Beavers!!!!

WhitePine · Mar 8, 2011

The pond in my avatar photo and the trees around it are under assault from the furry flat tailed monsters. Since a lot of Hearth members have woodlots, I imagine a few of you also have beaver problems. Anybody found an effective way to get rid of them, or at least keep them under control?

Thanks, WP

semipro · Mar 8, 2011

I admire beavers and try to emulate them as best as I can... working hard and being monogamous.

On the other hand they can really do a number on your trees and can create flooding problems where you had none before.

If it were me I'd consider putting the little devils to work for me. I'd wrap the bottom 2 ft. of trees I wanted to save with heavy chicken wire and let them have their way with any trees that I wanted to remove. Of course, if you like all your trees welll....

Of course you can trap them and shoot them but I tend to avoid that sort of thing if possible.

I think you have to separate them from their food and building source to get rid of them without resorting to violence.

Later · Mar 8, 2011

Reminds me of a beaver incident a few years ago around here. A young boy was swimming in a beaver pond and was attacked by a beaver - bit one of his lower cheeks off - required multiple surgeries to repair.

Jags · Mar 8, 2011

If you have water and trees - they are not going to leave while still alive. If you trap them and relocate, you are simply passing your problem to someone else.

basswidow · Mar 8, 2011

They are almost impossible to live trap and relocate. Baiting the trap is an issue.

I had a problem and the county put me in touch with a list of trappers. I wanted a live trap option but was told there was none.

They put snap traps at the entry of the holes (bankers). That took care of the problem. It was corrected within days. See if your animal control board has a list of trappers for your area. They may do it for free.

bogydave · Mar 9, 2011

Trapping license. One of the thing that made America.

Make nice wall art & They make good hats & mittens too.

jimbom · Mar 9, 2011

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping $10/year.
There are fur buying conventions and they may be coming up soon. Visit and maybe someone will trap your beavers for free. Need to get it done soon or the season might close until next winter.

yooperdave · Mar 9, 2011

in the past, when those dam rodents created problems, someone sat near the edge of the dam which they had "opened up a bit" (to create a big leak) around sunset. they had a rifle. the beaver responded to the sounds of rushing water and....

http://www.getipm.com/personal/dam.htm

lukem · Mar 9, 2011

We had beavers at work that dammed up the spillway for one of the retention ponds (this pond services 1M sq ft of roof). It wasn't long before the water level in the pond rose 8' and the retention pond was effectively useless. We called in some sort of beaver catcher and cleared the dam. I think we paid him $1,500 bucks !!!

But, big business corporate America unfortunately dictates what remove the beavers morally, ethically, and all the BS. Last thing we want is PETA all over us.

My dad's property has a medium size creek that borders one edge. He's got beavers in the worst way. They are dropping 16" DBH trees! I ran across one when turkey hunting last spring and was amazed. In his case the beavers are actually helping him by causing erosion on a creek bend to move to the neighbor's side.

WhitePine · Mar 9, 2011

Well, I just found the state's official beaver management policy for our property, continuous trapping. Guess I'll have to learn the art and science of trapping, having never done any.

Anyone got a good online source for traps?

djblech · Mar 9, 2011

Shotgun, #4 buck.
Doug

bogydave · Mar 9, 2011

WhitePine said:
Well, I just found the state's official beaver management policy for our property, continuous trapping. Guess I'll have to learn the art and science of trapping, having never done any.

Anyone got a good online source for traps?

I use "conibear 330". killing traps.
Now learn to set them properly, they will break your arm. Find the trail where they go for food, prop up one of their fresh chewed
end just past the trap. They'll walk right into the conibear. Bam! dead beaver. Now learn to skin em, it is the hardest (next to otter) to skin. then flesh the hide &
stretch & tack the hide out on a piece of plywood (draw a several circles 30", 32" 34" etc. with a marker) to dry in a circle win brads, takes about 50 brads
One source I found but I didn't read it, may help: (best learning is go try & learn, you get better as the animal teaches you what not to do.
http://www.captaindaves.com/buckshot/330.htm

benjamin · Mar 10, 2011

I'm not a beaver trapper, but around here they use a leghold set placed in a small breach in their dam, or in a narrowing of a small stream, this should be a drowning set. If you only want to control the water level, there are ways of adding a spillway pipe that are difficult to dam around.

bogydave · Mar 10, 2011

benjamin said:
I'm not a beaver trapper, but around here they use a leghold set placed in a small breach in their dam, or in a narrowing of a small stream, this should be a drowning set. If you only want to control the water level, there are ways of adding a spillway pipe that are difficult to dam around.

Tried that set, caught lots of mud & sticks as the beaver was pushing stuff into the breach. Drown cable got stuck, had problems with it.
Takes some learning to position traps , hook up the drown slide. Carry out drown wire & anchor. Works but more work, if that makes sense.
Better for me was a pole with snares wired too it, with some bait sticks wired on the pole. Shove the pole into the bottom deep water near
their food cache, worked good. (Work thru ice too, just have to cut a hole & chop it out to check it) Best, easiest was
trail sets with conibears, for me. Takes some time & looking to find the active feed trails, but very productive.
Like I said , go do it, & learn more about the critter than you ever knew. Smarter than you give them credit when you do.

