Beaver issues??

[HCJ]

This may be a little inappropriate but sorta related. I have a small creek, normally 6 to 20" deep that empties into a larger river (1 to 4'deep) . For the last 5 years, beavers are taking over, for in a 300 yard span there are dozens of dams. We have used our tractor to pull out dams with chains and grappling hooks (hence the connection to this site) but access is limited (i.e. mud) We tear out dams and one week later, they are back. Have trapped about 8 (with proper permit) and so far P.E.T.A. has not found out. Yes, we want to destroy wet-lands but when we bought this property the beavers did not live there and the creeks ran freely. Short of explosives, any ideas! By the way, these are Southern beavers. Any creative ways to eliminate dams easier than picking them apart?

 

[LeadPoison]

Keep trapping them. After you break the dam up, come back right at dusk and bring some q-beams. Grab your firearm of choice. You can figure out the rest. I too used to have a Southern beaver issue. They kept eating my pine plantation.

 

[CCWKen]

I had a smart quip but I thought my post might get deleted. But anyway, have you tried noise makers? Spend a few nights making noise nearby. Rocks in cans, fireworks, etc. That may drive them away but most likely just up/down stream. Keep trapping.

 

[kebo]

I'm in a hunt club here in SC (Union county) and one of the tracts we lease is 360 acres with a good sized creek running right through the middle of it. About 4-5 years ago we started having problems with beavers damming up the creek. We have one place in the creek where we keep the banks cut down so we can drive the tractors and atv's across it to get access to the backside of the property. It's the only place where we can cross this creek. We keep rock in the bed of the crossing to keep us from getting stuck in the sandy creek, but the beavers decided that the upstream edge of the rock crossing is a great place to build their dams, as you will see in the pictures below. We have trapped a few of them, and some of them have gotten lead poisioning as well but they keep coming back though. We also have a pond on this lease and they have killed a bazillion trees all around it. They are becoming a huge nuisance here in SC, and increasing in numbers every year. I know they serve a purpose in the great scheme of things, but man geez they can make a mess of things. I drive by two beaver dams on the way to work everyday. They are both very close to the highway and they've both been destroyed by trackhoes by the highway dept at least once each, but now they are bigger than ever!!!! Persistent little buggers, huh?

The dam you see in these two pictures was built a couple years ago but was destroyed by mother nature. We had a very heavy rainfall that washed it down the creek. I haven't been by this creek since deer season closed (Jan. 1) but it would not surpise me one bit if there was a nice big dam in the very same place!

Anybody got some dynamite?

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Drop some diesel on their damns and nest and let loose with a few flaming arrows

 

[studor]

I have a similar problem with northern beavers -- sudden onset lead poisoning is the only remedy and just keep trapping --- each group has on the order of seven members (2 breeding adults, 2 adult females, 3 plus kits). Cut any spotted willows near the water to reduce the food supply. The dams and houses are very difficult to burn in situ -- and unless you get a blasting permit,the grapple hooks are probably as effective as anything else
regards
Steve

 

[DrainPondDesign]

Hi,

In NYS if you let a beaver "****" stay too long our DEC considers it a permanent wetland that has to be perserved so you can't wait too long to take action.

Beavers are attracted to the sound of running water so they will patch any breach in the dam overnight.

Installing a culvert (beaver pond leveler) in the dam will control the water level permanently.

Here is a link to beaver control at NYS DEC, check out the beaver pond leveler.

Results for 'beaver'

The long screen intake stays under water so it doesn't make a running water sound & is harder for them to plug than a solid culvert.

Or if you can get a good price for beaver pelts then you have a source of income.

Good luck

 

[Alan L.]

I had a beaver problem a couple of years ago, but it was around my pond. Could never figure out where they were living, but they would cutting down trees around the pond, left and right. I put welded wire "fences" around the trunks of the remaining trees and never heard from the beavers again (so far).

We also have a creek maybe 300 feet from the pond, and it shows tree damage from beavers, but I've never seen a dam.

I was under the impression from my research a back then there is nothing to stop you from trapping or killing the beavers, but thats here in Texas.

 

[HCJ]

Kebo , that's a pretty amazing dam. Ironically, we were just talking today about doing just the same thing to our 300 acre hunting tract, creating a ford by cutting down the banks and placing slabs of broken up concrete that we have piles of on our land. This would give us another route to the backside of our land. Now you have me worried because the site is just where the beavers have built the largest dam. They will surely appreciate this foundation for their dam.

As far as shooting them, how does a beaver react to light? Does his eyes glow like a deer? (not that I spot deer) When the light hits him, does he freeze or dive quickly? What are the finer points of beaver hunting? What do you do, turn the light on when you hear activity or just periodically? Anybody a trophy beaver hunter? My wife is going to really be excited to hear I have another hunting season about to start. Trapping has been fun but I think I caught all of the dumb ones and now the rest are laughing at my efforts. They even rebuild dams right over my traps, using the steel like re-bar.

Is there any market for beaver pelts in S.C.? I've been feeding the coyotes and buzzards with the ones I caught. Curiously, I caught a coyote in one beaver trap.

How was the deer hunting this year in Union county? Things seemed a little slow in Greenville Co.

 

[scoutcub]

Hmmm...

I just bought some property in Ohio that has a creek on the lower level and at least 2 beaver dams. The creeks are still flowing, and the dams have served to back up some small ponds. I also have another pond next to the stream that is not affected.
From what I've read, they are supposed to help out the other animal population, and I was inclined to allow them to stay, but I'm getting nervous reading all these comments...?
Is the major problem cutting down of trees and stopping the flow of water? If they are more of a nuisance I would enjoy using my equipment and firesticks to do some eradication.....

