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  #121  
Old 02-22-2016, 08:42 AM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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Generaly spring fighting or when they invade territory while looking for a permanent area of their own . Getting too close to the new born pups also triggers the female to hit .I have seen young so badly bitten they looked like they had been in a knife fight , unable to do anything but sit on the bank ,traumatized and wait for the end.
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  #122  
Old 02-23-2016, 08:41 AM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Well I tried my hand at fleshing beaver on my knee last night. I started with the small one and then did the larger one. While it's not all that great I think it's ok for my first time. Lots of false cuts and a few missed spots. The misses become much more obvious as it dries. I think my knife needs to be sharper, it's very sharp but not quite there yet I don't think.



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  #123  
Old 02-23-2016, 08:46 AM
kingrat kingrat is offline
 
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It'll take awhile, now I take a big paint scraper or flesher and scrape the **** out of the flanks, tail area, belly anywhere you can still see whitish fat try to get most of the grease out of it anyway. Once it dries you'll see spots or chunks like I'm talking about if you miss them
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  #124  
Old 02-23-2016, 10:51 AM
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Nice job TFNG, it looks good. I'm sure its not easy the first time.

Did you use this technique?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itQt5i668S0
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  #125  
Old 02-23-2016, 02:22 PM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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Great start TFNG ! Looks like you need to relax, THAT is the trick , It,s fairly hard to cut through after a while It just takes practice , What blows me away is the videos always appear to capitalize on how fast a fellow can flesh a Beaver . The irony is that I have never had a fur buyer tell me That IF I can flesh a Beaver under so many minutes he will pay me More money LOL I believe the emphasis should be on clean methodical fleshing and forget the John Wayne speed fleshing ! nice and easy does it !
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  #126  
Old 02-23-2016, 05:12 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Thanks for the comments guys.

Camoderrick- while that's not the video I saw it is the technique I tried to copy. It's not as simple as it looks.

It's going to take some time to get used to the sweep of the knife and where it's cutting. I'll just have to do a bunch more beaver I guess.

Parfleche- I'll admit I got in a rush. I got started on it late in the evening and wanted to get it done before the sun came up. I find it hard to see sometimes whether I've got all the fat off and end up going a little deep or leaving some behind. There doesn't seem to be a clear, definite layer where the fat ends. Those are only the third and fourth beaver I've put up so I've got lots to learn.
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  #127  
Old 02-23-2016, 06:26 PM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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TFNG
If you wish get yourself some Beaver nails from Halfords , Or Gords , They are not all that expensive and work real well. I think they are also called nursery pinning nails as used in Greenhouses for packing plants etc. Very sharp ,slim bigger head . reuse forever.
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  #128  
Old 02-24-2016, 12:00 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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They look good TFNG. I'd be curious to see pictures of them once they are dried. I'm still trying to master a fleshing knife for beaver....lol.
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  #129  
Old 02-24-2016, 12:04 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kingrat View Post
It'll take awhile, now I take a big paint scraper or flesher and scrape the **** out of the flanks, tail area, belly anywhere you can still see whitish fat try to get most of the grease out of it anyway. Once it dries you'll see spots or chunks like I'm talking about if you miss them
Just for info for anyone following the thread.....Last year I noticed some fat left on a beaver that I had fleshed and the next day I took a one handed fleshing tool to take it off. The leather turned white where I had scraped the fat off but it still graded 1*. Better than leaving it on I guess.
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  #130  
Old 02-24-2016, 12:27 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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They look good TFNG. I'd be curious to see pictures of them once they are dried. I'm still trying to master a fleshing knife for beaver....lol.
I was embarrassed enough as it was to post those pics. I don't expect the dried pics will be any better. They're pretty slow to dry right now because my shop has been cold.

I spent some time sharpening my beaver knives last night. I hope the next one goes better.

I don't know if you'll be able to see in the pics but I used a set of Japanese water stones to sharpen my knives. 400, 1000, 5000, and 8000 grit. When the knife comes off the 5000 grit it's shaving sharp. When it comes off the 8000 grit it's even sharper still. The 8000 grit polishes the edge to a mirror finish.

I had thinned the blade on my skinner, put a bevel on it then it was polished with compound and a cloth wheel. It was very sharp but it's sharper using the stones.
Hopefully it works better fleshing. I'm kind of sounding like a golfer blaming the clubs but I really do think it's going to help lol.




Last edited by Tfng; 02-24-2016 at 12:56 PM.
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  #131  
Old 02-24-2016, 01:13 PM
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TFNG , you can also use a two handed fleshing knife , dull side , and fleshing beam to cl an the little stuff off pretty quickly . Keep up the good thread ,
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  #132  
Old 02-24-2016, 02:42 PM
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Knife must be incredibly sharp, AND more importantly incredibly thin at edge.
Your bevel looks way to steep on than knife IMO. The steel sharpening work is the key, folded edge up always. JAckie has a really good video up on youtube now showing his sharpening techniques. Was a game changer for me, you will not have any false cuts once your knife is done properly.

