No Profanity *** No Flaming *** No Advertising *** No Anti Trappers ***NO POLITICS
No Non-Target Catches *** No Links to Anti-trapping Sites *** No Avoiding Profanity Filter


Home~Trap Talk~ADC Forum~Trap Shed~Wilderness Trapping~International Trappers~Fur Handling

Auction Forum~Trapper Tips~Links~Gallery~Basic Sets~Convention Calendar~Chat~ Trap Collecting Forum

Trapper's Humor~Strictly Trapping~Fur Buyers Directory~Mugshots~Fur Sale Directory~Wildcrafting~The Pen and Quill

Trapper's Tales~Words From The Past~Legends~Archives~Kids Forum~Lure Formulators Forum~ Fermenter's Forum


~~~ Dobbins' Products Catalog ~~~


Minnesota Trapline Products
Please support our sponsor for the Trappers Talk Page - Minnesota Trapline Products


Print Thread
Hop To
Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? #6654311
10/31/19 08:43 PM
10/31/19 08:43 PM
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
A
AnthonyT Offline OP
trapper
AnthonyT  Offline OP
trapper
A

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
Seems I saw a video somewhere of a person clean skinning a beaver using a leg bone tool. I can't find it anywhere. Anyone have any idea where this might be found? Seems BOCO mentioned this method a while back.

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654327
10/31/19 08:56 PM
10/31/19 08:56 PM
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 958
eastern washington
B
BillyTraps Offline
trapper
BillyTraps  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 958
eastern washington

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654354
10/31/19 09:14 PM
10/31/19 09:14 PM
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
A
AnthonyT Offline OP
trapper
AnthonyT  Offline OP
trapper
A

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
That is it! Thanks!

Was thinking of trying something like this just to see how it works. There was another video that showed someone using what looked like an axe head to basically pound between the hide and the carcass to cleanly remove the hide. Not sure how well something like this will work on the thin southern beaver I deal with.

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654364
10/31/19 09:17 PM
10/31/19 09:17 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,514
juneau, alaska
A
alaska viking Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
alaska viking  Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
A

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,514
juneau, alaska
There are few shortcuts.


Made it almost 3 years without censor!

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654369
10/31/19 09:20 PM
10/31/19 09:20 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,514
juneau, alaska
A
alaska viking Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
alaska viking  Offline
"Made it two years not being censored"
A

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,514
juneau, alaska
There are few shortcuts. Maybe try compressed air. Simply get the psi up around 120, insert the blower attachment into the beaver's anus, and give the nozzle a charge. Just like that, you are back to doing it the "old fashion way".


Made it almost 3 years without censor!

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654458
10/31/19 10:21 PM
10/31/19 10:21 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
Yep a beaver can be skinned with a bone.Otter too.The cree did a lot of skinning with bones.Alot of their tanning tools were bones also.The hides are extremely clean and smooth when skinned with a bone.Bear bone or cattle bone I have seen used.I have a bear bone.It works good on small and medium beaver and big beaver on the belly.
You will get into some tough chopping with the bone on a big beaver around the shoulders and cheeks.
One year at the Fur harvesters trappers convention we had 7 trappers doing a demo skinning beaver 7 different ways,one method was with the bone.

Last edited by Boco; 10/31/19 10:26 PM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654469
10/31/19 10:30 PM
10/31/19 10:30 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,930
SEPA
L
Lugnut Offline
trapper
Lugnut  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,930
SEPA
I wish that video was longer, it was interesting. I would’ve like to watch until he was finished.


Eh...wot?

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654542
11/01/19 02:41 AM
11/01/19 02:41 AM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 113
Tanana, Alaska
S
Stan Z Offline
trapper
Stan Z  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 113
Tanana, Alaska
Anthony
I use a bone scraper to skin almost all my animals especially fatty ones. You can use lots of things to make them but leg bones work about the best. Been doing it for 45 years now. When the hide finally come off the animal it never needs any more fleshing. I have hardly ever fleshed an animal hide - maybe a moose hide that gets ripped off the animal fast and that I want to thin and then I use a draw knife. Anyway I figure the extra work of scraping a hide off is made up when I don't have to flesh. Only thing is when it's something like a bear and you are off in the field somewhere it can be hours of work but when it's done it can go directly into the tanning vat. Beavers are especially easy to scrape in some places. I have a 3 inch wide scraper for them and then a narrower one for the harder places. I still use a knife on the really tough places of course but even then it's a scraping motion. To me there is no easier time to get the skin off then when the animal is holding on to the hide for you. Your wrist gets real strong using one after a while. Stan

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: Stan Z] #6654546
11/01/19 04:29 AM
11/01/19 04:29 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,779
Northern lower Michigan
Feedinggrounds Offline
trapper
Feedinggrounds  Offline
trapper

Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,779
Northern lower Michigan
Originally Posted by Stan Z
Anthony
