Do any of you guys do this? Thinking about trying it out

I do the belly cut and cut around the tail with hook blade, have to be careful on small beaver or you will open the guts, the fatter they are the better it works.

I have the same trouble, so I use my regular knife on the littles. With a knife I go from vent to lip, with the hook I go from lip to vent.

Most box cutters with that hooked blade have 2 settings. So just adjust to the shallow setting.

I just have hook blade in a folding utility knife, and I try to hold my thumb on the belly to adjust the depth, that’s a good idea beav, I’ll maybe try a different knife.

I use one from the lip to about 4 inches from the vent.
I do the rest with a knife.
It's very fast with the hook blade.

Turtledale. Why do you switch to the knife? Thanks

I stop above the vent a few inches because I've cut into the castors before with the hook knife.
I have a lot more control with the knife after that

Again thanks.

You can use the box cutter you have. The hooked blade has 2 notches In the blade just use the one closest to the hook end when connecting the blade to the box cutter.
But the adjustable box cutter will give you another setting. So by using the short notch In the blade and the adjustable box cutter you have 2 settings.

No good,they cut fur and get plugged up.
Better to use a fillet knife with a small ball on the point or a gutting knife.

I agree Boco they do gag up with under fur
But in my case I just use it for the one opening cut
It does gag up when I go from the lip to the lung area once. I clear the blade then finish my cut. Still very fast and that's all I use it for. Just another tool in the box full of many

I don't know what kind of box cutter Boco Is talking about but the one I have has never plugged up. The only time I open It up Is to turn the blade around.
I opened up 5 deer and don't know how many beaver and a few coon and It never plugged up.
Cutting fur??? Start from the lip insert the hooked blade and make your cut. Most of the cutting surface of the bade Is below the hide. And If a few hairs are cut along the incision so what.

Boco we aren't talking about the average box cutter blade. We are talking about a hooked carpet blade.

Outdoor edge zip blade 4 inch......Make the opening cuts from tail to vent, around the vent and about an inch up from vent, with pelter. The rest is with the zip blade, half the time.

https://www.amazon.com/OUTDOOR-EDGE-Zip-Blade-Skinning/dp/B002L6YV2Y

https://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-5-utility-knife-hook-blades-37557.html - I use these for coons and beaver. One side of one blade will open 500+ critters before it dulls.

If you want a smaller hook for little beaver, use this one that I use to open coyotes....

https://www.zoro.com/stanley-steel-...ontent=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks

Buy a couple different cheap retractable utility knives and you'll be all set.

Try the ones I provided links to and I guarantee you'll like them.

Thats the ones I tried.
The ball on the end of the fillet knife is faster.
Just one swipe and done.

I also have the knife saskfly showed-its very good too to open the belly cut.

I just hook that blade in the middle of the beavers bottom lip and run it in one slick easy pull down the center to the middle of the tail, then go around the base of the tail. 1-3 seconds.

Still only takes me seconds but I always have to clean the blade once about past the ribcage. No biggie but it does gag up for me. Since I've posted I have tried short and long setting on blades with same results.

I have always use a tail splitting under the lower lip and down under the skin to the vent and then cut with knife around the vent and down to the tail. The lower tool.