I don't know if this will be helpful, but as I was getting things around for the drop off I thought I might take some pictures of finished fur so others can see how it should look (or at least how mine looks). Of course, I know I am not the end all, so I am open to critique.

Beaver:
Just boarded:

Finished drying and off the board:


You can see how I boarded it a bit too tight with the light spotting near the front legs. Better to board them loose, but I didn't feel like adjusting by the time I realized it was too tight.

Coyote:
Before the flip

Off the board



Some raccoons just boarded:

And off the boards


Opossum:

Finished



Skunk boarded:

Finished skunk:



Mink on the boards:

Finished male and female



Muskrats:

Some foxes too:




Think that is all the species I have around right now. Feel free to add your pictures on here too and comment on how you do yours, tips to do it better, you name it. Seems like there are always people asking questions about fur put-up...

Good post.If everyone handled their fur like that we would all get more money for our product.

Boco, I might not be the quickest or sharpest, but I try and do it right.

That overall is a nice looking group of pelts. You should be proud of your fur handling skills. Too bad the market is such that you aren't going to get rich from that collection.

Keep up the good work.

Wissmiss, I scaled way back this year and actually sold most everything green early. While I think it was the right choice (only time will tell) I felt quite guilty about not finishing it myself. I have always enjoyed handling the furs. It is too bad about the market, but at least well handled fur won't fail on the merits of it's own quality and will always rise above poorly handled skins. We all know you can't make a poor skin better, but you can make a quality skin poor.

Excellent work.

Thanks Beav, and all of you. Again, this is intended to help others out and not meant to be bragging or showing off or anything of the sort.

You would be justified if you wanted to brag a little fingertrapper. Because of photos like theses and reading Boco's and Beavs posts I have started putting more time into finishing fur. Thought I did a good job until I found this site. Be pround my friend.

Very Nice. So I have a question. I have an EXL beaver and got into a bit of a hurry 12/25 getting it fleshed out and cut a big ol hole just above the tale about 1.5 inches from the edge. I got mad at my self and put in the freezer. Wondering if I can/or should still flesh that chunk, it is still attached then attempt to sew up the hole. or just live with the mistake and cut it off.

Forgot to mention misswiss, When I'm scrolling through posts and see any of you three reply, I know it's worth the read.

Excellent fur handling. I tried to find some critique but to no avail. Like Boco said if all trappers could achieve that proficiency in fur handling it would make the collection of wild fur look a lot better for sure.

Janzman,I would flesh the pelt and board it with the hole,nail the hole closed when boarding,that way you shouldn't lose a size.
If you cut it off you could lose a size.

More: Excellent inspection windows. Your rats are nicely squared off with that extra pin to gain maximum size. Ears on fur out cartridge removed. Great shape to all pelts.

I would agree with Boco. If it were really close, like less than a half inch I would consider trimming it, and boarding it smaller. It also depends on how big the hole is. You might see from the one I showed it has some bite scars down by the tail. It will likely be downgraded for those, but I didn't trim it down because it would drop a size-or more. Like I mentioned earlier, they should be boarded relatively loose and sometimes a defect by the edge can be trimmed off without affecting the size. Boarding them loose makes the fur denser, resulting in a better grade which is much better to have than a larger size and lower grade.

Thank you Ron. I have been at it for only 8 years, but each year I pick up a few extra tricks that make it a little better and quicker. I just started with wood on the rats last year and don't think I'll go back to wire (unless it is modified). They look and feel so much thicker.

Thanks, Boarding it is. So another question. I get bank and lodge beaver here. the bank beaver are nice and clean, but the lodge beaver are covered with beaver beetles and matts in the hair. How do you get the matts out. I don't think I can comb them out.so CUT??

No don't cut,if you cant comb them out leave them..If you don't clean skin be careful fleshing if mats are present,you could nick a hole.

Roger that. leave them, use caution when fleshing, I don't clean skin, sometimes I skin in the field because I am back in quite a ways and they get heavy.

You might want to give clean skinning a try, even if it is back in the bush. I gave it a try recently and it wasn't much of a change for me. I often flesh beaver one handed with a curved knife so clean skinning was easier than I thought it would be. No sense in carrying any extra weight out at all. I am probably too young and foolish so I have areas where I walk back to ponds well over a mile and those beaver have always come out as skins only (unless I needed the meat for some reason).