Beaver Tail Grips??

[msmith2]

I have trapped a few beavers over the past few weeks. I skinned, fleshed and soaked the tails in salt water then in a Borax and water mix to try and limit the grease and fat. I would like to make a bow grip if possible.

Has anyone ever made a bow grip out of a fresh beaver tail? Would a snake skin tanning process be a good idea??

I appreciate any suggestions.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have on my self bow's. They are nice in the hand, and classy. Mine was just fleshed, scraped clean and air dried, no tanning. I will tell you this, they don't stretch much at all. I generally make a bulbous grip on most of my bows and I can get just enough stretch to get the seams to meet flush in front. Id suggest gluing a narrow strip of leather on the inside where your holes get punched out, the tail alone will rip out very easily.

[j.j.johnston]

As long as the fat and grease are removed, it should glue to the riser well.  Put it on when wet, wrap a paper towel around it and roll a rubber roll on grip or piece of bicycle tube over it to get it to form exactly to the contours.  After it dries you can trim it to the exact size and lace it up.  If it is dry when you lace it, it should not tear out at the holes.

[msmith2]

Thank you for the feedback! I am excited to see how they turn out.

[Todd Cook]

Maybe Big Jim will chime in. He uses them a lot on his bows.

[BigJim]

Green tails don't look or feel nearly as nice as tanned tails. Plus, the green ones will still have all the scales on them...at least for a little while. If you have a nice bow, put a nice tail on it. I will buy or trade you tanned tails for green ones. The value of a green tail depends on what you have done to it and size.

This goes for anyone.

They can be a little tricky to install, especially if they aren't done rite. No, they are not very pliable and if they aren't skived down thin enough, they won't work for anything curvier than a straight grip.
I have installed beaver tails on some of the craziest recurve grips and thousands on longbows. There is certainly a learning curve, but they are worth all the fuss. Won't tear nearly as easy if they are tanned.
thanks, bigjim

[BigJim]

Green tails don't look or feel nearly as nice as tanned tails. Plus, the greens ones will still have all the scales on them...at least for a little while. If you have a nice bow, put a nice tail on it. I will buy or trade you tanned tails for green ones. The value of a green tail depends on what you have done to it and size.

This goes for anyone.

They can be a little tricky to install, especially if they aren't done rite. No, they are not very pliable and if they aren't skived down thin enough, they won't work for anything curvier than a straight grip.
I have installed beaver tails on some of the craziest recurve grips and thousands on longbows. There is certainly a learning curve, but they are worth all the fuss. Won't tear nearly as easy if they are tanned.
thanks, bigjim