Scouts Skin a Roebuck

[stovie]

Its been a while since I posted (moving house, changing job etc etc) but still doing what I love, so thought I'd share this evenings session with the scouts...

A yearling found by the side of the road, still warm, taken and drawn and then strung up in order to demonstrate how to skin and butcher to best advantage.

Showing the technique of trimming skin from flesh

The girls show the way...

Old hands and new get to work...

meanwhile others get to grips with pigeons and rabbits

Having removed the hide Stovie Jr gets down to scraping the flesh in preparation for tanning

yours truely pontificates on the butchering of a deer...(note the long-suffering "Mrs Stovie" centre pic. only too pleased its not taking place at home for a change)

removing the hind quarters

Scouts (including Miss Stovie on the right) continue with the scraping

Ollie cooks up a storm...

Food always goes down well with the troop...

The finished wares...2 shoulders, 2 legs, 2 saddles and the pelt.

The legs have been frozen and will be used on our next camp over the May bank holiday. The skin has been brain tanned this evening and will be finished over the next couple of days (thanks Ollie)...

A very productive evening which once again showed the youngsters how to utilise as much as you can from a given source...

S

 

[TeeDee]

Great post !! Nice to see them all getting stuck in.

 

[Matt.S]

Nice one Stovie! What are the plans for the hide?

 

[dwardo]

What a great day out for the kids and not one of them looks uncomfortable with the task at hand.

 

[Deanno]

It makes a change to see kids enjoying the outdoors and what nature has to offer rather than staying in side playing on the computer.

I just wish they had scouts near me (when i was young)

 

[British Red]

Stovie, you are still my hero

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Stovie

I take my hat off to you

IMO, it is fantastic seeing anyone taking the time & effort to pass on time honoured skills to the next generation




Kind regards
Mick

 

[Mikey P]

Excellent work!

That's what I like to see - kids knowing where their food comes from. Despite being a veggie, I would definitely encourage this sort of activity.

Wish we'd done it when I was in the Scouts. Did lots of other great stuff, by the way - in fact, there are some good lashings on that tripod!!! That takes me back...

 

[Hugo]

This is one great post, thanks for sharing.

 

[Ollie2910]

Tanning going well, waiting for hide to dry before softening and smoking!!

Ollieokenest:

 

[stuart f]

Nice one Stovie,good to see the kids enjoying the experience.Also nice to hear the pelt is being brain tanned,are you leaving the hair on,or are you going for Buckskin?

Thanks for posting.

Cheers Stuart.

 

[porchini]

Brilliant stuff. Those scouts look like their having loads of fun and learning interesting and valuable skills too. You are an inspiration, scouting at its best.

 

[Mikey P]

Brilliant stuff. Those scouts look like their having loads of fun and learning interesting and valuable skills too. You are an inspiration, scouting at its best.

Yep - this is what scouting's all about.

 

[Greenbeast]

That is brilliant, it's so pleasing to see this still taught to kids

 

[Mang]

I know nothing about tanning but would the yearlings' brain be enough for the pelt?

 

[falcon]

You've raised the bar as high as it can go and you're still doing it ....top man It nice to see that scouts are still able to practice genuine outdoor living skills, including using sharps despite reading reports to the contrary elsewhere. Great post

 

[stovie]

Hi to everyone! Just to say thanks to you all for your supportive comments...you can never be too sure how people will react in this technical-hypersensitive-age.

Firstly, "H",

Secondly, I dont deserve all the fuss, because a) been doing it all my life and b) I have a great team around me; namely, Ollie (who's finishing the tanning) Mr Santa-Cruz (who trawls the back roads of sussex in search of fresh specimens Mr Evans who a) takes a lot of pictures, and b) tidys up behind us all, and last but not least, Dr Ribbens, who saves me from the paperwork... Without this core of helpers I would not be able to achieve half the things I do. It is truely a Team effort.

Stuart, the hair is staying on, and will be a throw on the floor of Ollies new Tipi ...when its finished..

Mang; more than enough brain for the job. Strangely its as if any given animal has just enough to tan its own hide...

I have to say I feel lucky to be in a position to be able to impart my limited knowledge to the next generation in order that they know a life beyond their technological norm...and have fun...

S

 

[British Red]

Cobblers

I'm sure you and Ollie are aided and abetted by others. But in seventy years an old man / old woman will tell their grandchildren about the time they spent with you. What you do is truly that rare and that special.

This type of activity is stupidly rare now.

In my mind, you are a giant on this forum, to those kids and in all ways that will ever matter

Red

 

[stovie]

Very civilised meal this evening with wellsy...saddle of venison, with port, cranberry and chocolate sauce, new pots and kale, all helped down with an '86 claret...

 

[Pcwizme]

Stovie as a fellow scout leader i envy you and am in awe of you, My troop have done rabbits in the past, but alas getting a dear in this part of the world is expensive, and a pain in the bum at that!

Its amazing that those scouts you think are going to wimp out actually show them selves to have a stronger stomach than you ever expected.