# Deer tallow soap, wow, it is divine



## paillo (Nov 27, 2015)

So at the suggestion of several here, I ordered some deer tallow soap from Etsy. Now I see why y'all sing the praises of tallow soap. Incredibly creamy lather, my skin feels great, I'm a new fan. Friends have promised me the fatty parts from their young son's first deer, can't wait to try my hand at rendering it and soaping it for family and friends. Thanks for the encouragement about tallow soap!


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## dixiedragon (Nov 27, 2015)

Glad you are enjoying! Is this your first animal fat soap? I am curious about deer tallow vs lard and beef tallow.

Lionprincess00 describes her rendering method here:
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=52475

Works very well for beef! I have rendered tallow a few different times, in a few different ways. Hers is the best I've found. However, it is KEY to get your fat ground! If you have a very large pot, you can render with the lid on which really helps trap the smell in the pot. It foams a LOT, so you want your pot to be 1/2 full or less.


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## lionprincess00 (Nov 27, 2015)

Thanks Dixie! I do use some baking soda. If the temps are higher it will saponify a little and you'll get some soap floaties, but not much. I sprinkle a little in to take care of the odor. I do clean in water with salt at a minimum of 3 times for small renders, and I've done up to 6 times for a large batch. Any questions feel free to ask away!


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## paillo (Nov 27, 2015)

Yup, first animal fat soap I've used, would love to hear comparisons among lard, deer and beef tallow. LionPrincess's instructions are fantastic!


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## hollyw13 (Nov 30, 2015)

Hello! I just joined this forum in search of more info on using deer tallow for  soap. I made 2 batches and they both came out a bit crumbly. Should I fire away with question here,  or should I start a new thread?
Thank you & can't wait to discuss! 
Holly


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## Obsidian (Nov 30, 2015)

Best to start a new thread with your complete recipe.


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## paillo (Nov 30, 2015)

Very eager to see your new thread  Yes, posting your recipe, any notes that might be helpful, and even a pic always really help us help you.

I just tried a bar from another Etsy seller, and it also is divine. Goat milk with deer tallow. I am so in love. The glide in these is luscious, lather creme de la creme, so gently cleaning. OK have I raved enough?


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## DeeAnna (Nov 30, 2015)

I have to ask -- is the deer tallow in the Etsy soap from farm raised deer? If it's from wild deer harvested by legal game hunting or if the chain-of-ownership cannot prove the tallow was from farm raised deer, it may be illegal to sell this soap in the US.

There's been quite a fuss on a facebook tallow soaping group lately about this matter. Some soapers want to sell soap and other products that contain bear or deer tallow from legally hunted wild animals. The state Fish and Game departments are telling these soapers that it's illegal to make commercial use of the tallow. You can soap with this deer tallow to your heart's content ... you can give it away to friends and family ... but you can't legally sell the soap or make other commercial use of it.

The point of the law is to discourage poaching and over-harvesting. In the 1800s and early 1900s, there were no controls on hunting, and many animals -- bear, deer, elk, moose, otter, egrets, carrier pigeons, etc. -- were exterminated in many US states.


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## Wildcraft_Garden (Dec 1, 2015)

DeeAnna said:


> I have to ask -- is the deer tallow in the Etsy soap from farm raised deer? If it's from wild deer harvested by legal game hunting or if the chain-of-ownership cannot prove the tallow was from farm raised deer, it may be illegal to sell this soap in the US.
> 
> There's been quite a fuss on a facebook tallow soaping group lately about this matter. Some soapers want to sell soap and other products that contain bear or deer tallow from legally hunted wild animals. The state Fish and Game departments are telling these soapers that it's illegal to make commercial use of the tallow. You can soap with this deer tallow to your heart's content ... you can give it away to friends and family ... but you can't legally sell the soap or make other commercial use of it.
> 
> The point of the law is to discourage poaching and over-harvesting. In the 1800s and early 1900s, there were no controls on hunting, and many animals -- bear, deer, elk, moose, otter, egrets, carrier pigeons, etc. -- were exterminated in many US states.


I was just going to bring this up too, you aren't allowed to profit from wild harvested animals here either. I'm almost done butchering my deer and I have another batch of tallow ready to render. Gifts for friends though!


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## DeeAnna (Dec 1, 2015)

It never occurred to me that a person would feel entitled to make money off tallow soap made from legally hunted game animals. But a couple of Facebook tallow soaper people seem to have that attitude. They are terribly offended that they couldn't get an instant exemption to sell their tallow soap, as if their soap is any different than other commercial use of the tallow. One said she was going to give the tallow soap away as a "free gift" with a purchase of other products. I suspect the Fish and Game folks would take a dim view of that too.


