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Post by Mike Prust on Aug 26, 2007 17:56:36 GMT -6
Bob, I'm a little confused by your posts. Your first post states clean skinning with no strenuous work. Then in a later post you state, "pull the hide with one hand, hard". I'm not a strong person so when I am pulling hard, it is strenuous work. Not trying to start any thing, just confused. I personaly fined beaver easy to put up. Years ago I purchased a necker knife and hated it. Rather then not useing it I sharpened the concave side very sharp. The fat and gristle will shave off with very little pressure. I do not try to set any speed records, so when busy I will skin and freeze. With mixed sizes I can flesh about four beaver an hour. Mike
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Post by mr. finch on Aug 26, 2007 18:59:10 GMT -6
woudlnt it be just as easy to just power winch the hide off?
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Post by bobwendt on Aug 26, 2007 19:03:14 GMT -6
taught(tight) maybe is a better word than pull. anyone that ever learns to clean skin I guarantee will never rough skin and scrape ever again. that`s stone age.
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Post by rk660 on Aug 26, 2007 19:33:09 GMT -6
There are parts of the country where guys can ave 20 beaver a day for days on end. Ive seen guys that can rough skin in 4-6 minutes, i can prolly ave 7-8 minutes once in the groove, I'd think if trapping high numbers of beaver for days on end, you would be pretty much forced to rough skin and flesh later, or be able to go for days on end w/o sleeping at 15 minutes per beaver clean skinned as opposed to 1/2 that time to rough skin. Might be more time spent per beaver overall, but when catch is piling up, any time saved at moment is paramount.
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Post by bobwendt on Aug 26, 2007 19:50:59 GMT -6
lol, I quit selling semi loads of hay for couple hundred bucks over expenses, and beaver and coons too. if I`m going to lose sleep, and I do , it won`t be for any $15-20 hide off a greaser or an submerged used truck tire
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Post by ColdSteel on Aug 26, 2007 20:05:00 GMT -6
The only reason I trap beaver now is to keep my land that I have and make my landowners happy.I can do much better doing ADC work.Beaver trapping is hard work especially when you have to carry them across cutovers and mucky swamps and then as mentioned here comes the skinning and fleshing and boarding all for around a 20 dollar average for me anyway.The fall of the otter has made a lot of beaver live in my neck of the woods
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Post by jim on Aug 26, 2007 20:08:04 GMT -6
I agree with BW beaver liver is very good, much better than deer liver. Jim
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Post by rk660 on Aug 26, 2007 21:52:54 GMT -6
BW, you always have such a lovely way of putting things into words, LOL. "submerged used truck tire".
I guess Im still a kid at heart, and think its neat to drag a few tires home here and there, 100 is about enough for a year.
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 27, 2007 7:58:51 GMT -6
I gladly and want to skin things out worth "$15-20" as one of a lines staples.
as does any fur trapper.
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 27, 2007 8:01:56 GMT -6
as far as fleshing, you need to know your markets- I get $3 less for a skun green beaver, compared to put up. So why bother.
PS- on my few beaver last year, never got less than $25.
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Post by bobwendt on Aug 27, 2007 8:09:00 GMT -6
25 dollar average greeen, that`s real good in todays market. in fact so good I don`t know anyone else that can do it. more power to you!
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 27, 2007 8:12:24 GMT -6
you don't know anyone else that can do it?
then move- because it happens all the time here- adult beaver were selling for $25-30 green from several buyers here last year.
good fur = good buyers. Sure, we're lucky- but I know at least 5 good local buyers within 60 miles or so, plus Groeny.
I don't trap colonies as such, so there were no kits.
now, if you were holding water fur until Feb, March- then yes, you got less. But you got less on everything, green or not.
Here, sell as you go- I sell water every 2-3 weeks.
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Post by bobwendt on Aug 27, 2007 8:20:03 GMT -6
now wait a minute, you said you averaged 25 bucks, actually "never got less than $25" were your exact words. . now it`s the blankets only, okee dokee.
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 27, 2007 8:23:04 GMT -6
yes, those are my exact words- actualy my exact words were on my few beaver LAST YEAR, never got less than $25.
I didn't figure out the average- the fact is $25 dollars WAS the least I recieved this past year- up to a high of $36. I'd guess the average was around $28.
2 year olds are hardly blankets, now are they?
I also sold 99% of my mink at $22/$17 and my rats at $7+
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Post by Steve Gappa on Aug 27, 2007 8:31:21 GMT -6
I think a big problem in selling fur local, is not understanding the markets are fickle-
I would have really been pouting if I had saved my rats and mink to the end of Feb for that $17/11 or $4 average.
You can sell fur many ways, its up to each trapper to know his area's fur, and what that fur does year to year.
I've heard it said that not everyone has good fur......yet, everyone want the same $$$.
If I lived out of the good fur belt on coon for example, I wouldn't bother- but when you got the best coon, a man would be a fool not to trap them. And because we do have the best coon, there is no shortage of buyers...
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Post by ohiyotee on Aug 27, 2007 12:24:27 GMT -6
Has anyone ever seen Phil , the guy that demonstrated for nafa > sitting in a chair he takes a rough skinned beaver and placing it on his knee he revolves it around in a circle cleaning the edge with a sharp knife for about an inch or two wide that may take a couple of minutes. He than asks someone to time him on the rest of the hide and they need a second hand on the watch. In about 45 seconds the rest of the beaver is as clean as it can be , truly amazing. I watched it a few times at the national in Mansfield and still can't believe it.
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Post by ColdSteel on Aug 27, 2007 13:51:40 GMT -6
Tman I honestly don't see how those buyers are making a profit.I mean 25 to 30 bucks for green skins and then have to flesh and board which labor wise usually runs between 5 to 7 bucks.I just don't see it.I know you have a much better beaver than mine but I averaged a shade over 25 this year put up which puts me around 22.75 after comission tht was still better than the overall average at NAFA.Buyers around here pay 8 to 10 green skins at best .I will be willing to bet there is not a 20 dollar difference in our beaver.
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Post by rk660 on Aug 27, 2007 13:59:34 GMT -6
Although I cant, Ive seen guys rip the red meat off beaver with fleshing knive in 5 minutes or there abouts, so if you can rough skin in 5-6, flesh in 5-6, couple mintues to grand total for lifting on bench, etc etc, your still about same time a clean skin in 15. Me i start out 30 minutes per beaver skin and scrape, and prolly get down to 20-ish once in groove, so not a hell of a lot of time lost overall, you still got to hoop or nail either way, and then pull off. so in grand scheme of things your prolly 30 if damn good, more like 45 ave from used tire on floor, to a combed out pretty leather pancake stacked up nice and neat, that they will throw 70% of in a huge grinder and make felt out of, so dont kill yourself making hatter beaver pretty as possible is moral or story.
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Post by ColdSteel on Aug 27, 2007 14:10:05 GMT -6
Time wise you are very close I think.I would figure finished product skin, flesh and board and off a good hour and that is moving pretty good.Sure it can be done faster but that all depends on how big the pile is .
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Post by bobwendt on Aug 27, 2007 14:12:57 GMT -6
aah but le difference is a guy can clean skin for 24 hrs straight ,with enough coffee. he can`t rough and scrape unless there is some crystal meth in the coffee too. and that stuff will make more than your brain go limp.
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