Smoke-tanned Buckskin HIde Tanning Course
September 4-7, 2026 | North Saanich, Vancouver Island, BC
Turn a Deer hide into Your own Smoke-tanned Buckskin leather.
Be changed by the process of hide tanning.
You will work hard. You will be on the land at a quiet rural farm. And you’ll go home with your own sheepskin rug - tanned by your hands.
Our multi-day hide courses are for anyone who wants to challenge themselves, be outdoors, learn a new skill, and get immediate reward. That’s your sheepskin rug - and it’s also every micro-skill you learn along the way, from tying knots to learning tensioning.
Hide tanning is needed now more than ever. We need moments to get off screens, to be outside, and to be unreachable, even just for a few hours. Our bodies crave the physical and mental challenge, and the innate desire to build skills and work with our hands.
Investment: $444 CAD
Payable in 1 or 3 payments.
Hide Tanning is a Land-Based skill
It’s also an embodiment practice.
Mara Cur and Mark Santmaraia are your co-facilitators for this hide tanning course - affectionately known as a hide camp - where you’ll receive a fresh + prepared hide from us and turn it into natural, sustainable leather yourself.
Even as a beginner, you’ll be the one to make it happen. You’ll leave hide camp with your own sheepskin rug, the knowledge to tan more hides, and unique lessons that three days of ancient movement + hard work brought to you.
The Details
📍 Location: North Saanich, W̱SÁNEĆ Peninsula, BC
📅 Dates: September 4-7, 2026
⏰ Schedule: 11am–4pm each day
💰 Investment: $444
⛺ Camping available -> Book Your Camp Site at our Farm Here
All our hides are ethically sourced + re-routed from waste streams to co-create a resilient fibreshed.
All materials, tools, and equipment are provided.
$10 of your course investment goes toward the W̱SÁNEĆ Lands Trust to support Indigenous land-back. This donation is made during thier annual holiday fundraising drive.
What You’ll Gain from this hide tanning course:
✔️ Transform a wild deer hide into high quality smoke-tanned (brain-tanned) buckskin
✔️ Learn the time-honoured, land-based skill of hide tanning
✔️ Build physical strength + endurance
✔️ Leave with a finished authentic buckskin - made ethically by your hands
Words from our hide tanning students
“I tried tanning on my own and never understood it. After coming to one of the hide courses, I understand the process, and what went wrong with my previous attempts.”
Dallas
“Mara’s gentle guidance made me feel at home in hide camp.”
Tahlia
“I tanned my first hide with Fern + Roe. I didn’t know how much depth there would be in the course, beyond just the hide tanning itself. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a serious retreat/getaway.”
Skylar
The Hide Tanning Process
11am to 4pm daily
.Day One:
Choose your deer hide. Find the one that calls to you.
Learn the science of smoke-tanning - also known as brain-tanning (for good reason!)
Learn the traditional “Wet-scraping” technique with our artisan-made tools from local blacksmith Ryan Fogerty
Day Two:
Apply the traditional + highest-quality fat emulsion - animal brain - to your hide (we use foodsafe pork brain)
Learn to work with a traditional hide frame; weave the hide into the frame
Use scrapers + dowels to soften your buckskin
Day Three:
Smoke your hide
Add finishing touches with a pumice stone
Extra down time on this day to visit the ocean or our farm animals
Day Four
Do a second softening on your buckskin. This time, by hand.
Walk away with the highest-quality, resplendent buckskin you can make, especially for beginner and intermediate learners. We teach our best-kept tricks of the trade and ensure you have the instruction you need to make a buckskin you love.
FAQs
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Anneth Farm in North Saanich, BC can be reach by:
Ferry
BC Ferries, Tsawassen to Swartz Bay
Mill Bay ferry, Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay
BlackBall ferry, Port Angeles to Victoria
Clipper ferry, Seattle to Victoria
Plane
Commercial jet to YYJ
Float plane to Patricia Bay or downtown Victoria (Inner Harbour)
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We are 35 minutes north of Victoria, BC
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Yes, we welcome everyone to camp at Anneth Farm. It is $24/night.
In addition, we have indoor accommodations available that change by season. For this course, you are welcome to book a private Farmhouse room for $150/night. Email us to enquire.
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11am to 4:00pm