Doug's 2014 Season

[Machias]

I must be sick, love fleshing them.  Ever since I got a really nice fleshing knife it's no longer a chore.

[Carp Commander]

I must be sick, love fleshing them.  Ever since I got a really nice fleshing knife it's no longer a chore.

What type of fleshing knife are you using?

I haven't tried making the transition to clean skinning yet. I watched a video (think it was made down in Prineville) several times and yeah he makes it look easy. I am worried about how many pelts I will butcher during the learning phase.

Any thoughts or suggestions from you guys that are clean skinning beaver?

[Carp Commander]

I find that we trappers often talk a lot about when different animals get prime. I am curious if there are any thresholds to when to stop. I know the beaver and muskrat get to be pretty obvious when they start "biting-up" but what about mink, bobcat and otter?

Do they show similar signs such as rubs that tell you when it’s time to wrap it up?

[70sdiver]

I only clean skin beaver now I just got a cheap round nose skinner.They actually have one at sportsmans in kennewick for 12 0r 13 dollars,If you dont use a round nose knife it might get ugly lol.Make a v board skinning trough and skin one half then switch and skin the other half.the beaver will actually start staining around the rump area before they start getting bit up around here and they dock red rump pretty hard.I got got a planket beaver down to about 30 minutes to be ready for the board for me its a lot easier than trying to flesh them.

[Machias]

I use one made by Lee Steinmeyer. 

[Triplej]

I am also a little nervous fleshing , I am going to attempt a beaver hoop this weekend when my tools arrive!

[big wood]

I just use my Dexter beaver knife.( old school)

[Humptulips]

I must be sick, love fleshing them.  Ever since I got a really nice fleshing knife it's no longer a chore.

What type of fleshing knife are you using?

I haven't tried making the transition to clean skinning yet. I watched a video (think it was made down in Prineville) several times and yeah he makes it look easy. I am worried about how many pelts I will butcher during the learning phase.

Any thoughts or suggestions from you guys that are clean skinning beaver?

I think it is important to understand which part fleshes hard and which fleshes easy.
I never try to skin close around the legs. That fleshes so easy and is difficult to skin or at least harder to skin clean then flesh.
I make sure to skin clean around the tail but up the back even though I clean skin I go fast and if there is a small spot of flesh on the hide I don't sweat it as small bits flesh easy.
Around the neck I clean skin but the meat seems to grow right into the leather there. No problem, When I have it on the fleshing board I thin the hide around the neck so it isn't so boardy. They takes care of any fleshing needing done. I use my knife to scrape with to do that.
Never clean skin a kit. They are just too easy to flesh.
Average about 20 minutes including removing castors.

[Humptulips]

I find that we trappers often talk a lot about when different animals get prime. I am curious if there are any thresholds to when to stop. I know the beaver and muskrat get to be pretty obvious when they start "biting-up" but what about mink, bobcat and otter?

Do they show similar signs such as rubs that tell you when it’s time to wrap it up?

Mink will start to look scruffy in February, not so much a rub as just a general poor appearance.
You shouldn't catch an otter or cat that is bad in season. The worst is to catch them too early. Late, they all should be good. Otters get graded singed and this gets blamed as to late caught but in truth I have had singed otter in every month and straight hair right along with them. Otter don't really start to go bad until late May.
Only cats I ever caught that looked bad had some kind of bites that weren't healed.