4-Season Moose Hide Tanning

Tackling a moose hide might feel daunting to you! It did to me and it took me a few years to complete a moose hide real good. I found what worked for me is tanning moose hides throughout the year. Starting with hide work in the Fall and continuing with Winter, Spring, and Summer Hide Work. This approach is slow, breaks up the work, and takes advantage of the weather in each season.

With support from the Canada Council for the Arts, I will be sharing the 4-season approach I use to turn raw moose hide into soft, smoked hide. Each season I will host virtual and in-person events to share the steps I do in that season. My goal for teaching moose hide tanning this way is to empower learners to work on their own hides. Hide tanning is hard, physical work! You might also find it fun and satisfying.

The virtual events will be hosted on Zoom. I will present slides with text, images, videos, blab a lot about the hide work, and have time for questions from the participants. The virtual events will be free and open to anyone who has access to the internet.

The in-person events will happen over a weekend each season in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. We will start with a fresh moose hide in September 2022 and, if everything goes as planned, end with a smoked, tanned moose hide in the Summer of 2023. The in-person events will be free and open to those able to attend in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. I encourage you attend the entire weekend, pack a good lunch, water, snacks, and be prepared to work.

While learning to tan moose hides I have seen and tried different techniques and tools for the steps needed. I will share techniques that have worked for me, and information about the equipment and tools I use. The in-person sessions will focus on tanning moose hide, however I believe you can use these methods for tanning other hides.

Please note that in the Winter I will be frost scraping which does require cold winter temperatures. While many do dry scrape hides, I won’t be speaking to that method. I have done very little tanning with hair on, and won’t speak to that either.

Registration is required for the virtual and in-person events.

Virtual and In-Person Fall Hide Work events are done. 5 people joined me at my home and we got 2 moose hides ready for Winter hide work. 100 people joined me on Zoom to learn about Fall Hide Work.

Check out Fall Hide Work Resources

Winter Hide Work sessions:

Virtual and In-Person Winter Hide Work events are done.

Check out Winter Hide Work Resources

Warm Weather Hide Work sessions:
Virtual Warm Weather Hide Work will be offered three times this spring.

Session dates are:
April 22, 2023 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
May 17, 2023 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
June 3, 2023 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
all in Central Daylight Time

In-Person Warm Weather Hide Work dates are TBD.