Able to get permits here to shoot them. PIA but you can get them.

maverick06 · Mar 10, 2011

They bring all sorts of disease with them. You could get a trapper to remove them, which is the right course of action... of course a 22long might solve it too.

Definitely gotta get rid of the monster.

WhitePine · Mar 10, 2011

Thanks for the replies, and that link Dave. I'm going with the recommenced traps. I have a query in to our fish and game people about license requirements for trapping on private property.

EatenByLimestone · Mar 12, 2011

Conibear 330 will work. They can be purchased for around $20. They are dangerous though. Dam sets are easy, but if they are working on a certain area you can set them or a leg hold on the slide. Some states do not allow dam sets... NY wants you to be 15 feet away from them unless you are going after otter.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=688682

Use these to help you set it and be careful, those springs are much stronger than you are.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=498335

As for live traps, Hancock and Ezee are two types. They are heavy mofos though.

http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Cage+Live+Traps/Ezee+Set+Live+Catch+Beaver+Trap

Matt

Blondesense · Mar 12, 2011

WhitePine said:
I have a query in to our fish and game people about license requirements for trapping on private property.

Let your Dept of Conservation know you are a homeowner protecting their privately owned pond, not someone trapping for profit. It may make a difference regarding regulations/seasons/permits etc.

yooperdave · Mar 12, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sekLEG8xsOs

begreen · Mar 12, 2011

All things have a place. They are nature's water system rechargers. People wiped out the beavers in parts of the Cascades. Fast forward a decade and folks noticed the aquifers starting to dry up. Now they are scrambling to put beavers back in. BB will disagree with me, but if all the beavers are wiped out in an area, there can be unintended consequences.

EatenByLimestone · Mar 12, 2011

That is true, they do have a place. I don't think anybody is arguing for 100% of the beavers to be destroyed. They have been protected well enough on the East coast to become a major problem though.

Matt

begreen · Mar 12, 2011

Bring in the wolves.

BrotherBart · Mar 12, 2011

The only thing the state said when I contacted them was did I want my name or someone else's on the destruction permit.

EatenByLimestone · Mar 12, 2011

BeGreen said:
Bring in the wolves.

They are probably already there. Many think the Eastern coyote is a cross with the Red Wolf.

"A study showed that of 100 coyotes collected in Maine, 22 had half or more wolf ancestry, and one was 89 percent wolf. A theory has been proposed that the large eastern coyotes in Canada are actually hybrids of the smaller western coyotes and wolves that met and mated decades ago as the coyotes moved toward New England from their earlier western ranges.[23] Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources research scientist Brent Patterson has revealed findings that most coyotes in Eastern Ontario are wolf-coyote hybrids and that the Eastern wolves in Algonquin Park are, in general, not inter-breeding with coyotes.[29]
The Red Wolf is thought by certain scientists to be in fact a wolf/coyote hybrid rather than a unique species. Strong evidence for hybridization was found through genetic testing, which showed that red wolves have only 5% of their alleles unique from either gray wolves or coyotes. Genetic distance calculations have indicated that red wolves are intermediate between coyotes and gray wolves, and that they bear great similarity to wolf/coyote hybrids in southern Quebec and Minnesota. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA showed that existing red wolf populations are predominantly coyote in origin.[30]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote

Matt

semipro · Mar 12, 2011

EatenByLimestone said:
BeGreen said:

Bring in the wolves.

Click to expand...

They are probably already there. Many think the Eastern coyote is a cross with the Red Wolf.

"A study showed that of 100 coyotes collected in Maine, 22 had half or more wolf ancestry, and one was 89 percent wolf. A theory has been proposed that the large eastern coyotes in Canada are actually hybrids of the smaller western coyotes and wolves that met and mated decades ago as the coyotes moved toward New England from their earlier western ranges.[23] Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources research scientist Brent Patterson has revealed findings that most coyotes in Eastern Ontario are wolf-coyote hybrids and that the Eastern wolves in Algonquin Park are, in general, not inter-breeding with coyotes.[29]
The Red Wolf is thought by certain scientists to be in fact a wolf/coyote hybrid rather than a unique species. Strong evidence for hybridization was found through genetic testing, which showed that red wolves have only 5% of their alleles unique from either gray wolves or coyotes. Genetic distance calculations have indicated that red wolves are intermediate between coyotes and gray wolves, and that they bear great similarity to wolf/coyote hybrids in southern Quebec and Minnesota. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA showed that existing red wolf populations are predominantly coyote in origin.[30]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote
Matt

Very cool. I've got a dog that looks like a coyote. Got a bit of a wild side in him too; doesn't liked to be picked up or have his belly scratched. Hmmm.

Beavers!!!!

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