Black Bird
09-18-2013, 09:21 PM
Hi folks,
Last year, for the first time ever, I kept one of the hides from a Columbian black-tail that I shot and brought it to class with me. I am a Grade 7 school teacher and we used the hide as a way to investigate chemistry, ecology, and ancient civilizations. We took the hide from a state in which it was preserved with salt, all the way to buckskin. The kids were quite fascinated with the process and it brought up a great discussion about where meat comes from. Kids (and dare I say too many adults) seem to make the assumption that 'meat' is born on the shelves of Safeway, nicely wrapped up in plastic. It is not their fault, they just know no different. We even ended up making some jerky from the same animal. We also got into a discussion about where leather comes from. All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience.
I would like to do the same thing this year with the kids, and I am planning on harvesting 1-2 deer, but if anyone is willing to part with a hide from one of their animals, I would much appreciate it. I am hoping to be successful, but it would also be cool to compare whitetail, mule deer or even moose hides. I recognize in the case of a moose hide, that the mass of the thing may be too much, but even if I could have a section of one (say 4’ x 6’), that would be cool.
If anyone has ever thought about doing something with their hide, I highly recommend it. I used “Deerskin to Buckskin” by Matt Richards, along with talking to people who have done it (and of course a number of YouTube vids).
Again, if anyone is willing to take their skin home, I would really appreciate it. The only thing that I ask is that you give it a good smearing of salt on the fleshed side before rolling it up and putting it in a bag. I live in the Lower Mainland and am willing to drive out to the valley, or up to Whistler area. If you are interested, please PM me or respond to this email.
Below are a few pics from the last year’s process (including some of the bracelets that the kids made).
Cheers,
BB
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Scraping_zps6964b52e.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Smoking_zps056ae856.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Hide_Sectioned_zpsbb558850.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Bracelet_02_zps002e4f29.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Bracelet_01_zps81f122e9.jpg
Last year, for the first time ever, I kept one of the hides from a Columbian black-tail that I shot and brought it to class with me. I am a Grade 7 school teacher and we used the hide as a way to investigate chemistry, ecology, and ancient civilizations. We took the hide from a state in which it was preserved with salt, all the way to buckskin. The kids were quite fascinated with the process and it brought up a great discussion about where meat comes from. Kids (and dare I say too many adults) seem to make the assumption that 'meat' is born on the shelves of Safeway, nicely wrapped up in plastic. It is not their fault, they just know no different. We even ended up making some jerky from the same animal. We also got into a discussion about where leather comes from. All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience.
I would like to do the same thing this year with the kids, and I am planning on harvesting 1-2 deer, but if anyone is willing to part with a hide from one of their animals, I would much appreciate it. I am hoping to be successful, but it would also be cool to compare whitetail, mule deer or even moose hides. I recognize in the case of a moose hide, that the mass of the thing may be too much, but even if I could have a section of one (say 4’ x 6’), that would be cool.
If anyone has ever thought about doing something with their hide, I highly recommend it. I used “Deerskin to Buckskin” by Matt Richards, along with talking to people who have done it (and of course a number of YouTube vids).
Again, if anyone is willing to take their skin home, I would really appreciate it. The only thing that I ask is that you give it a good smearing of salt on the fleshed side before rolling it up and putting it in a bag. I live in the Lower Mainland and am willing to drive out to the valley, or up to Whistler area. If you are interested, please PM me or respond to this email.
Below are a few pics from the last year’s process (including some of the bracelets that the kids made).
Cheers,
BB
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Scraping_zps6964b52e.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Smoking_zps056ae856.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Hide_Sectioned_zpsbb558850.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Bracelet_02_zps002e4f29.jpg
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b514/1blackbird1/Bracelet_01_zps81f122e9.jpg