Here are some suggestions if you don't want to donate or abandon a game hide. Make smoked buckskin. There are many sources on the net on how to turn a deer or any wild skin into soft buckskin. Making buckskin can be time and energy consuming if you haven't done it before but once you know how, it’s effortless, an invaluable skill and can be done with only a few extra materials. The smoked buckskin is the best material to make outdoor gear as its especially durable, particularly against common outdoor insults from heavy branches and bramble; it wont frey like manufactured weave, it’s a material that adapts to the contours, particularly if worn dry after a soak,  and biting bugs cant penetrate it. Look at this post for more  helpful tips. When a buckskin is finnished, there is often a stiff border which may also have holes. I cut the border away, soak the cut away, and when saturated, wrap it around something to dry straight and stretched. I then use this border for all sorts ...