skinning beaver??

[brent]

I am curious about how you other trappers skin your beavers?

I have been skinning mine with them laying on a table but saw a video showing how to hang them from your skinning gambrel and thought I'd try it. Boy, for me that was alot easier than wrestling that big carcass on a table. All I did was make the center cut from vent to chin about half-way up, go around the tail and slip the back legs thru the hide and then hang it up and let the hide pull itself on down as I cut it free. It really made the process alot faster and easier for me.

Also, how many of you eat the meat from your trap- lines and how do you cook yours? There's alot of good eating there for those of you that haven't tried it.

thanks.
brent

[ugashikrobert]

Brent:
I skin all my beaver in a trough I made from a video or forum post where I saw it. Everything else that I case skin I do from a gambrel. They say your first hundred beaver are the worst and I'm not there yet. Don't mind the skinning its the fleshing I could do without.

[Washkeeton]

Smoked beaver has the same texture as roast beef but is so much fatter and richer. i could only eat very little of it at a time. I am use to very lean meat and it just caught me off guard. Cant handle the smoking. dont know if it was from my young years or what but i cant handle smoked salmon, beaver, or carabou. I am still waiting to have moose. (Not smoked)

They say that beaver tail is great also. very fat but great. use to buy beaver carcases off of trappers around fairbanks area and would chop up and feed to the sled dogs. a little bit went a long way and a lot caused a very big mess in the yard. lol

[brent]

I don't know about the trough method, maybe you could explain it alittle more.
Right now I'm making beaver chili and it smells great. I have heard about the beaver tail before so, this winter I decided to see how much meat and such was on one. I skinned the tail (if you think skinning beavers are hard, try skinning just the tail without putting holes in the leather. I can't do it), anyway, the tail is made up of nothing but fat and bone with only a tiny bit of meat in it. Maybe the tails are like some sort of pork rinds. I guess I'd have to be mighty hungry before I sat down to a nice hot meal of tail fat. I think your supposed to (the way the mountain men did it) throw the tail in the fire embers and eat it when the leather was all cracked and peeling off. Don't know if that sounds any better to eat or not..

[ugashikrobert]

As you can see in the photo the angle of trough allows the beaver to stay put where you want it when you roll it over to skin. A trough with a steeper angle would work better but I had this left over from another projet.

[brent]

nice photo. thanks, it does sound like a good idea. I'll have to try that method also. I'm the opposite on skinning. I'd rather flesh the buggers than skin them.

[spirit]

With your beavers pelts do you sell them or use in making clothing.The fur looks thick.I have a family of beavers on my land in the country.They have built a pretty good size d**n.They do eat the trees.OH how Brent do you share recipes?Bever chili! Thanks Spirit

[ugashikrobert]

spirit:
We take all of fur into town when we go each spring and have it tanned. The beaver we have had made into hats, blankets and gloves so far. Beaver fur prices being what they are doesn't exactly make it a money making proposition.

[brent]

Hey, I'm sorry Spirit. I haven't been in this forum since I last posted so I didn't see your question about chili recipes. I don't have any special beaver chili recipe. I just substitute wild game for store bought meat in my recipes. I do use lots of Texas Pete hot sauce though. hehe
brent

[huntress4203]

Wow. I didn't realize you could eat them. I was given one (dead) this past spring to skin. I wanted to put it on a vine maple branch and hang it on the wall next to the snowshoes and moose head. I threw the carcass to the coyotes...I'll know better next time.

[Chuck]

Hi, this is Jenny. Beaver is DELICIOUS ! ! ! ! ! We always look forward to trapping season for the beavers. No time right now, but I'll post my favorite ways of cooking them in a bit. Hope you get more huntress4203!

Jenny