Wolven

How do you skin a groundhog or a beaver on a flat surface without hanging it up by the legs?
(A beaver in such a way that I can save and tan the tail skin as well as the rest, if possible.)
(Yes, I'm tanning groundhogs. I know no one does but I'm at least gonna try.)

Thanks,
Wolven

Oldtimr

You haven't lived until you skin a beaver. They are very difficult to skin and you do not case a beaver you skin it so it can be stretched round. In order to leave the tail attached you would have to open it up for the length on the underside and then skin out the meat inside. I recommend you find a trapper and watch them skin some beavers and take some instruction before you do it. Many trappers do not skin their beavers, they sell them on the round because it is a lot of work and the buyers would rather by hides that are not full of holes. What state are you going to be hunting in?

Wolven

I'd rather not disclose my state. However, I was planning to skin it much like a groundhog.
Is there a reason I can't skin it and break it like a coon or fox or something?

Oldtimr

regardless of what state you are in, it would be in your best interest to find out whether it is legal to shoot beavers and if you need a furtakers license to take them.

Wolven

Where I live, landowners can shoot beavers without a license only on their land and on other land with legal permission.

Nomercy448

Beaver aren't typically skinned hanging by their legs. I've never done so, ever, in a couple hundred beaver sold in my life, never met a furharvester worth his salt who did.

Beavers are skinned to be sold "in the round." Tails don't bring more value. If you're planning to taxidermy your kills, or have them done, then the skinning should be done appropriately to suit your plans - which is NOTHING LIKE how a beaver should be skinned for fur trade. For taxidermy purposes, I do a little different casing style, so my only major "seam" will be in between the back legs. If you're doing "beaver on a log" mount, this would be appropriate. If you're doing a more stylish "beaver diving under the dam" mount, then a more traditional case location or even on the topside of the tail might make more sense (depending upon how you're mounting it to the environmental).

If you're selling into fur trade, then the Beavers need to be in the round or whole. A fur buyer may not even accept a "ruined" beaver which was cased. Ground hogs shouldn't be skinned at all, in my opinion, just not worth the time and effort - unless you have a buyer who has some specialty market for them and pays a premium - but groundhogs are sold cased, like coons.

So these two species which you've asked about in this thread are skinned VERY differently.

Nomercy448

You CAN round a beaver leaving the tail in place. If you want a wall hanging, do so. Board it in the round, leave the tail in place. It'll have to be split and tanned as well, then you'll want to add a leather backing roll the tail around the backing, and tack then trim.