Im interested in eating some of what we trap. How long is too long between the initial "snap" and processing to eat? Say in cool weather (high of 12c and low of 4c).

well I don't do metric measurements. BUT they stay cool under water like In a refrigerator we have 24 hr checks and I don't typically start trapping tell Dec when it's cooler down here so never worry about it after asking heare to confirm my thoughts were right a few years back.

put it in anything you would use beef in and enjoy. Most often we use it in a stew.

I always say "Trust your nose." If the water is cold it's just like they are in the fridge.

We started eating beaver a few years back, mostly the small ones. I take off the backstraps and rear quarters, We cook them just like beef roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots. Be sure to not contaminate your hands or knives with the castor.

Enjoy!

Moosetrot

Personally I try to keep them alive until I get there if food is on my mind. If that's my goal, I have a couple beaver traps rigged similar to a wolf trap (10-15' of chain) so they have room to do whatever they want until I shoot them

I feed a lot to my dogs. I'm surprised at how long they can go without any signs of decomp. I assume it's as stated above: Water temps cool them down pretty quickly and keep them cool.

Pro Tip: Don't cross contaminate the meat with your hands that are taking the castors out.

My dogs like the back feet, that's a high value chew toy around my place lol

Thank you, This one was NOT in the water.

beaver keep good for a long time in the cold.longer than any other animal.
Your nose will tell you when its not fit to eat-it will smell sour.
Check the liver for white spots before you eat it.If the liver has white spots discard it.

If not gutted promptly like now or sooner then never me.

12C is 53.6F. I would think the legs would be fine. The tenderloins would probably be the first good cuts to go bad, followed by the loins. A 1 day check would probably be no issue if the beaver wasn't dead in full sunlight. Even if somewhat tainted, the meat would be okay to eat if fully cooked.

Keith

In England they say pheasants are not ready to eat until the tail feathers pull out easily by hand. So beaver under stated conditions are good for several days.

Beaver (bush beef) lasts a long time. 3-4 days is no big deal in fall temps. Especially if hanging. Belly is the first to go, if belly isn’t turning green or smelling bad your fine.

Don’t harvest meat with the same knife you skin with. Don’t let meat hit skinning table where hide and castor have made contact. If you get a pin tip amount of castor on the meat it will taste like you marinated in castor. Don’t bother cooking it if it smells like castor, pitch it and start over on next one.

Frozen tails fall into that category as well, my labs are absorbed for most of the day with a couple hard frozen tails. In the summer it's like a popsicle to them, especially when the temps are high.

If it bloated leave it alone.

I see another set of eyes peeking on your photo. Cute little girl you have there and we eat beaver, cooked until the meet falls off the bone......jk