What do you do with your deer hide?

[MinDak Hunter]

After reading in the StarTribune that only 15% of the money from hides goes to habitat I don't think I'll donate mine anymore... the orange boxes should say: Hides for Lining the Coffers of the MDHA instead of Hides for Habitat.

From the MDHA HSOforum "Since 1985 MDHA’s Hides-for-Habitat Program has collected over one quarter million deer hides and over $2 million has been generated to help fund statewide habitat projects. Thanks to your help this program works!" Out of a possible $13,000,000 only $2,000,000 goes to habitat???

The other thing is that they've only donated $2,000,000 and the MDHA HSOforum says: "The $8 collected for hides can be leveraged as much as ten time making the $8 collected amount to $80." 250,000 hides X $80= $20,000,000

I feel like I've been duped for the past 28 years or as long as we've been donating.

[Wanderer]

I gotta believe there's a WHOLE lotta missing info within the above posted numbers.

What do think would be a more respectable percentage?

I drop mine off in the local "Box". I guess I can't even confirm it goes the MDHA, maybe just the guy that trades gloves for them. Not saying there isn't a reason to ask what the MDHA does with the other 85% but I'm not too concerned with what they do with my $8 that I would otherwise throw away. Just me.

[leechlake]

I'd probably throw them away like the carcasses so I put them in the MDHA box by my house. If the MDHA isn't being responsible (I don't know that) it's still better than me throwing hides away.

[nofishfisherman]

If Hides for Habitat gets 15% of the money from a hide I donate that is still more than they had before. It is a very low percentage but I'm not going to do anything else with the hide so even if they don't get as much as they should I don't really have a better alternative. Even 15% beats throwing the hide away.

[hockeybc69]

The Wright County chapter has payed for MANY kids to go to the forkhorn camps over the years with money they raised from hide donation. They cover 100% of the cost of the kids to spend a week having fun in the outdoors and learning a lot at the same time.

There are other things their hides money goes to, but the forkhorn camp is one that sticks out in my mind.

[mntatonka]

The Wright County chapter has payed for MANY kids to go to the forkhorn camps over the years with money they raised from hide donation. They cover 100% of the cost of the kids to spend a week having fun in the outdoors and learning a lot at the same time.

There are other things their hides money goes to, but the forkhorn camp is one that sticks out in my mind.

The hides for habitat money goes strictly to habitat projects, not forkhorn camps (that's a different fund).

If you want, you can email the MDHA corporate office and they can probably give you a breakdown of where every cent of the hides for habitat money goes each year.

Actually, better yet, here's part of the PSA they give to chapters: "85 percent of the money is returned to the local MDHA chapter for projects such as land purchases, clear cutting, prescribed burning, winter feeding, site preparation and clover planting and 15 percent is managed by the MDHA State Habitat Committee for similar statewide projects."

And remember, that hide wasn't always worth $8, and even a good year the max is $8, with lower values given depending on the state of the hide.

[MOSSY]

The Brainerd chapter also sends about 14 kids a year to forkhorn camp at no cost and also has helped maintain hunting areas

[bigbucks]

I just traded mine in for gloves, could use the gloves & was happy to be rid of them. I have let some go too long in the past & pitched them which did nobody any good.

[paceman]

I trade mine in for gloves, knifes, or socks...

[TruthWalleyes]

I either scrap it, or give it to someone else so they can get gloves. That actually worked out well last year as i got a pair of gloves from the guy i gave my hide to. I think once or twice in my life i've put it in the orange box. Once it's off the animal, i don't really think about it much. Last years hide i just left at the farm place. Figured dad would use it as yote bait. Well this fall he gave me that hide back, but he had it tanned as it was my first archery deer.

[Cheetah]

I throw mine in the trash. Not worth the cost (gas), time and effort of trying to donate it.

[DonBo]

Fleet Farm gives you a coupon for $3 off anything in the store.

[slimngrizzly]

I give my hide and carcass to the eagles and yotes.

[Eric Wettschreck]

We community butcher at my house. The hides that the dog doesn't actually eat go in the back of someone's truck that lives in the town a bit north of me. They have a drop off box at the Co-op and give you gloves for hides.

[Mr Special]

+1

i bring mine to FF as well then walk right into the store =)

got sum icefishing gear from it =D

[KeystoneLight]

I have always donated mine to MDHA. The local Chapter that collects them uses the proceeds to send local kids to Forkhorn Camps, buy food plot seed to distribute to their members, do cost share on habitat projects and have donated towards the purchase of land for several WMA's.

[Lunker]

some fur traders will take them. the one near me trades for gloves or pays cash. i didn't find out about it early enough so i only have one hide to trade yet

[harvey lee]

Mine go back to nature.

[SledNeck]

my taxidermist takes care of it