December 2011
Kurz Buckskin Bait
Kurz Buckskin Bait Mfg Co
Chicago, IL
1916
There is a special time of the year when the Fuhrman Family gets
together to share stories, eat good food, laugh, and have a great time.

Are we talking about Christmas?  Well, yes...but, not in this case….

It is the deer hunting season!

The deer hunting season is all about family, fun, tradition, and spending time in the woods.  And, of course, bagging a whitetail deer.  And, if we do well hunting, the season also includes processing our own meat and making a variety of sausages and brats as well as steaks and ground venison/bacon burgers.

So, for the month of December, I will share some information on a very unique and seldom seen lure…the Kurz Buckskin Bait.

According to the box and paperwork with the lure, this bait is made from genuine rawhide (apparently not buckskin).  This rawhide gets flexible in the water and “swims” like a real fish.  When you think about it, this lure was invented long before the present day rubber “skirts” were available.  These skirts hold up well and attract fish, so why not the rawhide? 

This lure consists of two fish-shaped pieces of rawhide held together with a rivet (that also doubled as the eyes of the fish) and a wire clip near the back of the lure.  On the larger sizes, some thread was sewn through the fish to help secure the pieces together too.  Towards the front of the lure and in between the two fish-shaped pieces of rawhide is an oblong belly weight that would cause the lure to sink.  The rawhide on this lure was hand-painted with gills, light colors on the belly of the fish and a few other markings.  This lure only had one hook and was available in at least three sizes.  The one I am featuring in the box is the largest size and it is a little over 6 inches long.  The other one pictured is a used one that is the smallest size and is about 2 inches long.

The deer hunting of 2011 may be over for me, but the memories last forever.  As my late mother, also a deer hunter, used to say "Some of our best family photos feature everyone wearing blaze orange."


Fuhrman Family Deer Hunting Party of 2011
My cousin Gary prepares the sausage stuffer....
Brats ready to be smoked....