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Old time Trappers #6106547
12/30/17 09:30 PM
12/30/17 09:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan Offline OP
trapper
ShawneeMan  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
I was shown some old pictures of some in-laws the other day. One man was in front of his cabin with beaver pelts tacked on the wall and had several pelts hanging from a stand he'd made. Snow had to be 2 feet deep!!
I know you all have seen pictures like this. Just curious about the condition of those furs after being out in the freezing weather for months.
Yet we take all kinds of precautions to maintain a constant temperature for drying, etc. Are we wasting our time - did these guys know something that's been forgotten...??


Shawnee National Forest - We live out here because we're not all there.
http://www.ripcordassociation.com
101 Pathfinder Det / Vietnam 1969 - 1971
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6106602
12/30/17 10:02 PM
12/30/17 10:02 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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Boco  Offline
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james bay frontierOnt.


You mean like these old timers drying their fur in the bush?
I guess just like today some did a crappy job and some did it the right way.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: Boco] #6107568
12/31/17 05:10 PM
12/31/17 05:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan Offline OP
trapper
ShawneeMan  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
Originally Posted By: Boco


You mean like these old timers drying their fur in the bush?
I guess just like today some did a crappy job and some did it the right way.


That's what I'm talking about... even older - like 1930's.


Shawnee National Forest - We live out here because we're not all there.
http://www.ripcordassociation.com
101 Pathfinder Det / Vietnam 1969 - 1971
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6107670
12/31/17 06:11 PM
12/31/17 06:11 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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james bay frontierOnt.

How about the 1880's


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: Boco] #6107988
12/31/17 09:19 PM
12/31/17 09:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan Offline OP
trapper
ShawneeMan  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
Originally Posted By: Boco

How about the 1880's

Is that a pix of you?? LOL!!

Man - those are just great photos - what a time to be alive!!
Life was a lot tougher then, but much simpler and more freedom!


Shawnee National Forest - We live out here because we're not all there.
http://www.ripcordassociation.com
101 Pathfinder Det / Vietnam 1969 - 1971
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6108074
12/31/17 10:06 PM
12/31/17 10:06 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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Boco  Offline
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james bay frontierOnt.
Naw that guy is a lot better looking than me.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6108075
12/31/17 10:09 PM
12/31/17 10:09 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,261
james bay frontierOnt.
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Boco Offline
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Boco  Offline
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james bay frontierOnt.

How about the old trappers conventions.They were a real shingding I can tell you.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: Boco] #6108107
12/31/17 10:33 PM
12/31/17 10:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan Offline OP
trapper
ShawneeMan  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
A lot of folks in that pic look like they're related to me... And that ain't good... I must be getting old!!
Great pictures - thanks for sharing them.


Shawnee National Forest - We live out here because we're not all there.
http://www.ripcordassociation.com
101 Pathfinder Det / Vietnam 1969 - 1971
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6108839
01/01/18 12:15 PM
01/01/18 12:15 PM
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828
Southwest Michigan
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Michigan Trappin Offline
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Michigan Trappin  Offline
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828
Southwest Michigan
This thread made me search the internet for pictures of how fur. ( besides beaver) was stretched. I didn't have any luck

So my question is. Any pictures of raccoon coyote wolf ect on stretchers in the 1800s


Every day is a gift from GOD, don't waste it!!

If they have plenty of food, give them something interesting to smell
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6109093
01/01/18 04:46 PM
01/01/18 04:46 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 16,681
north Idaho
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wissmiss Offline
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Joined: Jan 2007
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north Idaho
I don't have any pictures from the 1800s but I'm willing to bet that coyotes and wolves were stretched open - sort of spread eagle.

In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s - Raccoon were stretched open.


www.usedtraps.com

Please check out my updated inventory of Native American books.

Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6109461
01/01/18 08:23 PM
01/01/18 08:23 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
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Dirt Offline
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Dirt  Offline
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Posts: 11,135
Armpit, ak
Originally Posted By: ShawneeMan
I was shown some old pictures of some in-laws the other day. One man was in front of his cabin with beaver pelts tacked on the wall and had several pelts hanging from a stand he'd made. Snow had to be 2 feet deep!!
I know you all have seen pictures like this. Just curious about the condition of those furs after being out in the freezing weather for months.
Yet we take all kinds of precautions to maintain a constant temperature for drying, etc. Are we wasting our time - did these guys know something that's been forgotten...??


I store all my stretched and dried fur out in freezing weather for months much as the old timers did in their cache. You can actually frost dry fur and the hides are extremely white and more supple. It is much slower than drying in above 32 F conditions, but it will work. I think it makes beaver harder to grade, if I remember right the scars don't show as much.


Who is John Galt?
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: Dirt] #6109570
01/01/18 09:22 PM
01/01/18 09:22 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
ShawneeMan Offline OP
trapper
ShawneeMan  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,174
IL - Shawnee Ntl Forest
Originally Posted By: Dirt
Originally Posted By: ShawneeMan
I was shown some old pictures of some in-laws the other day. One man was in front of his cabin with beaver pelts tacked on the wall and had several pelts hanging from a stand he'd made. Snow had to be 2 feet deep!!
I know you all have seen pictures like this. Just curious about the condition of those furs after being out in the freezing weather for months.
Yet we take all kinds of precautions to maintain a constant temperature for drying, etc. Are we wasting our time - did these guys know something that's been forgotten...??


I store all my stretched and dried fur out in freezing weather for months much as the old timers did in their cache. You can actually frost dry fur and the hides are extremely white and more supple. It is much slower than drying in above 32 F conditions, but it will work. I think it makes beaver harder to grade, if I remember right the scars don't show as much.

Yeah I don't have a designated heated fur shed. Do all my work out in my barn. I have a wood stove but it doesn't heat the area - really just use it to sit by and warm up with.
All my furs hang from hooks on a track system in the rafters throughout the fall and winter.
Just curious if I was missing something...


Shawnee National Forest - We live out here because we're not all there.
http://www.ripcordassociation.com
101 Pathfinder Det / Vietnam 1969 - 1971
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6110817
01/02/18 09:03 PM
01/02/18 09:03 PM
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828
Southwest Michigan
M
Michigan Trappin Offline
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Michigan Trappin  Offline
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,828
Southwest Michigan
I have a heated section of my shed, 8 X 16 this is where I skin and stretch my pelts, then they are moved to the I heated section where it is below freezing for weeks on end. I keep all of my hides until April then ship them to tanneries. I can tell you this has had no bad effects on the hides. Having them all tanned as well as made in to garments has giving me the confidence to say this is not a problem

I do move them to my basement when the temperatures start to rise in late March and early April as this keeps spring bugs from getting in them as well as they are thawed and wiped down prior to shipping to tanneries

I've used 4 tanneries and all have said the put up and condition of my pelts is very good

I've sold raw also in the past and have had no issues with buyers

So setting out in freezing temperatures for months will not be a bad thing, but again I dry mine first in 50-60 degrees prior to storing in below freezing temps


Every day is a gift from GOD, don't waste it!!

If they have plenty of food, give them something interesting to smell
Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6114128
01/05/18 11:06 AM
01/05/18 11:06 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 448
S.W. Michigan
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late bite Offline
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Posts: 448
S.W. Michigan


Boco, I used one of the pictures you had posted a while back as a reference for my hoop...

Re: Old time Trappers [Re: ShawneeMan] #6132805
01/21/18 07:39 AM
01/21/18 07:39 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,733
Northern Illinois
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MChewk Offline
trapper
MChewk  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,733
Northern Illinois
Great looking hooped beaver Last Bite....nice work!

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