Hi I just skined my first beaver the other day and I skined down the legs and I was wondering if thats ok because I looked at some pelts and it looked like they just cut around the feet and pulled them off and I was also wondering how to make them round and where can I buy one of those rings to stretch it or so I have to make one. Thanks
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If you are doing a flat hide, you should just encircle the leg when you skin it out. This way, you will have 4 leg holes in the hide when you are done. I'm not sure how you did the legs, but that is the correct way to skin a beaver for a flat hide. As far as stretching, you need to flesh it off first - have fun with that, and then you can tack it down on a sheet of plywood - skin up. Start at the nose and nail it there (12 o'clock). Then pull it down at the tail area, not too tight (6 o'clock). Then do the same thing on the sides, (3 o'clock and 9 o'clock). The width should be the same as the length. Then just start pulling and nailing the rest to get a circle. Fur trappers generally just let it air dry and then sell it. If you are going to tan it yourself, you could salt it to help the drying process, especially in this warmer weather.
Bruce Norton