Beavers and their dams- advice sought

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pybyr

Minister of Fire
Jun 3, 2008
2,300
Adamant, VT 05640
I have a small pond that's been there for years at the back of my meadow; it was always fine until some beavers moved in about 10-12 years ago and plugged the spillway to raise the water, etc. At the time, whenever I unclogged things, the beavers built even more back overnight or the next day.

All that was solved for the time being when the USDA wanted to do a Vermont test on a "Clemson Baffle" (a glorified siphon drain) (also referred to as a "Beaver Deceiver") that confuses the beavers so that they don't know what to plug, or where. I was able to call a truce with the beavers, as they were unable to keep raising the water/ flooding the field.

Last fall, some unknown person stole the lower section of polyethylene culvert comprising the baffle outlet, allowing the beavers to plug everything up, everywhere, and to start raising the entire dam and flooding my meadow, drowning some of the trees, etc.

I don't have the funds to hire a professional trapper right now, so am hoping to try to pull out a small portion of the dam with a hook and a 4WD tractor, so as to attract and then somehow dispatch the beavers, so that I can begin lowering the water level and figuring out how to unplug the drain baffles (now thoroughly buried underwater with sticks and mud).

Any constructive suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks
 
Better get a " bad beaver " permit from your conservation dept first. In NY what you want to do is a nono without a permit. Conservation dept is usually pretty co operative.
After you find out if it's a nono or not, breach the dam about 2 hours before dark. Wait with a gun and dispatch as necesary. They usually come out just before dark.
 
It seems you have had some bad beaver problems in Adamant lately. About a month ago I noticed the water level in our back field was unusually high. This is only our 2nd spring at this property. So I got on my boots and went wading. Well I didn't make it far before I could hear the water falling over the dam. Nuisance permits are readily available in NY. I attacked that dam dam with a shovel a pick a sledge hammer, everything I had. The neighbor farmer has about 7 acres underwater(there are 2 more dams down stream of me). The best thing I found was to take a bow rake and stab that dam dam and pull the easier branches out and get rid of em. I have a rather large pile of dam debris that I'm going to torch the next calm day. The dam beavers keep reusing it >:-( so you need to remove it. Anyways after the easier sticks,trees,roots ,oh my :bug: are out of the way take that rake and beat the snot out of the mud bank . once water starts flowing WATCH OUT! The water pressure is wild and will knock you down. :red: Then if you're lucky enough to get a big enough hole to drop the water level fast the beavers will come to check it out. Or they will wait until around dark.Best luck here is 6:45-800 pm . The best deterrent I have readily available is a 12 gauge 3" magnum #4 buckshot round but the 2 and 3/4's work well too. Some say use a .22 but buckshot makes em float faster. Be very aware of your surroundings as shooting at water is DANGEROUS and RICOCHETS are likely. No dam beavers were harmed in the making of this post.
P.S Where there is 1 there is at least a handful more. I'm on # 6 with no end in sight.
 
Dynamite is what the farmers use around here. One stick for the dam and another for the lodge.
 
I had a similar situation at a property I managed.

I contacted the County Animal Control and they gave me a list of approved trappers. I was hoping some would be interested in trapping for free - but most required a fee per animal trapped. These were Banker beavers - they made their dens in the mud bank of the creek and then built the dam to flood the hole.

Left unchecked - it gets out of control and simply knocking down the dam is wasted effort. They were eating many expensive landscaped trees and reaking havoc.

He doned waders and walked both sides of the creek locating the den holes and placing traps. I thought the traps were live traps - but they actually snap jaw traps that break the beavers back when it swims out of the hole. He called it the most humane way to trap them. So this trapper comes to my office when all the Mom's and school kids are at the bus stop with 2 huge dead beavers. That went over well...... I was pleased with his results - but I'm sure PETA was notified of such a cruel method for trapping. I think he only charged $ 20 per beaver. He solved the problem.

If it's on your property - I would go early in the morning and set up with a long gun (checking first for the proper legal permission to do so). I don't see how this would differ from shooting a ground hog on your property - unless beaver are protected?
 
$20 bucks a beaver is dirt cheap. I'd have loved to see the look on their faces when he brought them to the school.

The trap you are referring to is probably a Conibear trap. I spent a Winter on a friend's trapline. One day he had to walk a few miles back to the trapper's cabin as he managed to get both of his hands caught in a Conibear trap and couldn't drive his Skidoo.

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/beaver-trapping-tips.html
BeaverConibearTrap.jpg
 
cncpro said:
Seems like VT has put together a lot of resources for folks in your position...

http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/li...ment_Practices_for_Human-Beaver_Conflicts.pdf

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion- a friend of mine had pointed me to that brochure also- what I am looking for, most of all, is 'tried 'n true" ways people have used to solve the dam/ flooding problems and thin the herd of the beavers- who haven't earned the nickname "workin like beavers" by accident.
 
curiousLEE said:
Better get a " bad beaver " permit from your conservation dept first. In NY what you want to do is a nono without a permit. Conservation dept is usually pretty co operative.
After you find out if it's a nono or not, breach the dam about 2 hours before dark. Wait with a gun and dispatch as necesary. They usually come out just before dark.
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning that - I contacted a local game warden and was told that I can do/ use anything as long as I don't use poison on the critters; apparently no written permit is needed.
 
