Beavers

Magicman · July 07, 2015, 04:14:47 PM

Our county has discontinued it's beaver control program, so understandably our beaver population is up again. Building dams, raising babies, and gnawing trees.

Thankfully so far they are favoring Sweetgum trees, and only gnawing the bark away.

SwampDonkey · July 07, 2015, 05:36:49 PM

Yeah, they seem to go for the aspens up here. But one time I left some nice sugar maples along a stream bank. They were not at the edge of the stream but up a small bank. I had thinned around them with the saw. But the beavers liked them too I guess, after having cut and lodged some nice 10" large tooth aspen I would have liked to have around as well. :

:D

They flooded out 25 acres of woods along a stream on part of dad's farm. I had measured it one winter when it was easier walking on ice and crust.

The stream I have was actually none existent before the woods was harvested. The beavers had a hand in raising the water table. It was a stand of cedar and black ash in there.

WDH · July 07, 2015, 09:15:00 PM

They love sweetgum on my place, too.

gfadvm · July 07, 2015, 09:33:59 PM

They killed all the Aus trees I had planted around my ponds. I never see them during the day and they're hard to shoot at night :(

WV Sawmiller · July 08, 2015, 06:47:08 PM

MM,

Not sure if they have a beaver control program in Fla where Mom lives now or not. Several years ago she was doing a running battle with them. Road department had cleared an area for runoff where a little wet water branch came under Hwy 29 at her house. The beavers dammed it up and made a pretty nice little pond. She piddled around it with her flowers and trees all the time. She'd clear the briars and honeysuckle around a little bay or maple she wanted to display and save and come back next morning to a pencil shaped stump and a taller dam. I'd egg it on telling her I was rooting for the beavers. She had several of my derelict relatives trying to kill them with no luck. I think the State finally hired a trapper and he caught 4 or 5 out of there and collected $75 each for them.

We have them up here but they don't do any damage I know of. Hope they don't cause you too much trouble.

coxy · July 08, 2015, 09:30:24 PM

they are good eating ;D

WV Sawmiller · July 08, 2015, 09:46:58 PM

I have eaten them and are good when properly prepared. Aramdillo is also pretty good when fixed right.

Beaver are the hardest animal I ever skinned. The skin did not separate from the flesh anywhere. Maybe there is another technique I am missing like blowing air under the skin or such.

(Also if you ever skin an otter don't jerk the hide around the tail and squirt the scent glad contents down the side of your face. If you do all kind of animals in the woods will try to get real cozy with you for next few weeks. Don't ask me how I know.)