first beaver tail...using the real tail..no repro

I would slipcast it.

 

Remove the tail with the skin. On the underside of the tail, make an incision down the center on the indented line of the tail. Carefully lift the skin and with a very sharp scalpel, start skinning towards the edge. When you get about a half inch from the edge, CAREFULLY cut down through the soft tissue to the top side of the tail. Carefull skin the top off by lifting the tissue as you cut. Once you have it freed, go back to the skin and remove the tail and discard. Now comes the tricky part. That half inch you left around the edges has to come out and it's tedious work but can be done. Once done, you can tan the tail along with the hide. I've had them commercially done this way. When I mount the beaver, I take a 10 gauge wire and make a "U". I insert the wires into the foam body and with either clay (cheaper) or Apoxie Sculpt, I begin sewing up the tail from the tip end. That allows me to pack the tail as I move towards the body and shape it to the contours desired. You could use foam but it's rather messy or you could carve one FROM foam, but I've always used clay.