Summer Beaver Pelts
 

Anyone skinning beaver this July? I’ve been catching a few but they are pretty rubbed up and don’t have a lot of underfur. Pretty flat actually. I’m thinking that the water that I’m trapping in has gotten too warm and I ought to start trapping something that’s glacier fed. Any leads would be appreciated. :)

I had no idea that summer beaver was a thing... that’s interesting actually.

Excuse me..?????

The old fur graders mentioned the term 'summer prime' or 'summer flat'. Usually graded as a grade IV, about the same quality and value on market as a tainted pelt. Not much value.

A summer pelt might (maybe not) be worth using for practice dehairing and tanning. Or maybe use by dehairing and cut as light rawhide cordage.

When I was trapping for the county I asked the fur buyer about summer pelts. He might have offered 50 cents to a buck for a XXL blanket.

Keep a few pelts frozen raw and drape them over a stump near a beaver creek in late October and squeal a bit... maybe a prime coyote will come into the fake beaver. :sHa_sarcasticlol:

I’ve been wondering if they’d be good for drums, I imagine they’re a bit thinner in the summer. My days of trapping are gone so I guess I’ll have to keep wondering.

Skin and stretch all my summer beaver. Last sale average was $18. Most of these hides will be used as felt to make cowboy hats. The more beaver hair used on a cowboy hate the more expensive the hat. Doesn’t matter condition of hide as they are going to remove all the hair from the hide and will be put into a big vat.

High elevation summer beaver are gonna be worth more than low elevation stuff.

Do keep sending the summer stuff to the sale!

:lol:

As a trapper I find it hard not to try and salvage all I can from the animals that give up their lives for us. If I can even add another 10 or $15 dollars to their value I’m going to do it.