in areas where there is plenty of Red  Osier and Wild Rose for arrow shafts and pine trees to harvest the sap for pine pitch glue.  But until  recently, I did not have a cheap source for deer leg sinew for backing of  bows, hafting arrow heads and attaching feathers.  I called a local deer processing business and taxidermist to inquire about purchasing deer leg sinew.  They process nearly 1000 deer during the Fall and early Winter hunting season and throw away the deer legs.  I was given permission to dumpster dive anytime when in need of free deer leg sinew.  I picked up a large garbage bag full of deer legs to dissect.  What an awesome early Christmas gift! Unless you prefer not to extract and process the sinew yourself, this definitely beats paying the big bucks (no pun intended) for sinew from online stores or archery warehouses.  Anyway, if you like to back your bows with sinew and are in need of a supply of cheap sinew, then contact a local deer processing business/taxidermist.  Happy Holidays!

Offline Eric Garza

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2017, 06:38:41 pm »
Getting the legs is the easy part. Game processors all around the country throw tons of them out every fall. Dissecting the legs to extract the useful part of the tendons, cleaning them up, and pounding them is the hard part. Have fun processing that garbage bag full of deer legs!

Offline stuckinthemud

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #2 on: December 25, 2017, 11:21:33 am »
Getting the legs is the easy part. Game processors all around the country throw tons of them out every fall.
Really? Wow! Over here they cut the hooves of at the ankles (food hygiene regs) then hang the carcass off what's left of the tendons while they butcher it, nothing of any use is thrown away.

Offline Hamish

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2017, 06:08:22 pm »
The only time something is "free" is when you haven't worked for it. Dumpster diving  to me is work. Nice score though.
Definitely no such thing as free osage, if you have to cut and split it yourself. That my friend is hard work. :)

Offline Ryan Jacob

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #4 on: December 25, 2017, 07:35:13 pm »
I wish the same was here in the Philippines :( The butchers keep every thing, even the tendons and bone (they sell it for soup stock)

Offline Dances with squirrels

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2017, 04:50:34 am »
I've done that here a couple of times. Prior to gun season, I ask them to save them for me, and there's usually more than I want to mess with after the first week of the season.
Straight wood may make a better bow, but crooked wood makes a better bowyer

Offline blindarcher

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2017, 09:27:04 am »
Thanks all for your thoughtful replies!  The term "free" is a matter of perspective for me.  I actually enjoy the process of reducing sinew and making bows, quivers and arrows.  I guess it is the creative process and the lessons learned that I enjoy so much, and shooting the final product is just icing on the cake.  What may be "work" for some is "play" for others.  Happy New Years!

Offline PatM

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2017, 09:39:30 am »
I definitely don't find sinew removal or processing "work". 

Offline jeffp51

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2017, 10:28:09 am »
Me neither. It's a hobby. Congratulations on your find and enjoy the process.

Offline BowEd

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2017, 11:30:00 am »
blindarcher...The above sources are very good mentioned for the quickest supply.What I've done also although a little slower acquiring is to  take leg sinew off road killed deer also not during deer hunting season.A meat or bone saw with in the truck makes quick work of sawing legs off to take home to process.As far as I know it is'nt against any law to do this here although you will get strange looks from passers' by.....lol.It's all in peoples' heads or perspective like mentioned as to whether its work or not processing sinew.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline aaron

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2017, 02:59:46 pm »
Re: roadkill- this is legal in some states and not others. Legal in my state and in fact I got a small yearling buck last nite. (insert santa joke here). I find that when a processor or average hunter cuts off the legs, they cut the tendon short- right at the joint. When you do them yourself you can follow that tendon past the joint and get much longer pieces same goes for the toe end of the tendon, if you follow that carefully, you can get longer pieces...
Ilwaco, Washington, USA
"Good wood makes great bows, but bad wood makes great bowyers"

Offline Ed Brooks

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #11 on: December 27, 2017, 01:42:25 pm »
nice score, when taking them off the leg, i suggest, removing the tendon form the sack it is in before it dries, it seems to make it easier to separate and work later. Ed 
It's in my blood...

Centralia WA,

Offline LittleBen

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #12 on: December 27, 2017, 09:43:32 pm »
At my buddies deer camp they take all there deer to a processor who happens to be a Mennonite. Real nice people, I use them when I hunt there as well because there's not really anywhere to set up for butchering your own. I called them one year and spoke to the proprietor and asked him to cut out the tendons and set them aside for me. The deal was something like .50c per leg tendon, and he would call when he had 100 or so. He had them all before gun season started lol. They process a lot of deer. He was kind enough to ship them to me as I was living out of state by that time.

I just told him what I was looking for and asked what price made sense for him. He said .50c and I jumped on it. Still have a bunch of them ... if/when I run out I will give him a call.

If anyone is going to understand why you're doing things the hard way (I.e. primitive bows) it's got to be the Amish and Mennonite. Probably should bring him a bow or something when I travel up that way ....

Offline Aaron H

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2017, 05:59:54 am »
I contacted a local deer processing facility several weeks ago right at the beginning of rifle season here.  The lady that I spoke to said she would save some back sinew for me so I left her my number. 4 hours later she called and said that she had 25 or 30 in a bag for me! I made a trip out there the following day and she handed me a bag full of back sinew with thin pieces of back strap meat still attached.  I tried to pay her for them, but she refused, so I bought a whole bunch of jerky and sausage to show my appreciation (and for the drive home).  I threw the bag in the freezer.  The next weekend, I thawed them out and scraped 3.5 pounds of meat off of them and cooked it up that evening.  I soaked the back sinew in several changes of warm water and scraped them clean. I counted 33 pieces total, some over 24" long, most over 18". It took probably 5-7 hours total, but the reward was definitely worth it!

Shown below is the meat shavings I got and a 3' x 4' sheet of plywood with the sinew drying on it. There is a can of spray paint there next to it for size reference.

Offline BowEd

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Re: Acquiring Free Deer Leg Sinew
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2017, 06:55:02 am »
Very nice Aaron.Excellent lengths for your projects.What would they weigh after drying?
That's some good eating also.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed