Beaver stretchers

[6tmile]

Boards or wire hoops? Pros and cons please!

[Okotokian]

Oh god, I hope the Mods are well-rested after the weekend...

[Hogie135]

I see where this is going. Don't you hate it when you have a good joke all lined up but can't use it because it may be a tad inappropriate for this forum.

[6tmile]

And two of AO's "finest" woke up well rested from another weekend I see. You guys should get out more.

[Hogie135]

Originally Posted by 6tmile

And two of AO's "finest" woke up well rested from another weekend I see. You guys should get out more.

I really should get out more. I'm at home with kids today though so I have time to post on funny named threads. Come on man admit it, you could have worded your title a little differently if you didn't want jokes made. Lol.

[braggadoe]

transporting a stack of beaver boards(plywood) into the bush, would be a downfall, and hoops might be a better choice. that would be the only time hoops would be better than boards that i can think of.

boards are the way to go.

[6tmile]

Originally Posted by braggadoe

transporting a stack of beaver boards(plywood) into the bush, would be a downfall, and hoops might be a better choice. that would be the only time hoops would be better than boards that i can think of.

boards are the way to go.

Thanks for the info, I will be trapping from home. I just got permission on 8 adjoining quarters of land to trap beaver, rats and any other fur bearing critters that i can. All the paper work is done, now for the fun stuff.

[flyguyd]

Originally Posted by 6tmile

Thanks for the info, I will be trapping from home. I just got permission on 8 adjoining quarters of land to trap beaver, rats and any other fur bearing critters that i can. All the paper work is done, now for the fun stuff.

After skinning, fleshing and stretching 6 or 7 beaver in an evening, you may not think its so much fun

LOL

I know i didnt

[KegRiver]

I use boards but I believe hoops do a better job.

Boards don't allow the hid to shrink properly so one gets hides that don't lie flat as they should or hides with the edges torn. Boards also don't allow free air movement and they cause the fur to look thin because it died flattened against the board.

Hoops have none of those issues, but the ones I'm familiar with have their own issues. Most notably, they take some skill to use properly and it takes a fair bit of time to stitch the hide in.

I've never used wire hoops. We always make our own hoops from Willow canes. I find Sandbar Willows to make the best hoops.
They are the straightest and thinnest, relative to length.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by 6tmile

And two of AO's "finest" woke up well rested from another weekend I see. You guys should get out more.

Probably wishing thay had what it takes to streach one LOL.
Not that I do either IMO.

[winmag]

here is how my honey did it, cheap plywood 4x8 cut in half good for 4 x large beaver or 8 small mix and match, wife used electric stapler 3/8" staples, they were skinned clean to start with. a sharp knife and the right table height are a must
hang up onto board staple starting at nose then one at each front arm ( lightly stretched or the fur gets too thin a lot of people over stretch learned from best Ken B.) then back legs same as front. Next the tail end then lightly stretch and fill in spaces with staples aprox 1/2 inch apart.Trim or scrape any fat or meat off around leg holes etc. Then staple leg holes closed neatly.Flesh nose and whisker cheeks and trim as needed they measure from the eyes down.Then lean boards together tepee style and put an oscillating fan on them and they'll dry in no time. wipe grease as it appears Take a screwdriver and bend top 2" slightly, this is used to remove the staples when beavers are dry. pull staples and a brisk brushing and ready to go
P.s. When my wife skinned them, she didn't cut the feet off, just cut around the feet and tail with sharp knife before she split them up the belly.