Boco had a marten like that one time too. Used very little white gas to clean it - just skinned it and got a very shallow pan with white gas in it and kept dipping it and combing, very gently, with progressively a finer comb toothed comb. Marten came out just fine. For small spots of pitch I have a lighter fluid can that I keep refilling with white gas (lighter fluid too expensive when white gas just so good and cheaper). Just squirt sparingly and tease the tangle apart - usually turns out just fine. Would never send away a marten with pitch in it. Works for me anyway as far as I can see.

Boco, I'm curious about your statement that RR beaver are shearables? Care to elaborate about that?

So would I
And expand on "it's a good grade"

I always thought that RR red rim or red rump was something you didn't want to see on your grade sheet.

If The Red Rim Coloration Extends Too Many Millimeter Down Into the Underfur, Then The Pelt Loses It's Value As A Shearable Product Because The Red Coloration Is Too Difficult To Dye Properly.

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In other words just a touch of that red tint Is a reason to down grade.

My late caught beaver in the Willamette valley will sometimes grade out about 1/3 RR (red-rim) but not many would ever accuse those Willamette river beaver of being shearable.

Beaverpeeler look at the FHA fur handling manual.You will see where the RR grade falls.Its a shearable quality between the good pelts with no defects and the good slights.It is a pretty good grade.And brings a fair return when the market is decent.

Correct, it is NOT a good "grade" the beaver may be a good grade overall but the RR can discount it. If it was a good shearable beaver then it may not be with the RR

Most beaver seem to be bought for hatters anymore so I guess it doesn't matter lol

I thought for a beaver to be shearable it had to grade heavy or at least semi-heavy. I get a few of those on our coast but I don't think I've had more than a handful in 40 years ever grade heavy off my main trapping river the Willamette. But I get tons of RR off of there.

From the FHA fur handling pdf:

......"Another defect which occurs in the spring is red rims (or rumps). This color defect is caused by urine which burns and stains the belly fur of the beaver. It starts at the tail and progresses up the flanks. The red stain goes into the underfur causing the beaver to become less valuable for plucking and shearing. This is the reason fall beaver are much more desirable than spring pelts."

Personally, I think it is caused by castor juice, as we are open water all year and beaver are not holed up in lodges. My RR's tend to have lots of castor juice in their pods.

Hmm
Sounds like what everyone was saying is correct. Well except boco

Good luck on your mink. I still have 3 1x, xdk from last year, and they aren't even in the catalog for the next auction. In fact, there appears to be very few wild mink listed.

No, everybody else is wrong again.

I always figured It was a mixture of both the urine and the castor.
Maybe not so much at a established castor mound. But In all those places where the beaver just wipes It's butt on the ground and leaves that red colored deposit.

I am alright with the grades, and even managed to get a Marten in lot 3006. Might be a nice surprise.

1/2 of my beaver are Eastern, 1/2 are Western. Over 1/2 of my mink graded "Select". (Sorry cannot post pic).

Just checked my grades on our Red Fox. Disappointed with there grading. Didn’t expect that many section II’s. Graded them myself and I thought they where not graded properly by fur quality. Color I am okay but I had a couple that I graded as flat IIs and they graded them better. Good for me. But the. Then others than I know where I-II semi heavy and some that where Heavy only went I-II regular. These where PA late December reds and really nice. Just think they went through them fast and didn’t really grade them well. Just my opinion.
I will see how NAFA grades my sons Red Fox next month. He has a bunch of late caught reds as well.
Hey I do think they graded my Possums well. Only need to send up another 999,990 and I will be a millionaire!

The marten lot to watch for the "tops game” is 3018: 2X Select XDK. Last year it was lot 3013 same grade. One time of course it was 3001 had that grade description.

all these beaver that graded RR were caught in the spring but it was just at breakup where there was ice still on the lakes and creeks. There were no castor mounds at all yet, They really were not even going to shore yet for fresh chewing.