Spring Beaver

[poutpro]

Anyone been out hitting up the open sloughs or rivers? I saw a couple beaver in the river last weekend, so I am going to get out after this on saturday.

[gorrilla]

I haven't checked lately, how long is it open and what condition are the furs in? As long as I'm asking, what could I expect to get for a decent spring fur this year?

[protrapper]

15 bucks green skun if your lucky 5 bucks less or more whole. Market is really weak.

[Gissert]

You're not gonna get a whole lot for them right now. If you can find some places that hare having damage issues, work those. It may get you some hunting permission come fall.

[poutpro]

Its just fun to get out and trap beaver in open water and in decent weather.

[HunterLee]

I got 20 for large 10 med and 5 for small, that was in the round, and green skun. They give you the same for either or where i go i skin them for freezer space, i have got 5 this spring, but there is to much ice, next week is when i plan on running the river with the canoe, so hope i get a few. They should start to go nuts soon just need the rain to go away.

[HunterLee]

You can trap til may 15th i believe, but i only go for couple weeks after it thaws, or until i notice they are getting scrubby or bite up from fighting.

[poutpro]

Got one small one this weekend around the outside of a slough. I haven't brought it in, so I don't know how much it is worth yet.

[Shoot2Kill]

Put in 5 traps on Sunday - managed to pull 2 out on Monday. One 56 pounder and one 40.

15 bucks is it? Dang, guess these will go to the tannery!

[poutpro]

What kind of a set did you get them in?

[xHCxOutdoorsman]

how long does spring bever go i havnt tried but i might last time i caught a beaver i hit the glad when i was skinning it, it was rank i havnt touched the knife since

[Shoot2Kill]

Quote:

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What kind of a set did you get them in?

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The big one was in a 330 (on his head still - the setters were 200 yards away at my wheeler (I won't forget those again!) and the 40 pounder was in a waterset snare. The sets were about 20 feet apart. Haven't caught anything the past two nights - water was frozen today when I checked them. What happened to spring!

[wh1stler]

What do you guys do with the beaver carcasses? I've heard of people eating beaver tail, but it doesn't sound common (or pleasant, for that matter). Does anybody bone them out for use as bear bait?

Wh1stler

[Shoot2Kill]

I'm keeping mine for bear bait for the fall. Not sure I'd like to eat beaver tail either. I have heard that the beaver meat isn't too bad though! Havne't tried it yet, but maybe on the next one I will BBQ him up.

[The Grebe]

It isn't bad at all! It has been quite awhile since I have had it, as I haven't trapped for over 10 years now. I like the beaver meat better then venison.

I've had it roasted and I've had it in a stew and man, it was good! My squimish older sister couldn't resist the aroma of the stew and asked for a "Tiny little spoon full!"

She wound up eating about as much as I did!

It's a pretty lean meat for the most part, but you have to make sure that you get any of the fatty, surface junk off of it.

No big deal, you wouldn't want to cook a piece of venison without trimming off the tallow and stuff, same with the beaver, no tallow, but a little fat here and there.

[sachem longrifle]

Quote:

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It isn't bad at all! It has been quite awhile since I have had it, as I haven't trapped for over 10 years now. I like the beaver meat better then venison.

I've had it roasted and I've had it in a stew and man, it was good! My squimish older sister couldn't resist the aroma of the stew and asked for a "Tiny little spoon full!"

She wound up eating about as much as I did!

It's a pretty lean meat for the most part, but you have to make sure that you get any of the fatty, surface junk off of it.

No big deal, you wouldn't want to cook a piece of venison without trimming off the tallow and stuff, same with the beaver, no tallow, but a little fat here and there.

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I tried it once when I was a kid. We trapped a small beaver and a book on beaver trapping I had at the time had recipes. It was pretty good

[wh1stler]

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[xHCxOutdoorsman]

i freeze the carcas and the bears love them its prolly one of the best baits i have ever had i you want to get rid of them i will take them

[Hoytmystic]

It is illegal to use beaver for bear bait.

Kyle

[xHCxOutdoorsman]

IS it really i thought that you could because you can use old meat from a butcher and if you trap and dont eat it then i goes to waste ?? thats not right

[fishermann222]

Taken from the state regs:

The following materials may not be used as baits for bear.

a) A carcass from a mammal containing more than 25 percent of the intact carcass.

Meat from mammals that contains bones.

c) Bones of mammals.

d) Solid waste containing bottles, cans, plastic, paper, or metal.

e) Materials that are not readily biodegradable.

f) Any part of a swine, except cured pork.

[xHCxOutdoorsman]

thanks i knew you could use some of it and i have bear hunted every year that i have been able to hunt and i trapped some beaver and used only part of the carcass and i wouldnt have if using it was illegal thanks for the input

[Shoot2Kill]

Quote:

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Taken from the state regs:

The following materials may not be used as baits for bear.

a) A carcass from a mammal containing more than 25 percent of the intact carcass.

Meat from mammals that contains bones.

c) Bones of mammals.

d) Solid waste containing bottles, cans, plastic, paper, or metal.

e) Materials that are not readily biodegradable.

f) Any part of a swine, except cured pork.

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I've talked to quite a few guys, and read on this forum that de-boned beaver meat is the best bait you can use here in MN. Key words - "de-boned", problem solved.

[poutpro]

I got 4 beaver this weekend 22, 44, 45, and 46 lbs.

[poutpro]

Once they start making castor mounds, are their pelts pretty much worthless?

[HunterLee]

I have been running the river here the last 4 days. Got 4 today, 2, and 3. 6 have been over 45lbs, and two med, and a runt. Fur looks good so far. I don't see why the fur would be bad when they start to make mounds, they started to push up a few on the river, but thats it. As long as it looks good and they are not a beat up i would stay trapping. Most have came on some sort of mound set, few blind sets. Good luck.

[Gissert]

I've noticed pelts getting nicked up to more coincidental with when the majority of the ice is gone. The late ice is keeping a lot of travel down yet. Once the ice is gone, the two year olds get dispersed, and go looking for new territories. That is when I think a lot of the pelt damage starts to happen - fights, etc.

This is usually when you see a lot of mounds being made, too.

[poutpro]

A buddy and I caught one more little 25 lber today. The last 45 lber we brought to sell only sold for $10 because it was started to get chewed. Looks like its pretty much over. If I can find my usb cord for my camera, I will try to get some pics up.

[Shoot2Kill]

Do you guys really sell them for 10-15 bucks? Is it even worth it? I'm just keeping mine and having them all tanned with the low prices like this. Not that I'm in it to sell them on ebay, but I can't help but think you could get them tanned and make way more selling them on ebay than selling them to a fur buyer right now. Maybe when I have a stack of tanned hides I'll try it and see what they bring. Maybe I'm way off.

[Gissert]

That might work. I have several late and early season hides that I had tanned. The cost me about 40 bucks each to get tanned. I need 3-4 more and they will be going to USE Foxx in Duluth and I will have a bedspread made out of them.