This is my second time putting up beaver pelts, and my first time without someone more knowledgeable watching over my shoulder. I did the one on the left last night and the one on the right just before the picture was taken. I started fleshing with the nose of the beam in the center of the hide and pushed off the outside few inches. Then I tried slicing down the center of the back, and after that it became a bit of a search and destroy mission. Beavers are hard. On the first beaver I didn't knock any holes, but after I put it on the board it seemed like there was fat/gristle that was underneath the layer of muscle and fat I scraped off (mostly in the center of the hide). I did some hand scraping and got some of the wet off. My question is, will this hide dry ok without slipping? On the second hide I made an effort to slice deeper, which resulted in one hole. I got a bit more off though. How forgiving are beaver hides? I have a fan on them now to help with air flow and raised them up on the nails.

Thanks.

Looks pretty good to me.

Thanks Beav, so that middle section is fleshed deep enough? I picked up the start in the middle of the hide and work around technique from one of your other posts. Still takes me forever, but as I keep reading (and hoping) after the first 100 things will get easier....

I'd say yes. As It dries you may see some fat pockets. You can take a dull knife and just scrap them off. After doing that they will dry just fine.
The thing I do Is start with the beam point In the middle of the hide then I just use the dull edge of the knife to push off the first 5" or so all the way around the hide. That will leave a strip right down the middle . That's when you hang the nose over the beam end and get to using the sharp edge.
But I think It's going to dry just fine.

Pretty rough looking,but good for your first ones.
If your drying conditions are good-low humidity-they should dry OK.
Trim off the nose and cut out the ears-those places will not dry well and will stink up the fur bag.You will lose a size on that beaver with the nose nailed like that.They measure from just north of the eyes.Losing a size tarrif on a bag of each of 50 beaver can add up to a substantial loss.
Other than that-nice job on the nailing.

Boco, nail the beaver halfway between the eyes and nose, and then trim the nose off?

You can do it that way,or trim off the lips and nose before nailing.
Both ways are good.

I wouldn't really worry about the nose or the ears. As long as everything Is dried you will be OK. Does anyone cut off the noses and ears from any other critter? As far as I know no they don't. And when you compare a beavers nose and ears to any other critter they are pretty small In comparison.
And If your going to tan It and have it hooped for a wall hanger your going to want to leave the nose on just for looks.

Beaver skins are not measured from the nose-other pelts are.Like I said-you will lose a size tarrif if you board beaver to the size line with the nose left on.

Yes I remove all ear cartilage from fox and coyotes

But you don't cut off their nose's.


Boco your not losing anything if you leave the nose on they are still going to measure the beaver the same nose or no nose no matter what.

You must have lost a lot of money sending beaver to auction.
If you leave the nose and lips on the beaver and board it to the size line tarrif you will guaranteed lose a size.
Those lines are on your beaver board for a reason.

Noses on cased animals if stretched out too pointy to gain length are not measured.Rounded noses are measured on cased animals.
I am not surprised you dont know this stuff beav but dont give bad advice to younger trappers.

So tell us how a beaver Is measured . Is It from the eyes to the butt edge? Or Is It cross wise from across the leg holes.



This whole argument started out with you saying your going to have this spoilage If you don't remove the ears and the nose. And I don't believe this will happen. No one removes the ears or for that matter the cartilage from coon ears and no one cuts off the coons nose and the lips well other then the lower lip . And we don't have all this spoilage you talk about with beaver. Why would a beaver be any different.
I will admit that the face will dry faster If you remove the lips and nose area of a beaver hide. But with a little added time that will also dry where you won't have spoilage.

On a properly boarded beaver they are sized from 1 inch ahead of the eyes to the butt and across from side to side.Only odd shaped beaver are sometimes measured across the legholes,and the grader will err on the side of caution and you can bet it wont be to the trappers advantage if he ships inferior goods.
A lot of trappers lose a size from insufficient nails as any scallops will be measured from the inside of the scallop not to the point drawn out by the nail.
I know all the graders at FHA and speak with them on a regular basis,I also have been with them when opening fur bags and I can tell you they dont like a disgusting stinky buggy bag of fur.
That is probably the worst thing besides them finding a staple in their hand.
I pass on info first hand from those people.

I still havent seen any pics of your put up fur on here Beav,what are you hiding.

One inch ahead of the eyes to the butt end right.

Back in the 60's the tape went from tip to tip, a blanket was 65 inches and a super blanket 68 inches. Dad and I nailed the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) out of them to get the nice round circle back then. Now I sell them green, Weibke can do the skinning and stretching.

Buyers had to love the "kite beaver"

I'm with beav. Lips will dry and beaver ears are tiny and will dry. They will not stink up your bag and if you ship them to a Canadian Auction they will probably sell as hatters and spoiled lips and ears don't really matter anyway. Selling at a Canadian auction is a guaranteed money loser anyway for beaver. Even the Auctions admit this.

Thanks Dirt. Better to sell beaver to a local buyer than to FHA? Hadn't heard that yet, so it'd be a good tip!

But of coarse that's not always the case.