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Post by lyonch on Feb 16, 2012 17:08:03 GMT -5
I am wondering if anyone has ever skinned a beaver on a skinning machine? If you have a way to do so, please share!! I have dabbled a little bit with it, but have yet to be successfull. I know the machine is more than capable of pulling the carcass in two if the hide wont give!
If you haven't been successfull skinning beaver with a machine, what are some tips you can give that help speed up the skinning process in general?
I will start with an obvious tip that a lot of people know about..............when it is time to cut the legs off, use a big limb lopper that is used for larger tree branches. This little tool is worht it's weight in gold and will save you a lot of time in the long run!
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Post by bigtwinhd on Feb 16, 2012 17:38:28 GMT -5
Lyonch I clean skin, well, I was until a local fur buyer talked me into trying to do it the "normal" way. Rough skin and then flesh. Clean skinning takes forever but I can spend about five minutes on the beam afterwards. Rough skinning is much quicker if you just toss them into the freezer like I have been doing lately. I am saving my pennies for a necker and a weekend in the shed. I still cut my feet with a knife but am trying to use the hatchet more often. I about lost fingers a half hour ago doing this method...... Also rough skinning I poked a hole in the belly letting all kinds of nice juices out. I am liking clean skinning more and more as I type. None of that had anything to do with machine skinning! Use a carpet hook to open them up like a zipper!
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Post by sniperbbb on Feb 17, 2012 6:39:01 GMT -5
I dont cut the the feet off, or at least I dont cut all them off...gotta keep one as a handle for disposing of the carcass or to the grinder Having a skinning trough is HUGE. I had one once that i built myself but it wasnt very good. Last few years I have been skinning on a piece of plywood on sawhorses..was getting a bit hard on my back because the level of the board was causing me to bend over too much to skin. The other day I had one of the guys as work build me a trough to set on my sawhorses and raise the beaver up to a more comfortable height. And having the trough, using the sideboards does wonders for my clean skinning efforts because it basically turns into a fleshing beam so you can use your knife to keep the meat/fat off the hide without worrying about slicing the hide. Plus with the trough you have the weight of the beaver pulling away from you making skinning quicker.
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Post by lyonch on Feb 17, 2012 9:07:06 GMT -5
There is no way in heck i could ever clean skin! When you have 20 or so flattails laying there waiting to be skun, the hack the hide off as fast you can method really appeals to me LOL. I enjoy my time in the fur shed, so fleshing them isn't that bad for me. I can usually flesh 1.5 to 2 beaver to one guy nailing. I have always figured a 25 to 30 minute average on a beaver from caught to nailed. 10 skin, 10 flesh, and 10 nail. I will be trying a brad nailer this spring to see if i can speed up that nailing process!!
Tip - Cut a "V" into a piece of plywood, and screw that onto the end of your skinning table. Place the bottom of the "V" so that it is a touch higher than the table. Now when you get to the head and front shoulders of the beaver, lay them in the "V" and it will allow you pull on the hide a bit more and keep the carcass on the table.
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Post by sniperbbb on Feb 17, 2012 9:55:23 GMT -5
I clean skin because I have to save myself from nitpicking when it comes to fleshing.
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Post by lyonch on Feb 17, 2012 10:08:08 GMT -5
Tip - Use two different knives when skinning beaver. Use one for the legs, head, and tail areas where you cut into bone. I prefer to use a Dexter for this because they sharpen so quick. Use a sperate knife for the rest of your skinning, and you will be much happier on how long your "edge" on the knife holds.
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Post by sniperbbb on Feb 17, 2012 10:42:52 GMT -5
And sharpen that "junk" knife at a wider angle to preserve the blade longer.
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Post by lyonch on Feb 17, 2012 10:59:03 GMT -5
Tip - Pay attention to which side you start on, so your turns and flips of the beaver are minimal. Example: My "V" notch is to my right, so when i start skinning i want the head facing that direction. I work that side down, then turn the pelt 180 degrees. Then i work that side down. No my head is facing away from the "V". Now flip the carcass and pelt so the beaver is on it's belly and the head is still facing away from the "V". Work up that side and to the center of the back. Rotate the carcass and hide 180 degrees and do the other side. Now the head is alrady facing the "V" again and in the direction i want to pull it to; to place the neck in that "V". This will result in one less flip and or rotate of the carcass. When you have several to do, this saves both time and energy on yourself!!
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Post by MNCedar on Feb 17, 2012 11:45:58 GMT -5
You have castor brain too! ;D
Still killing coyotes but beaver mode set in like a ton of bricks the other day!
This spring it looks like I will still be stuck skinning on my freezer. Which the height is right, but I've been pondering making either a trough that would work in conjunction with the freezer....or I am now interested in the v-notch you mentioned.
Wondering if I could make something similar that would fit snug on the freezer lid, and somehow allow an anchor point to give me a little leverage to pull with.
Works okay as is, but I just know after you skin a pile of beaver and your hands start getting tired, it just doesn't go as smoothly as the first couple.
Don't want to over think it.
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Post by lyonch on Feb 17, 2012 11:57:50 GMT -5
MNCedar - i will build you a good skinning table that also works as a beaver pelt nailing and drying. Just let me know the height and consider it done! Maybe we can work in a story or two about beaver trapping for trade LOL.
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Post by walkercoonhunter on Feb 17, 2012 13:16:01 GMT -5
Chris i skin my beaver on the machine.....BUT you have to skin the beaver up past the grissle part on the back by the tail.....loop your chain around its tail and pull easy with the machine...then once you get your hide up to the ribs move your chain to loop around its waist...its tricky or you will tear them in half....thats how i do them on my machine with the little expirementing i did this year with them...
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Post by MNCedar on Feb 17, 2012 13:32:08 GMT -5
Chris....yeah, I smell a trade in the making.
Found some open water myself the other day....and I got all warm and fuzzy feeling. Well, that, or it was closer to dizzy thinking of everything I want to get lined up.
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