So my son has trapped a few beavers this year. He caught one that was 52.7 pounds today. My questions are what is a good beaver skinning knife and do you guys like the cradles? We are skinning them on a 5able and it is taking an hour plus. We have been using a Havalon and skinning them on the flat table and just looking to speed things up. I see a lot more beaver in the future since people keep stopping and asking for his number at the place he is trapping now it’s on a busy road and the beaver have made a mess out of the place

As far as a cradle goes. Take two 2X4's about 3 1/2' long. Cut four pieces about 18" long. Space these evenly on the two long pieces like a ladder. Ends of short pieces even with the outside edges of the long pieces. Get some of those green wood screws that will go through one board and almost through a second one. Say 2 1/2" or 3/4" long. Put two screws through the short pieces into the long pieces on each end of the short pieces. Turn it over on table so the long pieces are up. You now have a cradle to skin a beaver in and the short pieces keep the cradle with beaver in it up off the flat table where any blood goes when you make a bad cut when skinning.

Take the legs off the beaver then just hang it by the tail and skin it like a coon. Other then you will skin it open.


I have a 2X4 that's about 3' long. Then I screwed a 1X4 to the bottom of the 2X4. Then I took 2 clamps and clamped it to my bench. I placed the beaver behind the 2X4 and as I skinned I just pulled the hide over the 2X4 keeping the beaver behind the 2X4. As you skin just keep lifting the beaver up on edge. When you get to the center just turn the beaver around and start on the other edge.

Thank you guys. Boy picked up another good one today.

I'd suggest for a knife, buy one designed for skinning beaver, but at least one with a more rounded tip. And be able to keep it sharp.

I happened to have a large hunting knife from CRKT that has a good curve to the tip and is easy to keep sharp. Not used for taking off back feet (I use lopers for the front feet), only for skinning after pulling the rear legs free.

My son put one of these together last night and said it worked really well. Unfortunately no beaver today we know there is still a really big one in there hope we get him. And thank you for the tip