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I had some problems with beavers couple years ago, i have a small
creek beside my house and a river behind my house.

I didn't have no problems with them damming up the creek, but a
much worse problem, they destroyed several trees on the river bank
and killed two of my apple trees.

If you have any trees that you don't want destroyed than you had
better put something around the tree.

I called a game warden and told him what i would do if they killed
anymore important trees and he ask me how i felt about going to jail.

* So i would protect any good trees.

* Just use your best judgement.
___________________________
Bill

 

[Greenmountain Farmer]

The easiest way to protect a tree from beavers is to wrap the trunk with aluminum foil from the ground up at least 2 feet high, I always used the heavy duty Reynolds wrap.
Tom

 

[firetruck dvr.]

I hunt in south Ar. We had the same problems with beavers. I did not believe it would work, but try this. An elderly member of the club suggested trying Jalapeno peppers. I said how? He said get a bunch of fresh japs and place them all around the dams and houses. So I thought what the heck, and did. Upon investigation a few days later I noticed some of the peppers were gone. A few weeks later I dug out the dams once again. That was 4 years ago and NO MORE BEAVER PROBLEMS SINCE! Dont know what it did but it worked for us! Good luck!

 

[wushaw]

I hunt in south Ar. We had the same problems with beavers. I did not believe it would work, but try this. An elderly member of the club suggested trying Jalapeno peppers. I said how? He said get a bunch of fresh japs and place them all around the dams and houses. So I thought what the heck, and did. Upon investigation a few days later I noticed some of the peppers were gone. A few weeks later I dug out the dams once again. That was 4 years ago and NO MORE BEAVER PROBLEMS SINCE! Dont know what it did but it worked for us! Good luck!

The Jalapeno peppers must have given them the red $ss so they left???

 

[Bird]

In 1970, a cousin and I were in my canoe on the Trinity River a couple of miles south of the Lake Lewisville Dam when we saw a beaver and noticed quite a number of trees they'd cut. In the west end of Navarro Mills Lake, we had a few beaver in the late '90s. But otherwise, I hadn't seen a sign of beaver in this area for many years until a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I were just riding around some of Lake Lewisville and I found a bunch of freshly cut willow trees that were obviously cut by beaver. I guess they're making a comeback everywhere.

 

[kebo]

Kebo , that's a pretty amazing dam. Ironically, we were just talking today about doing just the same thing to our 300 acre hunting tract, creating a ford by cutting down the banks and placing slabs of broken up concrete that we have piles of on our land. This would give us another route to the backside of our land. Now you have me worried because the site is just where the beavers have built the largest dam. They will surely appreciate this foundation for their dam.

If you do cut the banks down, and then lay the concete slabs in the creek bed, that will become a very slight manmade dam. Once the beavers pick up on this, they will just simply add on to it and the result is what you see above.

[/QUOTE]As far as shooting them, how does a beaver react to light? Does his eyes glow like a deer? (not that I spot deer) When the light hits him, does he freeze or dive quickly? What are the finer points of beaver hunting? What do you do, turn the light on when you hear activity or just periodically? Anybody a trophy beaver hunter? My wife is going to really be excited to hear I have another hunting season about to start. Trapping has been fun but I think I caught all of the dumb ones and now the rest are laughing at my efforts. They even rebuild dams right over my traps, using the steel like re-bar.[/QUOTE]


We only tried it in daylight hours. It's like still hunting for deer, you have to be patient. We would just set up on the deck of the cabin overlooking the pond and wait for them to show themselves swimming around in it. I couldn't really tell you anything about nighthunting them.

[/QUOTE]Is there any market for beaver pelts in S.C.? I've been feeding the coyotes and buzzards with the ones I caught. Curiously, I caught a coyote in one beaver trap.[/QUOTE]

I don't know the answer to that one either. One of the guys did trap a 35lb female out of the pond, but I never heard what he did with the fur.

[/QUOTE]How was the deer hunting this year in Union county? Things seemed a little slow in Greenville Co.[/QUOTE]

It was VERY SLOW for us too. I didn't kill a deer last season, but it was mostly my choice. I like to hunt big bucks and the biggest I saw was 6ptr so I passed on him. Had chances to shoot does as well, but passed on them too.

 

[LeadPoison]

Who hasn't had a problem with beavers at some point in their life?

 

[barneyrb]

I am no expert by any means but this is what I know. Beavers are considered a pest in Louisiana, they will rebuild after blowing up their den (got a cool video of this), it is legal to hunt them at night here, 10ga with T's or BB's works wonders, and last I found a guy that knew how to bait them. He would cut small willow branches and stick them in the mud in about 6" of water. The scent of the willow is crack to a beaver according to him. Shoot a .22 with subsonic hollow points and sniper them. It does work

 

[MikeD74T]

Beavers are best disuaded with a 12 ga. If their dam gets big enough and flooding occurs the brook may cut a new channel around the dam, which the beavers block, and so on. They can create a wetlands wasteland that is impossible to repair in the current environmental climate. When they kill enough trees they'll just move on until enough trees grow back. MikeD74T

 

[Charlton John]

Hi,

In NYS if you let a beaver "****" stay too long our DEC considers it a permanent wetland that has to be perserved so you can't wait too long to take action.


Good luck

This is exactly what happened on the forest land behind my home here in NY. I only own 3 acres but behind this is 250 acres of "protected forest/wetlands" due to beaver/turtle habitat. I guess I dont mind as it will keep all the land behind mine preserved forever. Luckily in almost 4 yrs. of living here have only seen 2 beavers come up in my woods. Good Luck!