The New Huntmastersbbs!: Fur

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 02, 2007, 11:15 AM:

I just got some photos from my dad, I thought some of you might like to see this one.

That's my share of the beavers we caught last year. Right before they went to the tannery (or into storage)... some should be back from Moyle's any day now.

Krusty

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 02, 2007, 11:26 AM:

Aren't Beaver Beautiful furs?

That's the one thing I really miss since moving to AZ. I love beaver trapping! One of my biggest regrets was not having USA FOXX make a beaver bedspread for me before leaving IN.

The wife has been after me to go back and visit some kin, I may have to schedule it around a beaver trapping trip during the first week of March.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 02, 2007, 02:05 PM:

Yeah, love them beavers

Posted by newbomb (Member # 888) on August 02, 2007, 03:03 PM:

What part of Indiana are you from Tim?

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 02, 2007, 05:42 PM:

West Central.

I grew up and lived three miles North of Greencastle along Big Walnut.

Posted by Jrbhunter (Member # 459) on August 02, 2007, 06:53 PM:

Fatlander. [Wink]

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 02, 2007, 07:19 PM:

Sorry Jason, but I was just south of the flat lands and grew up in the river bottoms.

Posted by furhvstr (Member # 1389) on August 02, 2007, 07:53 PM:

I like beaver too.

Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on August 03, 2007, 06:47 AM:

Just beautiful Krusty [Wink]

Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on August 03, 2007, 06:50 AM:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I like beaver too.

Posted by BigO (Member # 1062) on August 10, 2007, 06:27 PM:

Do what you will with this.

There is a trapper lives across town from me. He also owns a little burger joint and will smoke meats for people.

He tells me he eats Beaver. I wasn't sure what he was saying. Was he being funny or serious? Has anyone else eatten beaver?

Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on August 10, 2007, 06:54 PM:

In all seriousness, yes, I have. We used to take the bigger ones taken in the late winter and quarter out the hams. A barber buddy of mine (leave it alone, Tim) would run them through the smoker and give me half back. One time, he put a couple plates of the meat on the counter in his barber shop. I guess people were picking at it all day. He said everyone really liked the taste and texture, but that about half said that they would never eat it again. The ones that liked it and said that they would eat more if it was available likened it to very high grade beef as far as taste. Kinda like mountain oysters. if you can get past what you're eating, it's good food. No fat, almost sweet tasting. My grandma used to roast beaver and coon - all they had to eat sometimes during the Depression years. That, and ducks/ geese. Grandpa said he used to take "wheels" of field corn cobs and thread hooks through them, then stake the baits out with a short line tied to a wooden stake in the corn field. They'd put out 10-20 a night, then go back at first light and club any geese that got hooked.

Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on August 10, 2007, 07:12 PM:

Krusty,

Nice job on those hides. Let me know how Moyle's did for you and their cost.

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 10, 2007, 09:22 PM:

I bet you're thinking that Tim A is going to ask Lance if he prefers to eat his beavers fully furred, neatly trimmed, or completely shaved. As long as you are the one getting to eat, who cares?

I like the younger ones better. Cook them up like a roast, pull the meat apart then mix in your favorite BBQ sauce and let it marinate on low heat for a couple of hours before serving.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 10, 2007, 10:41 PM:

Yeah, right. But, get them drunk, first.

Good hunting. LB

Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on August 27, 2007, 07:14 PM:

Krusty,

What would you take to part with one of those tanned pelts back on the stretcher?

Have a spot on my wall just beggin' for one of those things.

Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 27, 2007, 11:08 PM:

Tripp,

Let me look into it.

I stretch 'em, by nailing them onto a piece of plywood... I don't think that's what you want to hang up?

Some Googling is in order, I don't know what it'll take to make a willow hoop, but I'm sure I can pull it off.

Krusty

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 28, 2007, 05:51 AM:

Krusty,

Willow hoops are easy to make. Just use fresh willow when forming the hoops and leather wang to tie them together and stretch the hide on. You may need to tighten the beaver from time to time when the willow dries, but they look great as a wall hanging!

Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 28, 2007, 01:35 PM:

Well I did some Googling.

I found a few interesting things while I was at it, ya gotta love Google. [Wink]

Tim,

Leather wang? Coming from you, I'm not sure I wanted to know what it was, and it lead to some of the "interesting" things that came up on Google's lists.

I found references to "beef jerky as tough as a leather wang", or "a leather wang used to make part of a powder horn", and a whole lotta Vera Wang stuff, but never found out what a leather wang is?

Even my spell checker doesn't know it. Gotta be some kinda rawhide, like most of the "how to make a hoop" pages I found said.
I'll just have to figure out where to source it.

I guess Tripp has some choices too.

There's a traditional willow hoop, in bark or peeled, and there's split frames (like a snowshoe), but there are decorative hoops available as well.

BeaverHoops.com has some neat stuff.
One of their kit hoops might be an option, for a more refined look?

Now I wish I'd saved some of my turkey's feathers, but I do have his tail.

I could use one of my plywood stretcher boards, and some 16 penny nails, to layout a jig for the hoops, so they could be heat bent, and laced up true and flat.
I'd probably find the whole process thoroughly enjoyable.

Because my beavers are caught on a permit, I can't sell them in a normal sense, so this might turn out to be a good thing, for me.

Think about your options, Tripp, and let me know what suits your fancy?

