Beaver Start to finish (Pics and tools)

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Heres the tools I use first of all
.A sharp fleshing knife.
.A good round nose beaver knife..
.A hooked bladed utility knife.
.A good heavey bladed green river skinner.
.A extra heavy bladed skinner for the legs or in case one gets dull
.A bell scraper for finishing.

I start buy cutting off the tail and feet with the heavy bladed skinner.

I then make a cut straight up the middle with the hooked bladed utility knife.

I then start seperating the pelt from the belly.

Keep cutting the pelt from the belly until you have this

To seperate the legs from the pelt grab them like this and roll the fur in your fist pulling it away from the leg

Make a cut right where the fur and leg meets and it will come lose like this

Flip the beaver on its back and start seperating the pelt from the back like this

Cut the fur from the back and tail area. Be careful around the tail. Its easy to leave false cuts

I skin down to the skull and start using the heavy bladed skinner because bone will dull your round nosed knives very quickly

Cut the ears of close to the skull like this

Skin dow to the eyes and cut them lose from the skull. Try not to make them any bigger. The cut the nose from the skull and the pelt is ready to be fleshed

Here are the castors and oil sac's. Save them as you can make your own lure or use them as bait.

I start fleshing buy removing a strip starting half way and going straight down the middle. The grissle on the tail area is tough and requires a good sharp knife to remove

I then turn the pelt a quarter turn on the beam and flesh down to the area shown. I then turn the knife over and use the dull side to push the fat of the soft belly

Heres what you will have after fleshing this far. Flip over the other way and do the other quarter the same way
Here is what you have. A half fleshed beaver. Do the upper half exactly the same way. Doing the beaver in quarters is fast and you only have to move the pelt on the beam a few times

After the pelt is fleshed lay the beaver on the board and determin will it will fit. Place four staples(or nails). One at the head and tail, one at each side.

Place another staple between the ones aleady holding the pelt. The start stapeling the pelt at the head and work your way around.Do the head first as the tail will stretch more. Stretch hand tight as the pelt needs room to dry.

Here is what you will have.