I posted that my armguard with taned elk skin was uncomfortable in summer but I put the suede side against my arm and that may have been the reason. I see your deer skin has the slick side out.
Very nice Rob! If you really want your tooling to "pop" after you do your first staining....just use a small brush with the same stain and darken in areas to really make it stand out.
The only critique is the liner. it looks a little waivy. Did you glue the two layer together?