So Boco you think clean skinning is the hard way? It is not physically demanding. Beaver ready to board in around 30 minutes give or take. Working in an ergonomic friendly environment. You can do it at 70F to -70 F outside temperature. You can do it on your schedule, not the mother natures schedule. There is no mess to clean up. I'm also confused how frost scraping is faster if it takes 1- 6 months to finish processing beaver?

Dirt, not sure where you got the 1-6 months timeframe. There are lots of ways to do things, nothing wrong with clean skinning, or fleshing on your knee like Jackie Wortz does. Frost scraping is quick and very effective if you have the weather for it like we do. If you don't like the idea, don't do it. No one has a gun to your head forcing you to do it. But I can promise you, it is easy to do, and as Boco's pictures prove, produces top shelf fur.

Boco's pictures prove nothing. I personally dislike the way he puts up his marten and I bet it cost him money, and no I will not explain.

Dirt how do you figure there is no mess to clean up? If I board up 50-100 beaver in my garage I have a huge greasy mess that needs to be continually cleaned up. Towels, rags, sawdust, apron that gets greasier than our government, the list goes on and on. Outside I can scrape them, let the fat fall and my dogs, chickens, and wild birds clean the mess up for me. All kidding aside I find the amount of labor involved to be about the same either way, but I like how the finished product looks when frost scraping better myself. I still do it both ways every year.

beltrami trapper there is no mess when clean skinning.

Been clean skinning for years, beaver around here get greasy when warm. While clean skinning I always have to wipe my knife off, and rolling a grease ball around on the table that needs to be wiped off. Even after clean skinning and boarding I scrape a ton of grease out and wipe off of the leather. If not they get that tinted color like most piles of beaver pelts, not that nice snow white color. Just my experience and it works, as well as your way works. Some people are just born to argue

Probably a good thing you won't try to explain, because I doubt it would make any sense. I disagree with Boco on some things....but his fur put-up is as good as it gets. Anyone with any experience can see that. I think beltrami's last sentence said all that needs saying.

Born to argue, maybe!
I started beaver trapping before YTube and Butbook and with a couples of accomplished beaver trappers guidance developed my own system. I learned to clean skin and could do as many as 4 an hour in my younger days. Trapping here is a real chore with the depth of ice and the cold snaps when you have a bunch of sets out.

The bottom line for me is what I get for my effort and if it works why change after so many years. It all pays the same at least what I have observed in the huge piles of beaver at the fur buyers over many years. I understand what Boco writes but every area has its difficulties and its not the handling of the end product, IMO.

Thanks Paul for Trapper Man where Trappers can voice their opinions, techniques and results especially for the new guys!

I bet boco don't know how to clean skin, so he convinced himself that adding an extra step at -20 is a better way.

I am putting my 1st under ice beaver sets out this weekend. Maybe the weather will stay cold and I can try frost scraping. Thank you BOCO for your posts on this topic.

No Boco can clean skin but He only catches 2 beaver a year and then He takes two weeks to get them all prettied up for the Tman audience. LOL

I have put up fur professionally for about 10 years. I can tell you this If I did It like Boco I would have gone broke.
But If It works for you go for It.

I'm headed out to my 60dgree shop to skin the 3 coyotes I got today.

I started skinning beaver in an poorly heated garage and of course they were thawed and wet. Skinning with cold hands is tough! A long time beaver trapper invited me to his basement and all his beaver were dry and the basement was warm. Made beaver trapping a lot better.

While you fellows were fighting and arguing I went out and cleaned skin a moose hide in about an hour for the guys that want to smoke it. If I had to smoke something, I'd probably chose to smoke dope with Jeff.

I can clean skin 4 an hour if I skin them like this.And they still need to be scraped after boarding to remove the liquid grease.
I can do way more faster if rough clean skinning and frost scraping.
You can do any large difficult pelt way faster frost scraping.
There is no mess frostscraping,the shavings are like candy to every animal and any you miss sweeping up off the ground for the jackpot get cleaned right up by birds,or your dog in a few minutes.

Dirt,pinning the hind legs on a marten beside the tail wont get you any more money,lol. Not overstretching will get you a better grade(more money)Pointed noses get you a downsize.

Ttt