Krusty

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 28, 2007, 02:16 PM:

Well, while you are about it, I'd love to have one, myself. That's a pretty blatant hint, please excuse. LB

Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 28, 2007, 03:27 PM:

Leonard,

Blatant hints are the kind I like best.

You said you WANTED an elephant snoot call, so you ended up "on the list". [Wink]

Now that I know you want a hooped pelt, for the wall, I can work on that too.

Which do you think you'd be more interested in, the willow hoop, or the more finished ones?

Here's the deal... I have six beaver hides left, that didn't go to Moyle's.

Not knowing any better, I made one of my classic rookie mistakes.
I stored them in the fruit cellar (at my dad's), thinking as long as they were cool and dry, they'd be fine. (*It never occurred to me, to ROLL THEM UP, and put them in the freezer)

After the discussion on using borax on cats, I began to worry, that my storage practices may have left something to be desired?
And I dunno how that's worked out. [Roll Eyes]

They could be fine, and they might not be, I don't even know how to tell? And I haven't looked at them in a couple months.

Let me check on the hides I have left, and see what it'll take to get them sent to the tannery, if they're worth sending.

Otherwise we might end up waiting until the fur primes up to try again.

How will I know if they are good or not?

Krusty

Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on August 28, 2007, 06:06 PM:

Krusty,

Lots of choices? The only choice I'm counting on is pick of the litter as I asked first. [Smile]

I'm a fan of wilderness/rustic as far as a hoop goes.

I think you've stumbled onto a solid money maker here Krusty. Snatch as many beavers as you can from the purse of Mom Nature, stretch 'em, tan 'em, put 'em back on the stretcher an sell 'em for a buttload of money (to folks other than your good beaverless* friends here).

I think they'd fetch good coin from enough eBay'ers to make it more than worth your while.

Soon you'd have plenty of money for new rifles, scopes and the like.

Just a thought.

Tripp

*You unlucky bastards know who you are.

[ August 28, 2007, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 28, 2007, 06:30 PM:

What? Senority counts for nothing?

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 28, 2007, 07:10 PM:

I grew up hearing the word Wang used to describe leather cut into long, thin strips. It was better than Duct tape for a lot of things, You could wrap something up good and tight in it, then soak it and it would dry even tighter than you could pull it. Just buy some long leather boot laces and it should work fine.

Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 28, 2007, 07:47 PM:

Okay, I checked on the hides.
No dust or dander, no hair falling out, and no bad smell.

It looks as if I should be able to do six wall hangers.

Tripp,

Yep, you got in line first. [Smile]

They are all XXLs and XLs, except for the two at the bottom of the photo.
They are both one year olds, and have very fine fur.
It'd be tough to pick one, for me.

None of this looks like it can happen in rapid order. "90 day" tanning has taken a lot longer than 90 days.
I'll not be paying the extra for that service next time!
So who knows how long it could take?

Leonard,

Yep seniority counts, they'll let you have dinner cheap at Denny's.

This isn't a "line" as much as a "belly up to the bar" deal. [Wink]

Tim,

Thanks, I think I might have found a source for long rawhide strips.

Do you (or anyone) know how much a beaver will change in size, as it goes through the tanning process? Will it shrink or stretch?

Grouse season opens this weekend, maybe I'll gather some willow then?

Krusty

Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on August 28, 2007, 08:20 PM:

I'm in li-ine fir-irst,

Neener, neener, nee-ee-ee-ner.

really? Kinda rubbing my nose it it, eh? [Mad]

[ August 28, 2007, 09:17 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]

Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 28, 2007, 09:35 PM:

Better be careful, ol' Lenbo kicked Uncle Jay in the vowels once, and he couldn't speak right for a week!

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 28, 2007, 11:35 PM:

Dang, Tim! Thanks. I'd forgotten about that. Nasty business, taking away a man's vowels. Hope it don't come to that?

Good hunting. LB

Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on October 03, 2007, 01:08 AM:

Furs came back from Moyle's this week!

In as much as I thought a put up beaver hide was nice, I'm blown away by what a nicely tanned one is like.

And the half dozen muskrats I sent are incredibly soft and silky.

Lance,

I don't know what to expect, from a tannery, I sent one coyote to Jim Champion, on a "good buddy" deal, so I don't have much to compare Moyle's service to.

I spent $25 per beaver for garment tanning (I can't remember what the 'rats cost), and $60 shipping to send the lot.

The leather is beautiful, soft and supple. The fur is clean, and there's just a light hint of solution smells.

They do appear to have shrunken some, but some of that might stretch right back out.
I'll have to toss 'em on the board and see what size they are now (I know what size they were before I sent them).

Tripp and Leonard,

Now that I have some finished hides I'll be able to sort out the rest of the hoop hanger deal.

I'll be in contact regarding such, in a few days.

Krusty

Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on October 03, 2007, 04:23 AM:

Krusty,

You should expect some shrinkage, even with a garment tan. With a taxidermy tan, there's quite a lot, as we soak the tanned hide in water for two hours, then refrigerate for another 24 before measuring for forms - a process called "sweating".

The smell you noted is probably the oils they use in finishing the process, used to keep the leather from drying out, and also making it more supple during the tumbling process. That's a "new leather" smell I look forward to each Spring when my capes come home.

I haven't used either of those tanneries, but have heard many accolades for both.

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