# Beaver



## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

I was just looking at the guy who posted the pics of the 40lb nuisance beaver. It reminded me of the time when got my hands on some beaver, only to be disappointed in the end. I ran into a local up north that introduced me to beaver as something you can eat. He swore beaver was one of the best things he's ever tasted (of course he had half of his teeth as well). "Beaver!" I said. Yep. So, my dad owned a sporting goods store in Traverse City at the time and he traded something (I can't remember what) to the trapper for the beaver. The guy had already cleaned it and I took it back to our cabin and put it in the freezer. We were going to eat it next time we came up north as this was near the end of our visit.

Well, we went back up later that month and when I walked into the cabin I noticed the clocks blinking the wrong time and I thought "crap, the power went out." So, I went downstairs to the chest freezer, opened it up and smelt what was presumably rotten beaver. There was that gooey gelatinous bloody liquid coming out of the freezer paper and I new the beaver had spoiled. I was really bummed and I have yet to get a chance to find some or taste any. That was probably 12-14 years ago.

This picture peeked my interest in beaver again. So, has anybody eaten it? Is it good? Does anyone know where I might find some (and don't say the Bar, be serious)? Is there such a thing as farm raised beaver, or would I have to find a trapper? The guy I got it from said it was best roasted, is that true?

In all seriousness, I am having a bizarre foods type cookout later this summer and I would like to try to serve some beaver. Is it worth it?


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I have been eating it for ever since I started trapping beaver over 30 years ago.

The loins are terrific on the grill. I generally par boil them in baking soda water as it helps get the blood out as a beaver does not bleed out because they drown. Of course the smaller ones are better.

There were years I grilled over 10 lbs of loins at the SMTA conventions for a potluck.

The legs go into stew. 

Both of my sons main dish at there graduation partys was beaver stew. The principals wife was at one and claimed that I was serving beef stew. I had to take her to the garbage can to show here the bones before she would believe it was beaver not beef LOL.

I am glad that I see the beaver trappers the last few years have started to realize what fine eating they have been letting go to waste


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

Cool. Thanks for the info. I would have never thought about how it doesn't get the chance to bleed out. But that makes sense. So then if I want the meat, I need to find a trapper? I don't know any...


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

zig said:


> I was just looking at the guy who posted the pics of the 40lb nuisance beaver. It reminded me of the time when got my hands on some beaver, only to be disappointed in the end. I ran into a local up north that introduced me to beaver as something you can eat. He swore beaver was one of the best things he's ever tasted (of course he had half of his teeth as well). "Beaver!" I said. Yep. So, my dad owned a sporting goods store in Traverse City at the time and he traded something (I can't remember what) to the trapper for the beaver. The guy had already cleaned it and I took it back to our cabin and put it in the freezer. We were going to eat it next time we came up north as this was near the end of our visit.
> 
> Well, we went back up later that month and when I walked into the cabin I noticed the clocks blinking the wrong time and I thought "crap, the power went out." So, I went downstairs to the chest freezer, opened it up and smelt what was presumably rotten beaver. There was that gooey gelatinous bloody liquid coming out of the freezer paper and I new the beaver had spoiled. I was really bummed and I have yet to get a chance to find some or taste any. That was probably 12-14 years ago.
> 
> ...


This thread has all the ingredients to get me banned...


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## Anita Dwink (Apr 14, 2004)

William H Bonney said:


> This thread has all the ingredients to get me banned...


My thoughts exactly. Just like leaving a pie on the sill to cool . Too easy and no good would come from it.


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## Bomba (Jul 26, 2005)

William H Bonney said:


> This thread has all the ingredients to get me banned...


"ever seen a grown man eat beaver?.........":lol:


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## Gill'in time (Apr 20, 2012)

Bomba said:


> "ever seen a grown man eat beaver?.........":lol:


And their it goes!


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## Dantana (Dec 3, 2009)

Beavers are like Ninjas, they're hard to find and they only come out at night.


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