How to Tan a White-Tailed Deer Hide

Insert your hunting knife into all four legs of the deer carcass so that you can remove the skin. The cut should be made close to the socket on the inside of each leg. Ball your fist and push it into the hide, pulling the hide apart from the deer's body. For some portions of the skin, you may need to use the back edge of the knife. Remove the tail by cutting directly beneath it, removing the bones.

Remove larger chunks of flesh, fat and other tissues so that the hide is pure and will tan properly. According to Manataka, other techniques that can help with removal of the flesh and fat include using palm-sized stones that have beveled edges to scrape, or using a paint scraper.

Flesh the hide by setting one end of the 6-inch PVC pipe on the ground and the other end on the sawhorse so that it is resting at waste height. Scrape the hide with a dull drawn knife in a side-to-side direction, as opposed to head to tail.

Remove the brain of the deer and blend it in a blender. Pour the brain into a bucket with a gallon of warm water and stir until the mixture is blended.

Wet the hide with warm water, which will help the pores absorb the brain/water solution. Do not moisten the hide to the extent that it is sponge-like, which will result in the pores being too full of water to absorb anything else.

Spread the hide on a plastic tarp and use a heavy paintbrush to apply the brain/water solution. Allow for the solution to be absorbed for an hour. Apply a second coating. Fold the hide in half and roll it so that the solution is inside the roll. Let it sit overnight in a dry, cool place that is protected from animals. Refrigerate the remaining brain solution overnight. Rotted solution will make the tanning process unpleasant if the solution sits out on a warm night.

Unroll the hide and apply a layer of the brain solution with a heavy paintbrush.

Attach the edges of the hide to c-clamps that are attached to stakes in the ground. Stretch and abrade the hide by scraping it with a smooth rock or pumice stone so that the fibers do not realign with one another. Continue to scrape back and forth along the hide until it is dry, which will most likely take several hours. Short breaks are permissible if the hide remains wet, but if it is nearly dry, the abrading must continue without interruption. Keep a spray bottle of water close by to wet the hide if it begins to stiffen.