2 handed flesher sharp side always used on beaver, dull side in belly area only. If not it will take you an hour to flesh a beaver, an hour and a half for one with little to no fat.


Spruce
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  #133  
Old 02-24-2016, 02:53 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Spruce View Post
Knife must be incredibly sharp, AND more importantly incredibly thin at edge.
Your bevel looks way to steep on than knife IMO. The steel sharpening work is the key, folded edge up always. JAckie has a really good video up on youtube now showing his sharpening techniques. Was a game changer for me, you will not have any false cuts once your knife is done properly.

2 handed flesher sharp side always used on beaver, dull side in belly area only. If not it will take you an hour to flesh a beaver, an hour and a half for one with little to no fat.


Spruce
Thanks Spruce! Your advice mirrors exactly what someone else told me. The first knife is the one I use for fleshing and the second is a different knife. I had thinned the first knife at a friends place on his belt sander for knives, he's got lots of gear for sharpening knives. (low speed, took my time to avoid heat). When done before I knew it he had put a bevel back on it with a silicone wheel. I didn't have the heart to tell him he had undone what I had just tried to accomplish. Was I on the right track thinning the blade until the bevel was gone? I'll look for Jackies video, thanks.
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  #134  
Old 02-24-2016, 03:18 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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I think this might be Jackies video, sure sounds like him anyway. Turns out I was on the right track thinning the blade. It's a good video and worth watching!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=prUTUd9trmA

Why it's so easy to do a beaver.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NYQ-0BvAO_o

Thanks Spruce for the lead on those videos, I hadn't seen them, very helpful.

It looks like I'm back to square one with my knife.
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  #135  
Old 02-24-2016, 07:40 PM
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Most of Jackie's videos are on this Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdz2cpIJ3eY

He skins a coyote in something like 2 min, beaver in under 2 min, fleshed beaver in 3 min, etc.

He also fleshes an otter on his knee as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srKRgNAZFco
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  #136  
Old 02-24-2016, 08:17 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Well, today I connected with a small beaver with a feed pole set with two snares. My first under ice and my first with a snare. On Sunday one snare was pulled but today I caught one by the tail. Another first for me was a beaver pop up a hole that I had just cut and was prepping my set about 4 feet away. I never saw him but the splash of him going back down surprised me a bit....lol!

I put out 4 more sets today, an unbaited 330 in a H frame in a run, a 330 baited with a chunk of poplar between the bars in an H frame, and two 330's baited with poplar between the bars in the type of set in the video. On Friday I may try the same set with a baited trigger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsCz2pHpr_I

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  #137  
Old 02-24-2016, 08:45 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Right on Dave!
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  #138  
Old 02-24-2016, 10:41 PM
7mmstwguy 7mmstwguy is offline
 
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I caught 800 beavers last year, and wouldn't waste 5 minutes on using a snare anymore.
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  #139  
Old 02-24-2016, 11:03 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Originally Posted by 7mmstwguy View Post
I caught 800 beavers last year, and wouldn't waste 5 minutes on using a snare anymore.
What type of sets do you use under ice?
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  #140  
Old 02-25-2016, 02:08 AM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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??????
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  #141  
Old 02-25-2016, 09:14 AM
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TFNG,
I see the handle of a believe is an ice chisel in one picture. That loop on the top of the chisel is for a rope that you put around your wrist as you are chopping ice. You will save your self the price of a new chisel with that small piece of rope. I know as I planted a chisel one time in about 12 feet of water and could not hook it to get it back . Hope fully you are doing this already but not seeing a rope in the loop I thought that I would mention this. With the price of beaver one can't afford any extra costs. Trap safe around those lodges and good luck. This goes for any of our new under the ice beaver trappers as well.

.Good trapping TEH

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Picked this 62 pounder up in a snare today. He he was caught in two snares and was tangled on the bottom of the pole.

Enlarging the hole went fast and he was on the ice in no time. There was a muskrat in the teepee set in the entrance and the snares on the other pole had been pulled shut.

The other house I had a small beaver in the entrance. The snare pole was chewed off and two snares were pulled shut.
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  #142  
Old 02-25-2016, 09:23 AM
waterninja waterninja is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HunterDave View Post
Well, today I connected with a small beaver with a feed pole set with two snares. My first under ice and my first with a snare. On Sunday one snare was pulled but today I caught one by the tail. Another first for me was a beaver pop up a hole that I had just cut and was prepping my set about 4 feet away. I never saw him but the splash of him going back down surprised me a bit....lol!

