Beaver fleshing

[3nails]

 So I skinned out our first beaver and am now deciding if I need to take the time to flesh and stretch it since I'm just going to drop it off at the taxidermist to get tanned. Are those steps still necessary?

[rasbo]

So I skinned out our first beaver and am now deciding if I need to take the time to flesh and stretch it since I'm just going to drop it off at the taxidermist to get tanned. Are those steps still necessary?

ask your taxi,might save a couple of bucks

[Humptulips]

So be curious to know what the beaver looks like. If it is rough skinned do you have the tools to flesh it? Beaver are not easy to flesh you know especially if you don't have quite the right tools.
Tough to advise you without knowing what the beaver looks like.

[rasbo]

not sure where you live I have the stuff to flesh it.

[trapperguy22]

3nials if you are just going to tan it for a wall hanging, i would not take it to a taxidermist i would flesh and dry it then send it to moyle ans have them tan it its alot cheaper and they do great work. as far as fleshing it i could give you a hand not sure where you are at i am in chehalis.

[Machias]

Foxx Furs will charge you $11 to flesh and $25 to tan a beaver.

[3nails]

 Well I dropped off 2 beavers to get tanned this morning at the taxi. Learned ALOT from skinning the first one to the second one. Hannibal said a few people flesh them as they skin them so I took more time on the second one and did it much cleaner. I live in Whatcom Co. but if anyone wouldn't mind showing me the right tools and how to flesh a beaver with them the boy and I would travel a ways to learn. I don't want to wear out my welcome with Hannibal by pestering him every weekend.
 On a side note: is there such thing as a trapper with a day job! I'm saying it's a looong day at work wondering what's going on with the traps.

[boneaddict]

I can't imagine the old timers hunkered in a short cabin, -20 out, light from their stove and a candle flickering in the corner fleshing one of them oily *censored*s one after another, carcasses probably froze solid, only after running 20 miles of line that day.   

[3nails]

I can't imagine the old timers hunkered in a short cabin, -20 out, light from their stove and a candle flickering in the corner fleshing one of them oily *censored*s one after another, carcasses probably froze solid, only after running 20 miles of line that day.

That's funny 'cause I was thinking the same thing as I was skinning them. But I'd gladly do ten this week! They sure are beautiful.

[boneaddict]

They are.   First one I did, I butchered.     I had tanned it the old fashioned way at college out on the deck.  I'm sure my roomates loved me for it.   There was more than one stinky beaver joke....

[rasbo]

leaving some meat on the hide seems to make fleshing on a board easier,anyone else notice that

[Humptulips]

I more or less clean skin mine. It's how I learned to do it so I'll probably not change. I have fleshed a few rough skinned ones though. The area between the hips, the neck and the tail are hard to flesh for me but if you leave a few small patches they flesh OK.
I was thinking about doing another beaver handling demo at the fur sale. Anyone think that would interest them?

[rasbo]

I more or less clean skin mine. It's how I learned to do it so I'll probably not change. I have fleshed a few rough skinned ones though. The area between the hips, the neck and the tail are hard to flesh for me but if you leave a few small patches they flesh OK.
I was thinking about doing another beaver handling demo at the fur sale. Anyone think that would interest them?

good idea,,boy I could really run with this

[3nails]

I more or less clean skin mine. It's how I learned to do it so I'll probably not change. I have fleshed a few rough skinned ones though. The area between the hips, the neck and the tail are hard to flesh for me but if you leave a few small patches they flesh OK.
I was thinking about doing another beaver handling demo at the fur sale. Anyone think that would interest them?

Yup! I need one now though. We just pulled our first double tonight on beavers. I feel like  and  all at once. 

[SunnySlopes]

Yep, "be care what ya wish for", 3nails. Be sure and save those castors. FHA and NAFA both have good info on their web pages on putting up castor.

[summit creek]

take your animal to your taxi and let them do it dont cost that much have it done right

[TeacherMan]

Foxx Furs will charge you $11 to flesh and $25 to tan a beaver.

best $11 you will ever spend if your not set up to do it/don't have the time to do it correct   

[Humptulips]

I sent a couple beaver to USA FOXX to be plucked/sheared and dressed for our fair booth display.

I clean skinned and fleshed what needed it, turned the ears and they were shipped in what I thought was perfect condition.
They came back damaged and although usable for our booth I was not happy with the work.
I've sent a lot of stuff off to Moyle Mink & Tannery and never had that problem.
I'd say if you are cutting one up for sewing USA FOXX will work but if you want one for a wall hanger, beware.

[Beartrap]

Rough skin the beaver I catch. When I get to many hanging I can just skin them and throw them in the freezer put them up as I get time. Hump do you drum the beaver after you skin or after you finish all touch up fleshing.

[Humptulips]

Rough skin the beaver I catch. When I get to many hanging I can just skin them and throw them in the freezer put them up as I get time. Hump do you drum the beaver after you skin or after you finish all touch up fleshing.

I don't drum my beaver, just brush them out. When you clean skin there isn't much fat gets on the fur. Sometimes a little blood and I wash them off with just water.
Takes me at most a half hour to skin and remove the castors and with the cage traps I'll never get too many to have to freeze them. I thought about trying the rough skin and flesh after seeing Greg Shroeder do beaver. Now that guy is fast! You have to see him put up fur to appreciate how good the guy is. Anyway, I just couldn't make the change, to set in my ways I guess.

[rasbo]

have you guys tried using air?

[butcher98951]

Rough skin the beaver I catch. When I get to many hanging I can just skin them and throw them in the freezer put them up as I get time. Hump do you drum the beaver after you skin or after you finish all touch up fleshing.

I don't drum my beaver, just brush them out. When you clean skin there isn't much fat gets on the fur. Sometimes a little blood and I wash them off with just water.
Takes me at most a half hour to skin and remove the castors and with the cage traps I'll never get too many to have to freeze them. I thought about trying the rough skin and flesh after seeing Greg Shroeder do beaver. Now that guy is fast! You have to see him put up fur to appreciate how good the guy is. Anyway, I just couldn't make the change, to set in my ways I guess.

You can clean skin a beaver in less then 30 mins? where you at i want to see steps for this..

[Humptulips]

Perhaps a little clarification. When I say I clean skin that is not completely true. There still is need  of fleshing although it is minimal. I don't sweat a few small patches of meat and I do not worry about the fat around the legs. Those things flesh easy so I would probably be more truthful to say semi-clean skin.
It doesn't take me long to flesh though when done this way and there is little fat to make its way onto the fur.
Tonight I skinned and fleshed 2 blanket beaver, a small otter and a mink. I was in the fur shed 2 1/2 hours. That includes building a fire in the stove and doing a little clean up work where I had been working on traps so probably 2 hours fur handling.
There are better and faster. Here's a good video  to watch.

I do things a bit different then Carl but the basics are the same and he is faster then me.

[3nails]

 Great post!