Tanning Spirit Notes and Updates
-Skinning-

      The first step in tanning is to skin the animal properly. You don't want the hide cut, or score marks that will interfere with the tanning process later. When the time comes to make something, it is much easier to work with good hides.

      Remove the head by cutting at the atlas joint, then simply, detaching it from the body. Save the head as you will need the brain later for the tanning solution.

      Remove the front and rear legs at the knee joints across your leg. On the back legs, one must be sure to cut at the bottom joint, while leaving the tendons for to hang the deer. Skin and peel the back leg to expose the tendon for hanging. Slit the hide down the inside of the leg to the belly. Hang the deer by its hind legs

      Begin pulling the hide around the hind quarters, using your fist and elbow to help separate it from the body. Moving down the back, don't be alarmed if a thin layer of meat comes off with the hide. Hunters make the mistake of using a knife to try cutting that meat off, but often ruin the hide with holes and score marks. It is better to allow the thin layer of meat to come off with the hide. It is only a very thin sheath of muscle, which allows the deer to twitch its skin. The less one uses a knife, the better. Any knife cuts or scores will cause problems when dehairing.

      There may be a need to use a knife in the belly and brisket areas. At that time one can slit the inside front legs to the brisket, which has already been slit from the neck to tail when field dressing the animal. Finish peeling the hide off the animal. A properly pulled will have the thin layer of meat left on.

      It is important to care for the hide until you have time to flesh it. At this point you have three options: (1) proceed to the fleshing process, or (2) if within a week you can flesh, don't allow the flesh side to dry. Lay the hair-side of the hide to the ground, fold the sides into the center, covering the flesh (i.e. flesh-to-flesh). Roll the hide up from neck to tail and store in a cool place, or (3) if it will be a week or more before getting to the fleshing , put the properly rolled hide in a plastic garbage sack and in the freezer where it can stay fresh until you have time to work it.

New Notes on Skinning

      Tanning hides the "old way" By Sue Erickson, is a interview with Kathleen Wiggins Odanah, Wisconsin using the traditional Ojibwe process of brain-tanning, "Producing a nice piece of buckskin begins with the hunter," she says. The hunter must not only put down asemaa (tobacco) before and after the kill, but also shoot with an accuracy that leaves no holes in the body of the hide, or the skin will be damaged. Secondly, the hunter must remove the skin correctly, cutting on the "white lines" of the deer (where the brown hair meets the white underbelly hair), then pull the hide off. No knives are allowed, as a sharp knife is too likely to damage the hide. The hide must be as symmetrical as possible."

      This skinning method has also been investigated by Billy Metcalf of BC Canada.

      All the hides that are offered for sale on this web site have been skinned by me. Every fall I work at a wild game processing butcher shop. The hide pulling machine which is pictured allows the hide to be removed with mimium use of a knife.

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