I have always, always , always had a ton of difficulty when it comes to skinning the area on the back just above the tail. When I first started it looked like I hit it with a shotgun, now I end up with 1/2 the beaver attached to that area of the pelt. What is the secret? I have no issues with any other critter or any other area of the beaver but this confounds me.

I don't think I'm doing anything wrong but I guess I must be - is there some trick? Some magic incantation? Some ancient ritual?

I've watched umpteen videos and no one seems to have the issue.

Very little fat there, keep practicing you need to be somewhere in between, there's no secret, if there is I don't know it,try keeping tension on the hide by rolling it over your knuckles.

Pull the pelt up(not out),not too tight,let the pelt take the shape of the sweep of your knife.Pull the hide just snug to the shape of the knife and push more than slice.Use the curved part of the blade on curvy parts of the carcass(around the legs),and the straight part of the blade on the straight parts(the back)
The gristly stuff north of the tail is actually the easiest part of the beaver to skin once you master the technique.Of course you need a razor sharp knife to skin beaver.

The hit with a shotgun may have been a bit up beaver, especially springtime.

I leave a ton of fat and meat on that part skinning. I now flesh that part after watching a demo, by going across toward the other leg (width ways) with my two handled fleshing knife. Does it for me. If you are talking clean skinning, I am not a source for advise!

Its the worst part of a beaver, because there is not much room between the spine and the pelt. Take your time, cut as slow as you need, and you will get a lot better better after your first 100.

Use a very sharpe knife and SHAVE it off in short strokes versus cuting it off.

X2 ^^^^^ keep a smooth steel handy to touch up the edge of your skinning knife when it starts to drag instead of cut touch it up with a few feather lite touches .
Allan

This. It's like the skin is attached directly to the back bone.

Guess I just need to keep at it. Thanks guys!

Advice from boco has helped me greatly and the only thing I can add to his advice from my experience is that you have to get the knife at the proper angle to be most effective. Imagine the angle you would use a straight razor on your face. Go steep it cuts, to shallow it slides. Practice makes perfect or at least improvement.

Open bvr as usual, get all 4 legs skinned out, flip on belly start at nose.. skin nose and eyes and ears and just past front legs, put knife down put fingers in front leg holes step on back of neck and pull off. If it hangs up near the tail use your knife it's lots easier as you're skinning towards the tail instead of chopping from tail forward.

I learned this at a convention in Michigan, Midland I think. It's all I've used since unless I'm dressing one to eat.

Is it faster, Idk, I'm happy with 6-7 min/bvr. Easier ... My back will prob cuss me someday..but it does help with the area you're having trouble with. I should do short video I guess as I haven't seen it much. Oh and remove castor and oil sacs and cut tail off before you step on it.