Skinning a beaver...
Hello all,
A good friend of mine found a dead beaver at his house yesterday. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow. I want the fur. I don't want the meat. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet
At this point in my life, I have only cleaned birds.
Do you guys have any advice on the best way to save as much of the fur as I can?
Thanks in advance.
Go Dawgs
this is the way I do it. Lay it on its back and cut the feet and tail off, I use big pruners. Then cut a straight line from the chin to the tail from the belly side. Peel it back being careful not to nick the hide with the knife. when you get to the legs pull them through the hide. Flesh it and then stretch it on a chunk of plywood using nails to hold it. Keep the hide up off the plywood for air circulation.
That is a good way to do it and probably the best way since you are inexperienced. Another way is to do what is called a 'case' That is where you make a cut from rear foot to rear foot along a line on the hind end of the beaver, also removing the tail and feet. Then peel the hide from the rear towards the head like taking off a sock. Remove the front feet and the head when you reach the upper neck. This will leave a tube. This is the way trappers do it because the fur is protected on the inside of the hide.
Be sure and remove any meat and fat (there will be a lot of fat) and then liberally rub salt on the flesh side of the hide. Allow the salt to absorb the moisture and then shake it off and repeat the salting. Do this 3 or 4 times until the hide is somewhat dry. Leave the last layer of salt on the hide and allow it to dry in a cool place with some air circulation. If you do it this way you can cut a piece of plywood to make a sleeve for the tube to fit over while it is drying.
If you skin it flat as Randy suggested, salt it in the same manner. You can also make a frame out of 4 boards instead of a single flat board to help it dry out faster. Just remember to use plenty of salt. That will preserve the hide for years and years until you decide what and how you want to finish it.
My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I'am.
Awesome. Due to my lack of experience, I think I will do it how Randy suggested.
It died late Saturday night or early Sunday.
When is the last day that I should skin it by? Do I have to do it today or can I wait a few days?
I plan on using my SOG Seal Pup. That is the best knife I currently own for this. Is that a good or ok knife to use?
What do you mean by, "cut a piece of plywood to make a sleeve"?
I'll probably use multiple boards so it can dry faster. I'm thinking I'll put it on my garage floor with several inches between the bottom board and the ground. Does that work?
How do I stretch it? Should I stretch it several times? What does stretching it do?
I'm really excited about this.
Go Dawgs
Thanks a lot for the advice.
I'd rather ask here than look it up. You never know what you'll find on random sites
Go Dawgs
you could lace it into a hoop too. basically stretching keeps it from drying into a crumpled up mess. generally beaver are skinned flat and other animals are skinned cased (like a mitten) then a board as WTFLER mentioned is made and the cased skin is pulled over the board like a mitten. I cannot advise you on skinning a beaver cased. I've never had a fur buyer take a beaver hide that way.
Depends on how warm it is where you are. To be honest it should have already been skinned. Over night is OK in cold weather but if it is warm at all with the hide in place it may have already turned on you (mean spoiled) The way to check for that is to 1. See if it is slipping. That is just as it sounds, just pull on the hair and if it pulls out, throw the critter away. Or better, take it out to the woods where the scavengers can have a little din-din and the rest of the good stuff goes back to the earth.
2. If the fur doesn't seem to pull on you and you begin to skin it if it is rotten you will smell it. As you are new to this I'll just say it is not going to smell good to you whether it is good or bad. It is a strong odor even on fresh game. But if it is bad you will not be able to get very far into the skinnin without puking your guts out!!! It will smell dead is the only way to describe it and as soon as you smell 'dead' you will know. Just forget it and go on there is no saving it, trust me I have lost some gorgeous capes and pelts by the hunters not keeping the cooled down before I got to them.
As far as the knife, just whatever you are most comfortable with for this project. I wouldn't use some big A Bowie knife or something just make sure it is sharp and take your time-go slow!
If you are going to flat skin it then just build a little square frame out of boards, what ever you have laying around will be fine. Just use some small nails and tack it on the edges from one side to the other stretching it snug as you work your way around. You don't have to go nuts with pulling it ultra tight or anything just pull it out flat and straight. Don't lay it flat. You need for it to stand up so the fluids will drain better, if it is flat it won't drain out and you are going for dry at the stage.
Hope this helps, and good luck. I hope it hasn't turned on you! If you have anymore questions just ask away.
My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I'am.
Yep! You are right, they always stretch them out round on hoops. They did case them as the ran the lines though, back in the day to get them back home to then salt them and stretch them on the hoops to dry.Originally Posted by randyt
My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I'am.
If the hair is just starting to slip try putting it in a couple gallons of water with a cup of alum.
Hahahahaha.
I have a story to share F2F.
I had a compass, but without a map, it's just a cool toy to show you where oceans and ice are.
I just finished it. It was still in pretty good shape and didn't smell that bad.
I cut the feet and paddle off. Cut from the butt to the neck. The gutted it and started shaving down the skin. There's a bunch of far and/or meat still on it. Maybe 3 ounces throughout the whole thing. I didn't know how to keep the fur on the head, or even if I should, so I cut it off. I haven't done the salt treatment yet, I'll do it at my garage. I cut UT up at my me.
Go Dawgs
I left it flat, salt side up.
I'll stretch it tomorrow. I had a date. I was gonna take her to the zoo, then to a nice dinner.
Instead she watched me skin that and l took her to Wendy's when I went to get more battries for my flashlight. She's a trooper
Go Dawgs
Sounds like you did real good with it! I'm glad the beaver worked out too! Hehehe!!
Tomorrow try and get ALL the fat and meat off of it, that is what will turn rancid on you. Glad it hadn't gone bad. Scrape it real well and build your frame and attach it up on that. It may help you to go ahead and put it on the frame and then scrape it or at least scrap any of the missed spots and you can salt it while it on the frame. Are we gonna get any pix? The pix of the date would be the most preferred but the hide would be good too.
My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I'am.
Tacky, plum tacky.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Darnit I missed tha tacky thing, where did it go?
She took a bunch of pics before I had to feed her. I'll get pics up in a few days.
She took em on my phone. They aren't time stamped.
Go Dawgs
What do you like to do with the paddle?
Go Dawgs
There is just so much joke potential here it is rediculous, but I'm keepin my mouth shut. Aren't you guys proud of me
No. Fire away
Go Dawgs
We have rules 'bout paddles 'round here.
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Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
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