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 1, 2015)

Without turning this too political, it's a dinosaur of a law at a time when most states are being overrun by deer.  Beyond the over-population issue, the prohibition on the sale of wild-harvest venison has much more to do with the USDA than it does with the DNR.  It's about health and safety of meat for human consumption rather protecting wildlife populations. The fact that an animal is legally harvested, by definition, takes care of all over-exploitation issues.  

By that light, products not for consumption should be legal for sale.  The argument is, of course, that once a deer is butchered one can no longer tell if the tallow or skin came from a poached animal or one that was legally harvested.  That's a strawman, though, because farms already provide chain of custody documentation for products which _can_ be legally sold and there is no reason the same consideration could not be given to an average hunter who takes his one or two deer per year.  The prohibition is a lazy solution to a problem that no longer really exists in the first place.


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## CTAnton (Dec 4, 2015)

Wow...I was unaware of the issues surrounding deer tallow. Due to the recent threads on this forum I asked around and found a butcher who moonlights this time of year butchering deer. I spoke with him last week and met him again yesterday.He said he hasn't butchered any so far this season but that a local "deer farm" should be sending some deer his way shortly. I'm getting the fat for free and ground. 
This "deer farm" is owned by a rich man that had fenced 2000  acres, eradicating wildlife inside the enclosure and introduced some particular breed of deer. From what I hear his well heeled friends are invited up to partake of the herd. Controlled breeding program, the whole bit. I am amazed this takes place 20 minutes from my house.Things I've learned from becoming a soap maker...


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## Jon Drayna (Sep 17, 2018)

Wildcraft_Garden said:


> I was just going to bring this up too, you aren't allowed to profit from wild harvested animals here either. I'm almost done butchering my deer and I have another batch of tallow ready to render. Gifts for friends though!


Yes, I called the Wisconsin DNR on this. Definitely ILLEGAL to sell anything make with wild-harvested fish or game, with a few very specific exceptions (hide (no spots), deer tail, antlers). The law mentions trade, barter, etc. They foresaw loopholes. Don't do it!


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## Relle (Sep 18, 2018)

Jon Drayna said:


> Yes, I called the Wisconsin DNR on this. Definitely ILLEGAL to sell anything make with wild-harvested fish or game, with a few very specific exceptions (hide (no spots), deer tail, antlers). The law mentions trade, barter, etc. They foresaw loopholes. Don't do it!


Wildcraft Garden hasn't been in here in 9 months, so probably won't see your message. This post is nearly 2 yrs old.


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## artemis (Sep 18, 2018)

Relle said:


> Wildcraft Garden hasn't been in here in 9 months, so probably won't see your message. This post is nearly 2 yrs old.


Still useful for people searching for information on selling deer tallow soap.


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## Relle (Sep 19, 2018)

I realise this, I was letting the poster know, as they were replying to someone specifically (Jon Drayna to Wildcraft) and they obviously didn't know, that they hadn't been.


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## tammy sue starks (Jun 18, 2020)

paillo said:


> Yup, first animal fat soap I've used, would love to hear comparisons among lard, deer and beef tallow. LionPrincess's instructions are fantastic!


I love lard soap or lard tallow mix. I am getting ready to make bear tallow soap


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## tammy sue starks (Jun 19, 2020)

tammy sue starks said:


> I love lard soap or lard tallow mix. I am getting ready to make bear tallow soap


Lard tallow blend is my favorite so far. With just beef tallow I wind up superfatting to 6 because my skin feels tight on 5. With lard I LOVE it. I also am a huge fan of equal parts of beef tallow and lard soap. I'm not real sure how to formulate a recipe for bear tallow because no matter how I fiddle with the recipe it looks like it will be soft and I don't want to waste it. Soooo, if any of you have bear tallow experience or have enough experience with soapcalc numbers to help me work out a recipe I would surely appreciate it! I am saving the fat from all 5 deer from our family's hunt this coming fall so looking forward to that. By the way, is it pure deer tallow you are loving or a soap with deer tallow added?


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## Obsidian (Jun 19, 2020)

I made soap with 100% bear tallow and it wasn't soft at all. Not near the hard, brittle soap deer tallow makes and it lathered a lot more then 100% lard.
Hoping to hunt this year so I can get more deer fat. I can't remember what % I used it at, maybe 30 or so.


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## TashaBird (Jun 20, 2020)

Obsidian said:


> I made soap with 100% bear tallow and it wasn't soft at all. Not near the hard, brittle soap deer tallow makes and it lathered a lot more then 100% lard.
> Hoping to hunt this year so I can get more deer fat. I can't remember what % I used it at, maybe 30 or so.


I just got a new rifle and a couple tags.  If I got enough deer fat to make some soap, it’d be amazing!!!


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