Beaver damage

[chain]

Woodland and crop damages from beaver activiites are a annual problem here. We try to trap- out each winter most beaver but our property is soon replenished by feeder streams and other nearby lakes and ponds with excellent beaver habitat. Anyone else deal with this problem?

[isawlogs]

  Yes, I deal with it every year with my .22, the trapping thing got old real quick and having the two labs with me all  the time makes for trapping an issue.
  I have the .22 on the bike all the time in the spring and any beaver activity near any field is quickly dealt with. I sometimes take the old Win. with me , keeps the inner side of the barrel nice and shiny after a few rounds have gone out towards them critters.

[Magicman]

Yup, we have a "Beaver" trapping program through our Soil and Water Conservation folks.  They put me in touch with a local trapper that is glad to rid me of the pests.

[chain]

Sort of a complex problem whereas, we have the USDA privately-held Wetands programs with thousands of acres, then, thousands of acres of State owned wetlands..special-use, not much trapping allowed. Some of these are 30 year lease, some of these lands with, out of state Landowners, lots of beaver coming out of these areas. Also river otter beginning to take their toll on our fisheries, both private and public areas. We tried the USDA trapping service but, and that's a big BUT, all info becomes public record, there are forms and letters, and signatures. I'll try to kill 'em off my way.

[Glenn]

I've delt with beaver problems for years.  Shooting is not the answer because you only get them while you are there, but of course shoot one if you see it.  When you trap you are working 24/7 on the problem.  Hiring trappers don't work either as they  stop trapping way before the problem is solved.  The way to solve it is to treat the beaver like the nuisance it is.  If you are experiencing beaver caused problems in ontario you can get permission to get rid of the problem.  And don't stop when you think its over because there will be more.  Wolves do a good job cleaning up the beavers too.

[pineywoods]

A 10 ft gator will take care of the beavers.   Only 2 problems, they don't like ice and they do like dogs..especially small yappy ones.

[Mark K]

We fight them every couple of years. Stream behind house has a lot of poplar on its banks. Beavers love poplar for some reason. I have a neighbor that traps, if they don't work I pull a couple of sticks to cause a leak. Just sit there with my .22 and wait for em to show up.

[Magicman]

My trapper friend caught a female last year on my place that weighed 49 pounds.  He said that she was the largest that he had ever seen.  He tried to make her go 50, but it was 49.  He said that was one hide that he was keeping for himself.

[Coon]

We like to discourage the beaver with a combination of lead and DYNAMITE.  Have you ever seen flying beaver.... I have.  :D  Best place to get the beavers are the house and the dam.  First we blow the house up then the dam.... then sit and wait for any missed intruders and fill em full of lead.  We haven't been skinning out any lately due to no sales for the pelts.  All the fur buyers are being very picky on what they are buying cuz they have no sale for em.  Most of the carcasses are usually used for bear bait or fed to the yotes and wolves.

Brad.

[chain]

We took eleven beaver out, Nov15 '09 to Jan. 1, '10, average that about each fall. Trapper takes the castor glands, more value than pelts. Today, they've built back their dams, cutting willow and cottonwoods down again. Thye've even whittled on a utility pole by their lodge, to grind down their teeth, I'm guessing! I'll pass on the nitro, don't like gov't intervention. Persisitence is the key, like Glenn suggested..then..there's the 'gator....will they catch 'yotes too?

[Don_Papenburg]

You will have to catch up with one of them honey bee trucks and have him transport a gator or two up your way as he heads north after dropping his beehives in flordia. Then have him pick em up on the way back in the fall .

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Some of Those beavers can do alota damage in short time to your wallet n bank acc too somtimes  ;) and I dont think traping them or shooting them would be a good idea ;)  :D :D :D :D :D  :D :D :D

Sorry Jeff I just couldnt help myself  : Ill delet it if you want me to Mate  ;)

Regards Chris

[ely]

it be tthat way sometimes.

[johnjbc]

We have had Beavers move in 3 times sense be bought in 2000. Twice the hurricanes came and washed them away and the other tine I'm not sure what happened. The locals tell me that there was a big dam there for years until 1997 brought another big storm. There  are chewed stumps 100 yards up the side of the valley the stream is in. Would like them move back in and to build a lake for me. The last time we had the State Forester out he said there might be some trapped Beavers to be relocated but nothing yet.   

[SwampDonkey]

The river otters are after them beavers as well as the fish. I guess you can't win sometimes. I know they kill a few beavers off here, but in a year or two another family usually replenish the ponds. They flooded 25 acres of woods after dad had some woods harvested and it don't look like the beavers are going to leave for a long time. Grandfather and I came across two dead beaver on a hydro dam, early one morning on our way fishing. We took them to his brother to skin out. They were both blanket sized pelts, one fetched $220 and the other  $250 bucks that winter on the fur exchange. 8)

[chain]

 $22.00 & $25.00 per pelt would be more in line with 'northern blankets'in some of today's fur auctions, Our beaver hardly ever brings over$5.00-$10.00. Speaking of river otter, Missouri will have a no-limit season next year, State-wide! The otter use to be the sweetheart, and novelty, furbearer, thought to be so playful and harmless until they began feeding on private fish ponds and chomping on smallmouth bass, and trout in streams. We think they kill muskrat also[which may not be a bad thing], this lake we have, all the beaver seem to do well with a healthy population of otter. Commission traded for over-sexed otter from Louisiana several years back, those cajuns... must be the hot sauce! :D

[Coon]

Ya I got some otter huntin' to do this spring at the local trout pond.  They are chompin' down on the trout like they are at an all you can eat smorgasboard.  Pretty soon they will be eatin' at the last supper though.  ;)  :D  I shoot them in a bit of a different manner than most people.  I use compound bow with a fish arrow.  I have an old closed faced fishing reel that I mount onto the stabilzer mount of my bow and have heavy lb test line on the reel and tied to the arrow.  My bow is strapped to me and I also usually anchor myself to a tree with a rope or something else if I can.

I believe there were three or four in the pond that covers about 50 acres or so. 

Brad.

[chain]

Your bowhunting is far more sporting but I would imagine sorta tough on the pelt? The otter we kill usually get in a 330 conibear,quick-kill beaver trap.They'll [trap] take a 50-60# or more beaver out in an instant.

Landowners can kill otter year 'round, supposedly first contacting the CA here. Also we're under this outdated CITES[Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species] agreement which equates to all otter must be tagged by conservation agent before sold. I think the river otter were thrown in with the sea otter, a far more rare and endangered critter than RO.

[Coon]

There is an over abundance of otters around all the lakes rivers and small ponds around here.