A bit about me.

I have studied primitive skills since I was 11 years old when I received a copy of Larry Dean Olson's book "Outdoor Survival Skills". I completely used that book into oblivion. I've been brain tanning deerskins for 15 years. My first attempt was dry scraping, learning from Jim Riggs book "Blue Mountain Buckskin". I still have that semi soft piece of buckskin which I use as my sewing bag as a needle will never pierce it. During my first attempts I was spotted working a skin by a fella named Ted Lamastra who had just gone to a gathering called the RabbitStick Rendezvous outside of Rexburg, Idaho that had originally been started by Larry Olson. Ironically, I grew up in Rexburg and never heard of the RabbitStick until I was 25 and living 5 hours away. Ted introduced me to some folks who used and wore buckskin everyday. I was hooked.

Since that time I have tanned hundreds of deerskins. I have taught at the RabbitStick, Northern Lights in the Slocan Valley of British Columbia, at Tom Elpels Hollowtop, Chris Morasky's Earth Circle, and other smaller venues. I now brain tan full time for my living. I live on the eastern edge of the Flathead Indian Reservation in a small town of Pablo, Montana. I see less and less buckskin being used all the time and the traditional native tanners are becoming few and far between.

Please note - While it's not unfathomable that you will be able to produce a braintanned deerskin with these instructions you should be realistic with your understanding that this is vigorous, strenuous, and difficult process. These instructions are not meant to be a recipe with predictable results but rather an overview of what takes place in the process of braintanning a deerskin. I recommend studying what is here and then working with someone who has some experience because that is the fastest way you will become a proficient tanner.

That being said, there will no doubt be folks out there that will get it their first time. It's not impossible, just improbable. I try to keep it simple and if you maintain the "keep it simple"  mantra you will at least have a good bit of nice skin that will certainly give you the taste. There are a whole lot of ways to brain tan. This is generally what I do. I suggest learning as many ways as possible and use every trick in the book to get the skin soft.