# Time to tan the deerhides



## MontanaResident (May 6, 2018)

I heavily salted them last fall after fleshing them and put them away for the winter. They came out great. No rot, nor hair slippage.

I tossed them into the creek and got them all cleaned up, hung and stretched and applied the tanning solution to one of them so far. I'll get to the other later today. Takes about a week for the flesh to turn to leather, and then I will start the softening process. This is something I am still trying to figure out. In fact I'm still trying to soften the leather from 2016. I was rubbing warm water plus neatsfoot oil into the one this morning. Sure seems like it will work, but I have thought so before. This is all practice for when I get my bear.


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## MontanaResident (May 11, 2018)

Lots of rain, so the hides are very slowly drying out. First patches of leather is starting to show, so encouraging progress. I'd guess another week before they are fully turned to leather.


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## ropensaddle (May 11, 2018)

You want soft look up brain tanning but if you suspect cwd use rubber gloves. Its a lot of work stretching working it and without a squaw is downright tiring


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## MontanaResident (May 11, 2018)

Brain tanning is something I will be trying one of these years.


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## ropensaddle (May 11, 2018)

MontanaResident said:


> Brain tanning is something I will be trying one of these years.


Looks like you did a great job on those fleshing them


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## ChoppyChoppy (May 11, 2018)

I always figured a deer to be bigger than that. The ones I'm used to seeing (Maine) are in the 250-300lbs area.

Might be a weird combo of cough syrup, anti diarrhea, pepto, and advil, but I'm over here laughing, the stretched out skin looks like one of them flying squirrels hahaha.


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## MontanaResident (May 11, 2018)

Lucky to get a 100 pounds of Venison from a deer here in N.W. Montana. The bigger ones I've seen are not all that much bigger. The really big ones are mounted at the bank, in private homes, in Sporting Goods stores, from years past.



ValleyFirewood said:


> I always figured a deer to be bigger than that. The ones I'm used to seeing (Maine) are in the 250-300lbs area.
> 
> Might be a weird combo of cough syrup, anti diarrhea, pepto, and advil, but I'm over here laughing, the stretched out skin looks like one of them flying squirrels hahaha.


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## MontanaResident (May 18, 2018)

One is now fully tanned. Came out soft, not at all like the board I have had to deal with in prior years. I attribute it to doing a better fleshing job. I'll trim, soften, and brush out the hair, and it will be complete.


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