I use a bone scraper to skin almost all my animals especially fatty ones. You can use lots of things to make them but leg bones work about the best. Been doing it for 45 years now. When the hide finally come off the animal it never needs any more fleshing. I have hardly ever fleshed an animal hide - maybe a moose hide that gets ripped off the animal fast and that I want to thin and then I use a draw knife. Anyway I figure the extra work of scraping a hide off is made up when I don't have to flesh. Only thing is when it's something like a bear and you are off in the field somewhere it can be hours of work but when it's done it can go directly into the tanning vat. Beavers are especially easy to scrape in some places. I have a 3 inch wide scraper for them and then a narrower one for the harder places. I still use a knife on the really tough places of course but even then it's a scraping motion. To me there is no easier time to get the skin off then when the animal is holding on to the hide for you. Your wrist gets real strong using one after a while. Stan

Sure Glad your on here Stan, and chimed in with your experience. I do follow your project on Facebook. Setting up a beaver colony soon myself. Going to explore this method.


you're only allowed so many sunrises... I aim to see every one of them!
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: Feedinggrounds] #6654865
11/01/19 03:08 PM
11/01/19 03:08 PM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 113
Tanana, Alaska
S
Stan Z Offline
trapper
Stan Z  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 113
Tanana, Alaska
Wish I had a video (and plan on a short one on it) as this comes up a fair amount and many don't know much about it. If done a little different than in the video above the fat/blood is almost completely squeezed/scraped out of the skin. On bears that have the hair roots well into the hide a scraper will work the fat out without damaging the roots like a knife. As to the shape of the scraper here's a regular one and a wide one for soft fat easy places (beavers bellies). The regular one was longer and these things wear down from sharpening often during skinning. Use a file, sandpaper, rock etc. In a pinch I made them out of everything but a piece cut from some hard plastic pipe was similar to bone. The notches on the working edge are to help grab membrane etc. and keep sideways slipping down to a minimum. Edges should not be right angles to keep from cutting hide. Which is a lot of why they are made of bone as if you get it sharp as you can, it's never razor sharp like a metal scraper. Sharp as you can on a bone scraper is just right and you should never cut a hide. Got lots of great knives and this is what I use.
[Linked Image]

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6654968
11/01/19 06:15 PM
11/01/19 06:15 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
[Linked Image]

2 bones on the right are skinning bones,one on the left is a scraper for the beam.
The longer one is for skinning cased fur and the shorter one is for skinning beaver.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655016
11/01/19 07:07 PM
11/01/19 07:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,666
Idaho, Lemhi County
G
Gulo Offline
"On The Other Hand"
Gulo  Offline
"On The Other Hand"
G

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,666
Idaho, Lemhi County
I've used moose bones for many beaver. Have found that the Alaska beaver (much more subcutaneous fat) are much easier to use a bone than a knife, except around the ears and face, and sometimes on the upper back/neck. These Idaho beaver are considerably thinner animals, and the bone works well on the bellies and about halfway around the animal, then I need to shift over to a knife. My scrapers (from moose or elk longbones), are thus:

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]


Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655079
11/01/19 09:00 PM
11/01/19 09:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
look at the film-"Cree Hunters of Mistassini" and scroll to the 36 min mark and you will see a Cree woman using a bone skinner in the proper way.Sitting with the beaver alongside her leg and using the chopping motion with the bone.

Last edited by Boco; 11/01/19 09:02 PM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655100
11/01/19 09:23 PM
11/01/19 09:23 PM
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
A
AnthonyT Offline OP
trapper
AnthonyT  Offline OP
trapper
A

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,593
KY
Stan - thank you for the great explanation and pictures. I think I will make a couple from some heavy pvc pipe - don't have any elk or moose bones laying around here in ky (probably could come up with some beef or sheep bones, for sure deer). These southern beavers don't have much fat so I may only be able to get them around the belly and part way on the back.

Gulo - that is a beautiful scraper!

Boco - your scrapers give me some good ideas and I will be sure to check out that video.

Thanks again, Anthony

Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655121
11/01/19 09:47 PM
11/01/19 09:47 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
Neat looking tools but It seems that a good knife would do the job a bit better.


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655157
11/01/19 10:24 PM
11/01/19 10:24 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
Not Better beav,but a bit faster.And not so hard on the arm/wrist.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655210
11/01/19 11:55 PM
11/01/19 11:55 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
T
The Beav Offline
trapper
The Beav  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,797
Wisconsin
That makes It better when you have 30 beaver laying on the floor. LOL


The forum Know It All according to Muskrat
Re: Skinning Beaver With a Leg Bone? [Re: AnthonyT] #6655221
11/02/19 12:36 AM
11/02/19 12:36 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,264
james bay frontierOnt.
Beav,they have their women trained to do the skinning,lol.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread