There’s a lot more to it than that, as it all starts with hide boxes.
You may have seen them in the area as Lions Clubs from West Salem, Holmen, Bangor, Onalaska, Ridgeview and Mindoro, to name a few, put out boxes at area businesses asking hunters to donate their deer hides. The boxes are put out in October, just after start of the archery season, and remain there through the gun-deer season.
Once the gun-deer season ends, club members deliver them to specific locations, like the one located in a building at the La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds.
That’s where crews like the one headed by Thompson take the hides and prepare them for the hide companies. On one particular week, hides were coming in from West Salem on Monday, Holmen on Tuesday, Barre Mills on Wednesday, Bangor on Thursday and Coon Valley on Friday.
On Monday alone, there were 18 pallets of 50 to 60 hides each that had been trimmed, salted and prepared for shipping.
“Last year we sent out 45 skids,” Thompson said, taking a quick break from his salting duty. “I think we are ahead of last year (so far). We trim the scrap off, make sure the legs and neck (area of the hide) are open, then salt them down. We cut the tails off, too, as the tails are used for making fishing flies.”
In other words, nothing goes to waste. For those who make their own flies for fly fishing, deer hair is a desired material as it contains an air space in the center of the hair, allowing it to float.
Back to the hides, and what they mean for the Wisconsin Lions Camp. Last year, Thompson said the 27 area Lions Clubs sold 2,749 hides to benefit the Lions Camp, and hope to surpass that this year. That’s a significant increase from 2017, when 1,669 hides were collected. A number of years ago, Thompson said hides sold for $10 each, but have fallen in price significantly since then. He said hides are typically selling for $1 to $2, but the area Lions Club has secured a deal with a hide company for around $4 a hide this year.
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