Brain-Tanning a Deer Hide: Day 1

On day one I went to Home Depot to purchase the following supplies: tarp, sawhorse, PVC pipe, 5 gallon bucket, 16 gallon tub, screws, 3 2x4s, and rubber gloves. Next I went to Walmart to purchase a machete...did I mention this took place on Christmas Eve?

Then I went to Drew's to pick up the hide.

When I got home, I set up shop in my basement. I spread out the tarp, assembled the fleshing unit (sawhorse, 2 1/2' of PVC pipe ducktaped to the top), made myself a trash bag apron and slid on my rubber gloves.

After Slack helped my assemble the drying rack and before he went upstairs he said, "Maybe after this we can watch, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' because that's pretty much what you're doing!"

What is important to remember that what I am doing is not only an ancient art form but also a way of honoring the animal, otherwise its' hide would go to waste.

I pulled the hide out of the bag and gave thanks. Then I removed the head from the hide and froze the head in a cooler (I will be extracting the brains for the brain-tanning step later on, but in the mean time I need to keep it cold).

I draped the hide (flesh-side up) over the fleshing unit leaned my belly against the hide and used the machete to scrape away the fat, flesh and meat. This took about 3 hours to complete! I hold the machete perpendicular to the hides surface and scrape away from my body while leaning against the hide so that it does not slide.

Fleshing the deer hide.

I then flipped the hide over (hair-side up) and began the Hair-Removal process. This takes a lot longer (especially if you haven't prepped the hide with chemicals) and at 12:30 am Slack came down to snap a picture and to tell me that it was time for bed.