So Firstly: Reading through amazon's antiquated monster of a book "The Trapper's Bible". He says "Our modern Iron traps are sufficiently weather proofed by a simmer in pine boughs and oak leaves or other selections of nature's ingredients"...So what about steel traps, any thoughts? Dealing with Minnesota trapline's MB-550s. Looking at sustainable solutions for someone who wants to keep a shiny kit but can't access logwood dye and wax. Or would this solution only "soak in" to the steel once light rust was already formed?

And lastly...I was shocked at how incapable I was pulling a beaver hide off the carcass last night. Rabbits? Snap of fingers. Off like a sock. Squirrels, pretty similar. Coyote was even pretty easy in comparison. But I had to cut that hide off the whole way on the beaver, fat and muscle sticking to it the whole time. Messy and inefficient. Same with a coon. Question being: would the fur be damaged if I gutted the animal and simmered/ boiled the crap out of it to loosen the skin from the carcass?

Much indebted to anyone who responds.

Is this serious?

I was thinking the same

Some guys on here might not really know how to respond to this. I was puzzled too, and had to read the post several times. These are some different questions you don't see every day. But I will indulge you.

You have been reading about caring for traps. If you really are serious, you are opening up a minefield of opinions! Most will probably not agree with me, but they can do them, and I will do me. Take your responses for what they are worth, put them all together, and do what works for you, is my advice.

I personally am not a big fan of time and materials spent dyeing and preparing traps. I know, a lot of guys swear by it (this is the tradition after all), but I don't know that it has made a huge difference for me. I've caught plenty of critters my whole life with shiny new traps. Certainly enough to keep me satisfied, and keeps the carrot dangling out front there for more. And you'd be surprised - not that long and they get rusty/brown and blend better. Traps are always gonna stink. But it fades out there where you set them - especially if you wear gloves and aren't messing with them all the time. Though it may be better to work your traps every season, before season, for me it is not a prerequisite. But that's just me. If it's that much of a conundrum - just go use em! They'll get seasoned. Canines are more particular. The more careful you are with them the better. But I've still caught plenty of them with stinky stuff, shiny or not. Have caught them with new, stinky, oily snares too. Some critters are smarter than others. Most critters are careless or curious from time to time - just like humans are. That's when we catch them.

I'd never recommend gutting anything you're going to skin! Almost never any reason to gut anything, ever - unless you want to hang it and age it and eat it. Sure wouldn't recommend boiling fur either. Instead, I'd check your expectations, and sharpen your knife. At times, you may need to put some elbow grease into it. Don't expect anything you want to trap to be like a rabbit or a squirrel. Not much is. Especially beaver! But with a sharp knife and some skill - beaver goes really quick. I used to do a lot of them, and used to time myself - trying to do good work, but get faster and faster. But I'm way out of practice now.

Some guys get caught up in the research of all things having to do with trapping. They want to build their own. Work on them all the time. Putz with it all the time - all aspects of it. And, they enjoy it! That's great for them.

I can respect that for sure, but that ain't me. I want to spend all of my time trapping. Period. Then putting up fur. All the other stuff takes me away from that, and I only have so much time. So I cut corners. And I pay other guys to do the stuff I hate, or simply don't want to do. My point being, you gotta know yourself. What you enjoy, and what you don't.

So, Saturday and Sunday, I am going to open up my totes where I store all my traps. I'm going to take a bunch and go directly out and set them and see what happens!

Congrats on your beaver.

Serious here . Watch some you tube and see how the experts do it . They are experienced and in a hurry to get it done .Do not reinvent the wheel .

Take a trapping course.
Post a picture of your skinned beaver hide-we can then give you some pointers.

Beaver ,otter , mink, need to be carefully cut away from the carcass leaving all the fat and meat behind. Called clean skinning. Short scraping strokes with a round tipped knife. With practice you will perfect it and never scrape fat again.

Rough skin stuff. Any old way so long as you don't make hole. Put them in storage until you get -28 below. The frost scrape. Easiest way.

I'll suggest that you join the SDTA , then attend a district meeting and help a local trapper there's a good chance there's a member who maybe willing to help you out .
I wish you well on your journey !
Allan