Spring Beaver

[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 hsolist, but I can't help but think you could get them tanned and make way more selling them on hsolist 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.

[HunterLee]

where do you take your furs??? I called my guy in fosston and he is giving 20, but thats for large unskinned. I should learn to dry and strech them for the extra $$$, but oh well, i dont do it for the money, its alot of fun besides.

[poutpro]

Got 2 small ones this past 2 days. We tried skinning the one and are going to try to sell the other. Set a stretch of river today that had 3 lodges on it, so hopefully will collect some tomorrow. How much does it cost to send in a beaver hide and get it tanned, and where do you guys send it to?

[Gissert]

I just brought by carcass to Runningens whole and let them skin, flesh and dry it. They send it somewhere in Canada, and you get is back in a few months. They cost about 40 bucks each last time I had it done.

They look pretty cool draped over the back of a couch.

[poutpro]

Yeah I have done a fox and a raccoon with him that way. Today we got 6 beaver in 10 traps floating the river, and tomorrow we will pull the rest of the traps and call it a season until next fall. The biggest caught was 50 lbs 6 oz. We brought the 6 beaver to Dusty at The Fur Shed, and only averaged just under $10.

[Shoot2Kill]

Quote:

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where do you take your furs??? I called my guy in fosston and he is giving 20, but thats for large unskinned. I should learn to dry and strech them for the extra $$$, but oh well, i dont do it for the money, its alot of fun besides.

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I completely skin and flesh them just like I do all my deer capes and take them in with a load to the tannery in Rice (not to sell them). I've never taken a beaver hide in there but a deer backskin is about 30 bucks to have tanned so I'm guessing beavers are close to the same. I think it's totally worth it...those beavers hides from a commercial tannery are absolutely beautiful. They are great for putting on a small table, top of a book case, on the back of a recliner in your man room, etc..just about anywhere. I like to display my sheds on them. Good luck to you guys still at it - I think I'm going to pull mine this week...turkey season is soon for me!

[Gissert]

Congratulations! You had a very good spring season. I am glad to see your trapping efforts come together with some fur in the shed.

[poutpro]

Went to pull the traps today and call it a season. We ended up with 4 more beavers all 1 and 2 year olds.

[Shoot2Kill]

Dang! You're a beaver catching machine! Congrats man!

[poutpro]

Here are a few that I got this Spring.

These are 5 of the 6 that we got one day. We lost one because we swamped the boat trying to get out in the fast current. Luckily that is all we lost.

45, 46, and 22 lbs

45 lber from same spot as the 3 above

25 lber from a small creek

another one from the same spot as the one above, 22 lbs.

I didn't get a pic of the last 4 that we caught because I just plain forgot.

Does anyone know if any of the counties have bounties on beaver caught in them?

[HunterLee]

to get the bounty you have to get a hold of the dnr and get the permits and then if you get the ok, then you call the county and see if they have any problem beavers. It's not the free for all like it was a few years ago. I got 5 beavers today, 2 big and 3 small/med. Going to give it til next wed. So far i have gotten 15.

[slabslayer28]

i turned in 4 beavers on monday got 47$ for em. i had 2 large an xtra large and a blanket we figured 20 for the blanket 13 for the xtra large and 7 per large... still alot of beavers out there though

[poutpro]

There is always a lot of beaver around, its just that now I'd rather leave the spots that I can do good in for fall when they are worth a little more.

[HunterLee]

Finished up my line this last week, ended with 51, also have a few problems to get rid of so it might grow. Got a $12 average for them. Now its time for the gophers.

[poutpro]

Good season. I'd like to see some pics of catches and sets.