I have two deer hides that were harvested early before the tips oxidized. There are a lot of different grades of hair on a single hide. Some that flairs a lot, variety of colors from white to brown, different lengths, etc. I find the deer is a good substitute for elk hair, although a little more fragile, or brittle, it still fishes very well. Also it is easier for me to color the hair to suit my purpose. the variety of hairs also allows me to experiment a bit to get different results.