Page 163 - The Lost Ways

Now you need to start breaking your hide. Each day, knead it together like bread. Rotate
it in a circle, and knead it from every direction. This is how you end up with a nice, soft
hide instead of something that feels like a board. When the hide is fully dry and not cool
to the touch, then you are finished with that hide.

Selling at the Trading Post

The trader is going to do his best to buy your furs cheap. That’s his job, so don’t take
offense at it. Your beaver will have reached his fur peak between December and March,
so if you trapped during those times, you’ll have a good shot at a decent-priced pelt.

Blow on the fur in one direction, and you’ll see that there is what’s called under-fur. To
be a prime fur, this should be between 0.8"–1.2" long in the kidney area of the beaver.
The guard hairs (the longer outer hairs) should be between 2"–2.4" long.

Then, of course, you’ll have all the normal sundries of him saying, “Well, the hide’s nicked

here,” or “The split line on your skinning was off, so it’s not symmetrical,” or other such
things so he can barter you down. Like I said, this is normal, and your job is to refute his
claims of course.

And There You Have It

Now you can trap for beaver and muskrat just like our forefathers did.

These are much the same methods they used with the exception that a small number of
trappers used brain tanning methods. Most of those furs could not be sold to the
European markets because the smell was considered unsavory, so the practice of brain
tanning died out.

Follow all the above and you’ll be a successful trapper in no time.

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