Al33
Senior Member
I killed a 6 pointer a few weeks ago that had an unusual black stripe down it's back so I decided I wanted to keep the hide. I got to work on it the other day and thought I would do a little pictorial tag along as I progress through it. I do not currently have a fleshing beam and neither do I have the preferred tools so I just started and improvised. I spread the hide out on a flat work table and modified a cedar wood arrow straightener made by our own Nugefan to work the flesh off. All I did to the straightener was sharpen the end to a chisel like wedge with my pocket knife. It worked like a charm and never once put a hole in the hide.
The main thing to be concerned with is not to score the hide with a knife blade when removing it from the deer so it is best to leave on a little flesh on it if you think you might cut into the hide.
I saved the bucks brain and this will be my first attempt at brain tanning. I have it all fleshed out now and will try to get it stretched today in a 2 x 4 frame I made up a few years ago and will take pic's as I progress.
I wetted the hide down then folded it up until I get it to the stretching frame.
The main thing to be concerned with is not to score the hide with a knife blade when removing it from the deer so it is best to leave on a little flesh on it if you think you might cut into the hide.
I saved the bucks brain and this will be my first attempt at brain tanning. I have it all fleshed out now and will try to get it stretched today in a 2 x 4 frame I made up a few years ago and will take pic's as I progress.
I wetted the hide down then folded it up until I get it to the stretching frame.