Make sure you eat them. Beaver is a good eating critter, no pun intended. Looks like roast Beef, but has a good flavor.
 
pybyr said:
Thanks for the suggestion- a friend of mine had pointed me to that brochure also- what I am looking for, most of all, is 'tried 'n true" ways people have used to solve the dam/ flooding problems and thin the herd of the beavers- who haven't earned the nickname "workin like beavers" by accident.
Click to expand...

Well I sure like the dynamite idea for effectiveness and eating some beaver sounds pretty nice too ! ;-P :cheese:
 
Make some hats. Supposedly its great fur! Don't know if I have ever seen or felt it.
 
cncpro said:
pybyr said:
Thanks for the suggestion- a friend of mine had pointed me to that brochure also- what I am looking for, most of all, is 'tried 'n true" ways people have used to solve the dam/ flooding problems and thin the herd of the beavers- who haven't earned the nickname "workin like beavers" by accident.
Click to expand...

Well I sure like the dynamite idea for effectiveness and eating some beaver sounds pretty nice too ! ;-P :cheese:
Click to expand...


Yeah, let's eat some beaver! That beaver burger recipe sounded tasty!
 
Sounds like you've got a pass to take care of business.

I would visit the area when they are most active and use 12 gage buckshot and then knock down the dam with equipment.

There's a skill required for the traping. The use sticks and such to secure and set it. I'd be afraid I'd clamp my hand. I don't even like setting mouse traps.

Post some before and after pic's and any results. Should be interesting.

If they were on my property, I would stock the pond and start fishing. I could use a good pond.
 
basswidow said:
Sounds like you've got a pass to take care of business.

I would visit the area when they are most active and use 12 gage buckshot and then knock down the dam with equipment.

There's a skill required for the traping. The use sticks and such to secure and set it. I'd be afraid I'd clamp my hand. I don't even like setting mouse traps.

Post some before and after pic's and any results. Should be interesting.

If they were on my property, I would stock the pond and start fishing. I could use a good pond.
Click to expand...

I am glad to have a pond (there was a modest size pond there for a long time to begin with, before the beavers) and actually would have no objection to having the beavers, too, if these rodent-engineers hadn't embarked on an ambitious and effective plan to expand the pond to engulf a significant portion of my property and flood out everything that's there....
 
You gotta take some pics/video of your dismantling in action....little destruction porn for the site in the slow time of the year.
Actually, better no take pics and post here,,,,ya never know who might come knocking on your door? :zip:
 
Twenty five years ago I had a huge problem with those forty to sixty pound rats. They would dam up the culverts under my driveway and flood acres of land behind the stream. I got a destruction permit from the state game warden and over the next few years shot a bunch of'em. I stopped counting at 23 but more followed. Everything from a twelve gauge with BB loads to a .22 pistol. That one was a very funny story that would take too long to type. The neighbors started calling me Beaver Dundee.

After a year mama pushes them out of the pond and they move down stream so they will just keep coming and keep coming. I just knew that somewhere somebody devotes their life to studying just about anything. I finally found an old book written by a guy that spent years studying beavers. The two things I remember is that he discovered that they cannot stand the sound of running water and go hell bent for leather to stop the sound. Thus the dams. He put one in a bathtub with a tape player playing the sound of running water and it built a dam in the tub. But only after he turned on the sound. The other thing is that they can't go to the bathroom on dry land, they have to be in the water. So your beavers are building a giant toilet. :coolsmirk:

They will start coming into the damn every night at dusk. I could set my watch by them at seven-thirty Standard Time here.
 
Crafty little bastages they are! Eye dew some newcents trapping and they ain't dum! Eye'v got an old bachelor beave that eye can't outsmart ina pond about 2 miles off the road. I swear this old turd can hear the dummy buzzer on my pickup before eye open the door.. Been tryin to get him 4 3 years. But no luck on ole' crafty! Used scent from out of state beaves. Dropped hung trees in the pond to disguise my activity.Checked traps at dif times of day. Eye dun just bout everyting! The last mohican is a beech!

Beaverpics015.jpg
 
I had the same thing with the one everybody called Old Buck. He was the last one to go and he only came out when there were no others left. And even then it took a long time.
 
Locally, in easter Washington it had been noticed that the water table was steadily dropping and farmers needed to keep drilling deeper. At first this was seen as excess consumption. But a hydrology study found that it was the elimination of beavers in the highlands that was affecting the recharge of the aquifers. Now they are bringing in beavers and working to repopulate the area. All creatures large and small, there is a plan for them all.
 
As long as that plan doesn't include three feet of water rushing over my driveway and ringing the bark on hundred year old oak trees...
 
I just paid the backhoe man for a full day's work and a load of red clay to repair my dam. Beavers had dug about eight holes into it and water had started seeping out the back of the dam in two spots. I have hired a fed guy to come shoot'em. If I see them first I'm gonna shoot' em.
 
my problem is the opposite of yours I guess. I keep putting holes in the dam and the beavers keep plugging em!!!!!
 
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