Not too long ago I put out the question of where to get some seal pelts. Not the beautiful finely finished sort but the blubbery fresh off the boat variety.
My Uncle Larry came through. He lives on Mockbegger down in Bonavista. We've spoken a few times now on the logistics of my adventure into pelt processing. Today we got closer to the big day. The boat went out yesterday. They've got fuel and supplies and ammo for a ten day run. They came to the ice 20 miles off Bonavista. So the hunt begins. I hope they fill the boat fast...but it might take a while to get the ~450 seals that make a load. Uncle Larry will keep in touch with the sealers and let me know when I need to in his words get my butt down to Bonavista.
In the meantime, I need to get ulus and scrapers and salt and frames and techniques worked out. Am I crazy? Some people might think so. Sam will certainly have a few words to say on the subject once I get up the nerve to tell him. But what odds you never know if you can do something till you try to do it.
Granted I won't be doing this alone...sealers and uncles and friends and family getting me pelts and ulus and books and advice and vans. Thanks to everyone now and going forward.
So sometime next week I'll be booting it down the highway with a van load of seal pelts. This transplanted townie will start on another check mark on her bucket list. I hope it all works out. But I will try some bark tanning and some fur on tanning. If nothing else it will be entertaining for those of you that follow along my trials and tribulations.
Safe hunting to the sealers!
No comments:
Post a Comment