Deer hides for a school project...

[Black Bird]

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

[E.V.B.H.]

Unfortunately I'm too far away to help, but congratulations for bringing some reality based education into the classroom!!

[adriaticum]

I've seen guys use raw hide treats for dogs. Soak them in water for 24 hrs and they become soft. You can easily unravel them.
Then you can stretch them and when they dry cut them into strips you want.
Then soak them again, weave them and finish them.

[Shooter]

Unfortunately I'm too far away to help, but congratulations for bringing some reality based education into the classroom!!

X2 here. I would help if I could but I am over on the Island.

[Mishka]

That's great what you're doing with your class. Good on you! I'll keep you in mind this season. I read the same book and I'm hoping to tackle a skin at some point in the future.

[Andrewh]

Super cool man, what an incredible experience for those kids. I'm heading out this weekend and if I'm successful, I'll pack out a hide for you... provided you give me the low down on your lesson plans! I live/teach in Vancouver.

[avadad]

That's so cool! Thanks for being such a great teacher. We need more like you.

[srthomas75]

That's so cool! Thanks for being such a great teacher. We need more like you.

times two on this.

[Hillbros_96]

Shoot, if I would have known I would have saved you a chunk of my moose hide.

[Darksith]

That really is awesome. Good job. Too many teachers simply follow a book, and don't go out of their way to do things like this. Im in kamloops, and we will be shooting 2 moose in october hopefully. I will keep you in mind, and maybe you can meet my dad as he heads back to victoria. He is a retired teacher as well, so he would be more than happy to help. If we drop a mule or white tail we will save those as well. Feel free to PM me if it makes things easier.

[hare_assassin]

I would offer a hide (if I am successful) but now you've inspired me to do this with my family!

If I get two (or more) I'll PM you and see if we can work out a way to get one to you.

You're an awesome teacher! Keep up the good work!

[r106]

If I get a deer this year I will save the hide for you. Thats a cool thing your doing.

[Moe.JKU]

Ill try and get one for you this weekend. If not i could bring back one when i go on my moose hunt as we are planning on getting a deer. PM with with details at to what care you want done to it before you receive it. I might just want a little chunk so i can use the hair to tie some flies for spring rainbows.

[Cami]

I m gonna go out this weekend with any luck i ll have a hide for u.
I wish i would have had a teacher like u that's awesome.

[Jagermeister]

I salute you BlackBird. You remind me of Jungle Jim Campbell, an ag teacher that I had ½ a century ago. Teachers like you give a lasting impression and the best learning experience.
Teachers that teach trigonmetry in class are a waste of time, teachers that take you into the field to show you how to measure the height of a tree or the distance across a ravine are the ones that others learn from.

[Barnes_270]

Man, where were you when I was in elementary school? :)

If I have any success this year, I'll save the hide(s) for you.

[Captainkf]

Nice idea, I also teach grade 7 and was hoping to keep a hide this season but I love the idea of bringing it into the class. I would love more info on the project specifics if you have time to post or pm. I was lucky to get a 2 point white tale this last weekend but we had to haul it out a fair stretch and the animal was halved for ease of transport (ease... Ha!). So no dice on that one, but maybe the next! Again, great idea, thanks.

[squamishhunter]

Out of curiosity, do you get any flack (bullshit) from other teachers when you do this?

[Black Bird]

Wow! Thanks to everyone for the responses! I don't mind putting a more detailed description of what I did with the classes online (lesson plan style), but I think I will put it up as a link so as not to post stuff that may not be as much interest to others. If anyone wants to tan their own hide (sort-a-speak), then please feel free to PM me and I will help out as best I can. I am not an expert, but I did learn a bunch while doing one last year. I should become more of an expert by the end of this hunting season if all works according to plan!

One of the things I found a bit surprising about bringing the discussion of hunting into the classroom, is how supportive parents, fellow teachers and administration was. I didn't have any parents coming after me, most were accepting, and a number were downright enthusiastic. I had a grandfather come into my classroom to see what his granddaughter was up to, and he was so excited to see the tanned hide hanging outside the classroom. He lived in Greece during the second world war and fled to the hills when the Nazis came. He and others spent a couple of years living in the mountains. There, they hunted, used hides for clothing, and preserved food. He was happy to see that some of the lessons on how to do that were being passed down to his granddaughter.

I also found that when I brought hunting up with the staff and administration (about 5 years ago), they were respectful of why I was doing it and a number talked about hunters in their family. I fully expect to come across a parent or two who will not agree with my hunting, but I still feel that I will be able to have a good discussion about being transparent about where meat comes from and the honesty of hunting. I have had a couple of students become vegetarian or pescitarian as a result of my 'primitive project' that I do with the kids, and I am very happy with that. They have given good thought about what meat is and they are making an eyes-open conscious decision. However, I have to admit to being very pleased when an ex-student of mine came up to tell me after a fire drill a few days back that she was heading off on her first hunting trip this October. She was totally stoked (as was I)!

Cheers,
BB

[Captainkf]

Thanks so much and I am looking forward to seeing it!

[Black Bird]

Thank you so much to all for the PMs and hides. I now have an ample supply for me to work with the kids. If anyone wants to try keeping theirs this year to do something with, please feel free to PM me and I will help out as best I can. If you live in the Lower Mainland, then let's meet up and I can go over what I know.

Cheers, and best of luck to everyone out there!
BB

[J-Man]

Good on yea!

[buckguy]

Awesome. Wish I had a teacher like you when I was in school. If I am successful I will definitely drop you a PM. Thanks for actually taking the time and effort of educating our kids, not just regurgitating some material out of a book.