Just a heads up on dates for 2012 BC meetups

[gun babe]

I agree Ben S. It is great that kids can be apart of learning such great skills. While at other meet ups we have only had an infant and a teen attend, I do not see any problems with kids attending as long as the parents take care and control, especially if firearms are in use.

I look forward to meeting you Ben, Sniper, and anyone else who want to be apart of an amazing weekend!!

[Survival Bill]

For Aug meetup Demonstrations/lessons
Never get lost....
I will be doing map reading Navigation GPS Compass use and how to use Ranger beads for distance to figure out your location..
hoping to do a long hike to demonstrate putting it all together.....
anyone interested in helping out instructing let me know...

[FoxFire]

Sounds fun! Need a demonstrator for hide brain tanning? *fishing for an invite *

[Survival Bill]

I would love you to do a live demo FoxFire of course you are invited 20 lashes now if you dont show up LOL....

[gun babe]

There is also a current thread on just this dates meet up just below this thread...and yes... you had better come and join us now...

[Hillbilly]

WOW it is only 2,698 mi, 1 day 22 hours drive for us, if we ever made it.
And that is if there is no road construction or other stuff to slow us down.

[FoxFire]

I would love you to do a live demo FoxFire of course you are invited 20 lashes now if you dont show up LOL....

Have you been hanging out with Slavex too much? 20 lashes? Only? Wuzzz!

Depends on work schedule, between going to a meet and getting fired ... hmmm tough call. I might not be able to bring a deer hide -- if that's the case I might grab some squirrels or buy a green (ranch) buffalo hide enroute. But ONLY if you lot help me tan it with me! No way am I doing all the work alone

[Survival Bill]

I can't talk for others but I would definitely help out would make a good group project.... I think smaller pelts may be the way to go though but I could use a nice buffalo robe....

if you cant make this meetup you can try for one of the later meetups....

Have you been hanging out with Slavex too much? 20 lashes? Only? Wuzzz!

you Funny

[FoxFire]

Let me check with my other half''s diary tonight. Does the meet site have an "easily accessible body of fresh water" that a hide can soak in? If yes, then we don't really need a container as such. If no, a rubbermaid tote (say 60 liters capacity) would be good. Depending on the weather we can decide whether to wet scrape or dry scrape (or maybe even cut the hide in half so we can try both)

BTW, I won't teach you anything ... I just hope my meddlings with a hide will be instructive enough you'll pick up the skillz LOL. As my Wise Gran used to say,

"you don't OWN knowledge; Knowledge is just using you as a means to spread itself. Like Malaria."

[swibo 6]

Depends on work schedule, between going to a meet and getting fired ... hmmm tough call. I might not be able to bring a deer hide -- if that's the case I might grab some squirrels or buy a green (ranch) buffalo hide enroute. But ONLY if you lot help me tan it with me! No way am I doing all the work alone

I don't think that I would have any trouble getting my hands on a hide and even brains. I could probably get a lamb skin but if not I would just bring a piece from a beef or bison hide.

Also, yes there are a few small pools in a nearby creek that would work for soaking the hide.

*edit: I just went and reviewed your process and know I see that we would need totes but there is plenty of water nearby*

WOW it is only 2,698 mi, 1 day 22 hours drive for us, if we ever made it.
And that is if there is no road construction or other stuff to slow us down.

I look forward to meeting you HB... LOL, maybe next time eh?

[Survival Bill]

Well I have a tot box I have it full of dry firewood in the van I can dump out and we can use that then...

[FoxFire]

Sounds good! Talked to the Other Half - he's a bit pissy that he'll be missing the meet in lieu of the shoot LOL. We'll be driving out west from Calgary on the thursday, and he'll drop me off either at Kamloops or Salmon Arm (my sis in law is there) and wait to thumb a ride from one of you lovely fellas.

For brain/soap tanning soaking for extensive amount of time is not necessary -- the bark tea wotsit I did is just to put a bit of colour and "toughen" up the fibres for hard outdoor use. Just the initial overnight soaking to get the hide nice n soft to scrape the next day is the reason. If we time it rite, we can process it in 3 days or less.

1st day -- soaked in a pond/puddle, and re-flesh
2nd day -- dehair and degrain using wetscrape/dryscrape
2nd to 3rd day -- oil/brain then the fun softening
3rd day end -- smoking the hide

Hopefully by the end of the mucking about there'll be enough soft buckskin so everyone can make a medicine pouch for themselves.

Swibo, if you can bring a hide or two to the camp that'll be awesome. I'll try to bring my dried salted hide, as well, so we can muck about with lots of materials. I'm also partial to grey squirrels if there's plenty for us to pop at the site :D kinda itching to make me a squirrel hat LOL

[Survival Bill]

that sounds great kind of a crash course in hide tanning awesome.... I will add you to the list of demonstrators then...

I am sure if you can get to kamloops its just a matter of were and when to pick you up....

[Hillbilly]

I look forward to meeting you HB... LOL, maybe next time eh?

Probably the only way we will ever get to Canada will be on a Bus.

My wife has to drive now that I don't have a driver's license anymore, and she hasn't been driving for a long time. Interstate highways is something she is not good at, yet.

[Survival Bill]

HB is getting a bus cool LOL...... bet its gonna be a 4x4 bus monster tires its gonna be cool.....

[Hillbilly]

Thinking more like a Greyhound bus.

[Survival Bill]

OK a 6x6 Grayhound monster truck bus then thats even cooler LOL.....

[FoxFire]

Hey Bill, being quite a North American Newbie, what's the plants and weather like in the area that time of year? I've done several winter campings here in Alberta, and several summer camping on the wetcoast, so I'm not too worried about my gear's capability with rain -- more like I need a heads up on what *indispensibles* that I might accidentally overlook. I'm just going to assume to pack like I'm backpacking through Scotland :)

[Survival Bill]

The June meetup can be rainy for sure but also t-shirt weather just depends.... I am bringing along some large tarps to hide under just in case thats the way things work out..... but take a light sweater and jacket along...If you pack like your going through Scotland then your set... weather can change every 5 min...

[Survival Bill]

OK New post has been started for the 2012 Sept meetup in Kamloops you can go here for updated info: viewtopic.php?f=121&t=12548&p=75972#p75972


If you would like to do a demonstration or some instruction on a subject please post here or in the new thread or PM me so I can add you to the list on the meetup page thanks....