First beaver!!!

[davidlt89]

Ok, so Ashlee got here before I got that beaver home last night, she was ready to go. she bought me a new skinning knive that has a curved edge. Paul, you may know the real name of these knives! they are usually used to clean skin a beaver.

So, I did very little helping and some instruction, but I will admit, and only once, Ashlee is a natural, she really is. She took right to the beaver and seemed to know where to cut!!! I have been trying to tell her she has a natural ability for this!!! I certainly hope she will take it further and get into the really fun stuff!!! Her she is going at it.


God Bless.

[drinksgin (deceased)]

I  look at these pictures and my first  thought is, "why was the carcass not properly drained of blood and why is the sausage grinder and some boston butt not ready on the counter to make sausage?
Duhh!

[gitano]

Actually, Don, drained of blood or not beaver meat is VERY dark. Very much like marine mammal flesh. That said, I'm with you. There is some good meat there. I don't particularly like it "straight", but made into stew it's great. I have never considered sausage. I'd have to 'see' that once I think.

I only know that type of knife as a "skinning/fleshing knife". If it has another name I don't know it or recall it.

Way to go, Ashley! You're about 90% 'there'. About all that's left is setting traps by yourself!

Paul

PS - Beavers are herbivores, and the 'herb' they eat the most of is "tree". Therefore, they are mostly guts. On a 50 lb beaver I wouldn't expect to get more than 20 lb of meat at best. There are several recipes for "beaver tail", but I've never found one that I thought much of. It's a piece of gristle and fat. You can flavor that and it's still gristle and fat.

Paul

[drinksgin (deceased)]

Paul, I have found very few meats that , mixed with a reasonable amount of untrimmed pork ,( for a decent amount of fat) and seasoned and with curing, either #2 pink salt or Morton's tender quick or sugar cure in reasonable amounts, then cased and cured 3-4 days and several hours of smoking that do not make a decent sausage.
I just tried one I did not have much hope for, 50-50 boston butt and boneless chicken thighs, with a good blend of seasonings it really did come out good.
I have made sausage with boston butt and javalina,a very tough meat , was nice. I even did it with jackrabbit, old jackrabbit, would dull a razor and it still ate ok.I would not cull any meat, other than predators without at least trying it.
You cannot make good sausage from meat that is not in good condition, but if it is fresh,at least try it.

[davidlt89]

Don,
   there just is not time for all that!!! I am a new trapper by all regards, for me to take two big beaver, skin, flesh, and board is 2 1/2-3 hours!!! last thing I feel like doing is taking meat off this animal!!! put that with a full time job, 3 kids, well, you get the drift!!!! maybe someday when I am retired we will find uses for the meat, for me, its the fur right now!!!! God Bless.

[apeters24]

You're such a story teller, David!!

I was busy WORKING, educating young children, while someone was off enjoying a snow day when I received a photo of the beaver I "requested" earlier in the week.  I simply replied with, "tell me when!"  I didn't realize, hence the attire, I'd be skinning a beaver after school!

I was able to successfully (no holes) skin a good part of this beaver!  David did a front and back leg so I could tackle the other side, and I also left the head for him.  The fur is too beautiful for me to ruin at the end!!  

I hate to say it, as I fear I'll never hear then end of it, but David truly is encouraging, informative, and fairly patient!!  Without knowing him I'm not sure I would have ever ventured down this path.  Guess you could say, for the sole purpose of trapping, I'm pretty thankful to know him!    And in all honesty, I LOVE this stuff!  

Thus far, I find every aspect of trapping interesting, a bit of a challenge, and purely enjoyable!  I've been "keeping an eye" on the dates for the next trappers education course.  My hope is by this time next year, I'll be setting traps too!!!

As for eating this guy, Don...  I'm going to pass!!

[gitano]

There are tons of books around in which the authors purport to eat all sorts of things, and claim they are "great". I read those books, and tried all the various assortments. Another area in which I find the "experts" to be deceivers. I don't know a SINGLE person that is as tolerant of eating "stuff" as I am. Actually, not even close, and while Don is probably the closest, I suspect that if we spent enough time together, I might get a "no way" out of him too at some point.

Beaver is not high on my list of things to eat. I share Don's attitude about using what we kill, but there are just some things that taste bad. If you want to talk about "waste", consider a 7 or 8 hundred pound brown bear! I have tried more than once, and can't GAG it down. It's horrible. The natives publicly CLAIM to eat brown bear for political reasons, but get them alone, and they wouldn't eat it on a bet. Most of the stuff the "experts" claim is "good" is only TOLERABLE if one is literally starving.

Up here, dog mushers PAY for beaver carcasses for dog food as it is an excellent source of protein. Some places in The Bush folks eat beaver occasionally, but when they do, it is seriously "dressed up". Like I said, I don't care for it "straight". Also as I said, there isn't as much meat on a 50 pound beaver as there is on a 50 lb pig or just about anything else. I believe strongly in 'waste not, want not', but the trick is finding a practical use, not just "gag it down" to be PC.

Paul

[drinksgin (deceased)]

Yep, some people find liver, kidneys, hearts,pancreas, hypothalamus, intestines, lips,salivary glands , ears, snouts, tails, testicles, feet , lungs, skin, brains, milk glands and other spare parts disgusting to consider, BUT, do not research the contents of commercial lunch meats and sausages, you may swear off for life . I likely would have problems with sage and spruce grouse in some times of the year , I am sure I would have problems have problems with coastal bears of any specie and, from what Paul said about them, porcupines, seeing as I consider rosemary in food just slightly worse than pure spirits of turpentine.
We all have our limits, just some are more broad than others.

[drinksgin (deceased)]

Addendum, I have knowingly eaten the animal parts I listed!

[davidlt89]

I will eat mostly anything, or at least try it once!!! I fully expect to try some beaver here someday, but I am in no hurry!!! If I was starving, might be a different story. Getting the fur off, skinned, fleshed, boarded, and castors out is enough for me right now!!! God Bless.

[gitano]

If I was starving, might be a different story.

There is NO "might" about it!

Paul