# Eating furbearers recommendations



## aandersen (Jun 1, 2015)

What are your recommendations for safe handling of furbearers for the table? Last year I ate beaver and was really impressed with the similarity to beef. Are there certain animals you won’t eat and tips and tricks you’d recommend for making them edible? Also curious to hear your thoughts on when an animal in a body grip trap is unsafe to eat (time in trap and temp outside). Just a newer trapper looking for the advice of the more experienced. Thanks in advance and I hope to see some of you at convention this weekend


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## MIfishslayer91 (Dec 24, 2013)

Generally critters you trap that are strictly plant eaters (muskrats, beavers, woodchucks, etc.) are safe to cook anyway you like em. Predators and scavengers (yotes, fox, *****, etc.) need to be cooked WELL done or you can have a good chance of contracting trichinosis (WORMS!). As far as how long an animal will stay good in a conibear trap I cant tell you. When I run conibears they are always submerged in icy cold water and checked daily, the meats always in good edible condition. Also make sure to always carefully remove the glands from beavers, minks, skunks, etc. or you can really taint your meat.


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

As above noted any animal submerged in 'winter' will probably be refigerated more than in your kitchen refrigerator.

Eat muskrat and beaver. Both very 'clean' animals-cleaner than chicken by far.


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## Spartan88 (Nov 14, 2008)

Muskrat smells like a jock strap left marinating in a locker all baseball season. I'm sure someone has a good recipe but I'm passing.


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## 9 (Jan 17, 2000)

Spartan88 said:


> Muskrat smells like a jock strap left marinating in a locker all baseball season. I'm sure someone has a good recipe but I'm passing.


Muskrat is a mild,dark, rich meat that can be used in any squirrel or rabbit recipe, great in a stroganoff recipe. I only use the hind-quarters and loins. BTW, no hair or shot to pick!


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## piscatorial warrior (Sep 14, 2011)

Mmmmmm. Beaver Stew.


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## Urriah (Jul 26, 2013)

I do not eat raccoon. But my whole family enjoys muskrat and beaver. My folks (who are some of the most diehard hunters I know) can't tell the difference between pan fried rat and pan fried venison in a blind test, for what that's worth.


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## fishnpbr (Dec 2, 2007)

I like to eat beaver, preferably with a good Brazilian wax


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## Mike da Carpenter (Nov 26, 2017)

There is just something about an aquatic rodent that I just can’t bring myself to indulge in.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Spartan88 said:


> Muskrat smells like a jock strap left marinating in a locker all baseball season. I'm sure someone has a good recipe but I'm passing.


I attempted to eat a muskrat stew at a wild game dinner. Somehow I managed to scoop out the skull! I never did take a bite.


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## Tron322 (Oct 29, 2011)

Beaver thigh in a slow cooker is all my family have tried.

Thought about muskrat hindquarters and bobcat backstraps last year but passed, needed to use the muskrat for mink bait and when we were done skinning the bobcats we caught trying to get the backstraps out was just not that appealing.


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## aandersen (Jun 1, 2015)

fishnpbr said:


> I like to eat beaver, preferably with a good Brazilian wax


Someone was bound to make the joke. Hats off to you sir for good humor


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## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

I've fixed muskrat like pulled pork sliders and it turned out well. Had to do a lot to the meat beforehand. Beaver is always on the menu. I have recipes for grinner and trash pandas but haven't gotten the urge to attempt .


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## Mole Hill (Jul 15, 2020)




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## Mike da Carpenter (Nov 26, 2017)

My boys and I were on the verge of trying beaver, but common sense took over and they decided to just learn to skin and tan the hide instead. Honestly, we were going to attempt it, but just looking at it laying there on the island…nope, not happening,


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## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Beaver stew is excellent, or fried backstrap is as good as any venison. Amazes me that people can eat chicken, something that scratches in it own poop, or pork an animal that eats anything. The main thing is use a clean knife, when processing, you don't want to use the same knife used for skinning. I would not hesitate to process a beaver that has been in the winter water for 24 hours.


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## micooner (Dec 20, 2003)

Spartan88 said:


> Muskrat smells like a jock strap left marinating in a locker all baseball season. I'm sure someone has a good recipe but I'm passing.


Had a buddy bake about 20 rats in creme of mushroom. Placed the pan out at lunch at the local flat rock ford plant. By 2nd break nothing left but some shiny bones. Lol


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## jrose (Aug 17, 2011)

Mike da Carpenter said:


> My boys and I were on the verge of trying beaver, but common sense took over and they decided to just learn to skin and tan the hide instead. Honestly, we were going to attempt it, but just looking at it laying there on the island…nope, not happening,
> 
> View attachment 782415


Tasty!


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## shaffe48b (Oct 22, 2019)

I ate the beaver and muskrat just took the legs off though wasn't worried about being as thorough as with the dedicated meat animals.

The otter and raccoon have worms in their joints and I know humans can at least get some form of these.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

No beaver meat went to waste when I was still able to trap them. I kept most of the loins for the SMTA convention. I would parboil them with baking soda in the water as it would take most of the blood out of them. Then I would grill them on Saturday night at the convention. At times between my son and I, we would grill close to 10 lbs of loin. One time I saw a freezer bag on the cooler. I opened it and saw that it had small loins in it. My son had saved them for himself as they were the best eating. I had no problem with it as he had done most of the grilling.

One night when I was skinning my son asked me to do the two kits first as he wanted to make homemade BBQ sauce for them. I usually left the small ones for last as they were easier to skin but he won out. When I got done skinning and went in the house the cupboard was covered with different seasonings. The BBQ sauce was great. He could never duplicate the sauce. When we were eating salad one night I figured out the secret ingredient. He had put Western Dressing in the BBQ sauce.

Beaver stew was the main dish at both of my son's Graduation Parties. At one of the parties the Principals wife said it was just beef stew. I took her to the garbage can. I asked her if those looked like beef bones.

I made rat-**** stew for wild game dinners a couple of times. At one of the parties, a woman went wild eating the stew. Her father had been a fur buyer and had not had any rat in years. She got what little leftovers there were to take home.


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