My sister in Canada has prepared hides and furs for years using (mostly) old native techniques. She's done otter, beaver, made a 'coon skin cap for my son (which he subsequently managed to lose), and prepared lots of deer and elk hides to keep the kids busy when we'd come to visit. I don't think she has done that much tanning. Mostly it is a lot of work scraping and stretching the skin, and then working it by hand with an alternative softener to avoid exposure to brain tissue. If you don't want to remove the fur, be really careful about getting the skin wet and don't boil it unless you want the fur to come off in handfuls. I'll check with her and get back to you. I was talking to Randomshot about this at the banquet; good topic.