need help on beaver castors

[Mike Barcaskey]

first time I'm trying to remove them. everytime I touch them, I lose more liquid out of them.
should I not worry about this?
collect it in a little jar?
they have been leaking throughout the skinning process.

I'll go skin a coon while you guys answer.
thanks

[primetime]

It happens to me also. Best advice use a very very sharp knife or razor blade that way you can hold gently and still make good cuts. But I wouldn't worry about loosing some.

I just cut them out best I can and hang to dry. Not sure what I'll do next, but couldn't see tossing them out.

Hopefully other more experienced Beaver Trappers will respond.

[JWarren]

If they leak it is going to be around the butt. You can pinch off the duct while you skin them out. Otherwise they might have got poked while skinning. If you get crazy with the knife you might have nicked a castor or oil sack.

[Mike Barcaskey]

they are leaking out the butthole. no nicks with the knife

[Mike Barcaskey]

now, the two pink lobes on either side of the vent are the castors.
where are the oil sacs?

[primetime]

Those are the Oil Sacs.

The Castors are the brain looking things darker in color. Usually they are on top of the Oil Sacs if memory serves me correctly?

[primetime]

Check straight above the Oil Sacs and under that fat for the Castors. You can remove and keep both the Oil Sacs and Castors.

[Mike Barcaskey]

thanks prime, but when you say on top, dont you mean underneath in the pic (when the beaver's on his back)?

[Mike Barcaskey]

according to the International Trapper from NATA, I think those are the castors
I'll go out and cut them now

[primetime]

;D I'm not sure what I meant...

Usually I remove the castors then the Oil sacs so I thought they were on top, but I think they are just more towards the head. You should find them if you look under that fat.

Take another pic when you do - it might help some others out in the future.

PT

[primetime]

IF those pink things are castors, then I've been wrong this whole season.

[Mike Barcaskey]

The IT has black and white photos of dried castor. Their shape leads me to believe they are the pink things, BIDK.

here's a better pic. I am loosing a thick, cloudy, yellow fluid from the grey sacs. They are now deflated. Two paper towels are soaked yellow.

How do I keep the fluid in from the field to the skinning table.

the other reason is the beaver was taken Saturday am, then frozen, thawed over the last day and I am skinning now.
Maybe a fresh kill doesn't leak?

[primetime]

Those grey things are the castors. Fresh is better, but the key is to not apply any pressure while cutting the fat and meat/skin stuff away from the castors and sacs. WAY easier said then done. I loose some every time. But I usually am skinning a few days later also. I like to dry my beavers before I skin them and that usually takes a day or two. Just cut them out and dry or freeze them. Don't worry to much about the leaking this time around.

PT

[Mike Barcaskey]

yep, I'll try to do better next time.
Thanks

[primetime]

Mike - smells good don't it!

[jeffc]

the yellow stuff is oil it is coming out of the "pink sacs" those are the oil sacs. the dark green or grey sacs are the castor and once you chop some up you will see that they do not leak anything yellow but have more of a sandy type texture of green stuff in them. I've found that holding the vent and using a really sharp knife gets the sac and castor off pretty good

Jeff

[Mike Barcaskey]

when I push the pink ones, they are solid.
when I push the grey ones, yellow stuff comes out. yes, they are gritty inside

Prime, it's a toss-up with the green stuff (possum)

[rk660]

I like to cut the whole oilsac/castors off the carcass, leaving them all together, then skin out separtely later, you can freeze the whole glop and do later when more time available too.

[Mike Barcaskey]

thanks Rich, that's what I did a bit ago.
can they be sold like that? all thrown in a jar and froze?