Rawhide Backing - Animal Alternatives

[klr650Teach]

In TTBB they state that the best rawhide backing was thin and that a thicker rawhide backing would/had the tendency to pull away from the bow with use.

This got me thinking as I've brain tanned lots of deer hides in the past which I learnt how to do from my days of black powder shooting and going to rendezvous etc. The local indians would often come out to rendezvous as well to take part in the historical crafts and skills competitions etc. One of these skills was drum making. The favorite animal hide for the drums was that of dogs as the skin made a superior drum than say deer hide or larger animals I was told.

My hopes of getting a deer hide here to use for backing are not very optimistic, but there are so many feral dogs here in Mexico that road kill dogs are everywhere. I would have no problem finding a carcass roadside to flesh out and de-hair to make rawhide from. But will dog hide be as suitable for for bow backing as say deer hide? Thanks

[Forwardhandle]

I don't know about dog hide but I use goat hide that's used for drum making that is very thin & strong, I got a whole hide from one of the drum making suppliers a few years back but don't remember where but it's good stuff !

[Pat B]

Both deer and goat make good bow backing because they both are thin and strong.  I've never even thought of using dog and I've never seen any so I can't say how well it would be.

[Forwardhandle]

When I was younger my brothers and I used to hunt coyotes for the pelts , the State used to pay a bounty on them ,the pelts seem like they would make thin raw hide but I will say this they where about the most foul smelling critter  I have ever skinned and they get real ripe quick , those road killed dogs would be a real choir to skin !