I put out 4 more sets today, an unbaited 330 in a H frame in a run, a 330 baited with a chunk of poplar between the bars in an H frame, and two 330's baited with poplar between the bars in the type of set in the video. On Friday I may try the same set with a baited trigger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsCz2pHpr_I

Congrats on your first snared beaver, Dave.
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  #143  
Old 02-25-2016, 10:10 AM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Thunder Elk Hunter View Post
TFNG,
I see the handle of a believe is an ice chisel in one picture. That loop on the top of the chisel is for a rope that you put around your wrist as you are chopping ice. You will save your self the price of a new chisel with that small piece of rope. I know as I planted a chisel one time in about 12 feet of water and could not hook it to get it back . Hope fully you are doing this already but not seeing a rope in the loop I thought that I would mention this. With the price of beaver one can't afford any extra costs. Trap safe around those lodges and good luck. This goes for any of our new under the ice beaver trappers as well.

.Good trapping TEH
Thanks for looking out for me TEH. I do have a rope on that chisel, it was a very expensive chisel. If I remember correctly about $175 and I sure don't want to lose it. I removed the rope to tie to the leg of that big beaver so I could drag him around in the snow to dry him off without being stooped over. The rope is back on the chisel.

I remember as a kid chopping old holes open for ice fishing with dads axe, it went real good until I got to a fresher one and I threw his axe into a hundred feet of water the first swing. Sorry dad lol.

I posted a pic of this chisel last year but thought I would post another for guys to see. It's useless for chiseling thin ice when opening a hole to check, it just pokes holes in the ice. It really shines when enlarging holes or busting big blocks of ice it removes very large chunks of ice with each hit. It works best when there is a bit of a hole already so the ice has somewhere to expand into. I carry two chisels with me.


Last edited by Tfng; 02-25-2016 at 10:23 AM.
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  #144  
Old 02-25-2016, 12:35 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Beaver knife round 2

I don't have an upright variable speed belt sander or the type of grinder Jackie uses. The best thing I could come up with was my die grinder. I laid the knife flat on the bench and thinned the blade again. The die grinder works ok, it's infinitely variable so I could go slow. I think laying the knife on the bench also helped to pull the heat out of the blade. I've got lots of hours on that grinder so I'm used to it and my technique is good.




I followed that up with a few hours of grinding and polishing with my water stones. It took a long time but it's what I had to work with. I think it turned out decent.

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  #145  
Old 02-25-2016, 12:45 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunder Elk Hunter View Post
Trap safe around those lodges and good luck. This goes for any of our new under the ice beaver trappers as well.

.Good trapping TEH
Thanks for the reminder TEH. My next location is a dugout and this is a big concern of mine being that it's +20 feet deep. I'm going to be tying myself off with a length of rope to a tree on shore. Better safe than sorry.
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  #146  
Old 02-25-2016, 01:48 PM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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Holy creepers Dave tying yourself with a rope? for a $10.00 Beaver? LOL Yep I understand! I take those chances also although they aren,t worth it ! LOL But it,s trapping and that,s what counts !
You lose a lot of strength FAST when you suddenly fall into frozen water . I usually push a long stick or small tree about four inches across and ten feet long ahead of me , If I go through I have something to grab on to . Been there !
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  #147  
Old 02-25-2016, 01:53 PM
parfleche parfleche is offline
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I have been using a needle bar for years , The Icelanders on Lake Winnipeg In Manitoba Have used these for years . You never run out of gas , Rarely have to sharpen , Cuts ice fast , can make a small hole at the top and large at the bottom . I use this exclusively for Beaver trapping , Yes its hard but it never fails ! I make my own out of a Jackhammer bar , slow grind on three sides with water to keep from losing the hardness.
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  #148  
Old 02-25-2016, 02:16 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Dave I see your snares with Adams locks are built with single stops. Is the stop on the inside and ends up against the animal? How smooth are they when built like that?
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  #149  
Old 02-25-2016, 02:20 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Originally Posted by parfleche View Post
I have been using a needle bar for years , The Icelanders on Lake Winnipeg In Manitoba Have used these for years . You never run out of gas , Rarely have to sharpen , Cuts ice fast , can make a small hole at the top and large at the bottom . I use this exclusively for Beaver trapping , Yes its hard but it never fails ! I make my own out of a Jackhammer bar , slow grind on three sides with water to keep from losing the hardness.
That bar of mine came from Leckies lake fish net and twine out of Winnipeg. You use this exclusively as in only? No saw, no other bar? You're crazy Parfleche!

They do work great though!
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  #150  
Old 02-25-2016, 05:11 PM
7mmstwguy 7mmstwguy is offline
 
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I use 330's hanging off chains, hooked on the loops of the springs, I will also use 2x2's as well, in channels. Most of my beaver are caught once the ice is melting or starting to freeze.
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