Beaver dam? Tannerite? Hold my beer!

[MossRoad]

Would they confiscate your chainsaw or excavator? Simple as that. This was not a wildlife poaching situation.

They might.

 

[MossRoad]

That's not really the point. Sure, permits exist for a reason. But if the guy would have removed the beaver dam with an excavator or with a chainsaw they would not have confiscated his excavator or chainsaw. This is the problem. Give the guy a ticket for the missing permit. That's the resolution. Not taking his gun. This was not a 'crime', it was a civil issue.

It was a 'crime'.

In the United States, there are two bodies of law whose purpose is to deter or punish serious wrongdoing or to compensate the victims of such wrongdoing. Criminal law deals with behavior that is or can be construed as an offense against the public, society, or the state—even if the immediate victim is an individual. Examples are murder, assault, theft,and drunken driving. Civil law deals with behavior that constitutes an injury to an individual or other private party, such as a corporation.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Beaver dams can be a good thing for some people. I posted this in a parallel thread on beaver last month:

I came across an interesting article online a few years back. It was titled "Beaver vs DCNR". I'll post the link if I can find it.

It basically was a story about a Pennsylvania landowner who applied for a permit to build a pond but it was denied by the DCNR due to wetland issues. The enterprising fellow trapped a few beaver on a friends property and relocated them to his wetland. The Beaver apparently liked the new location and proceeded to build a dam. The landowner now has a nice pond which the DCNR can't regulate.

The beaver eventually moved on but the landowner improved and continues to maintain the dam. Who knows how long it will remain but the guy is enjoying his pond while it lasts.

 

[Jstpssng]

Beaver dams can be a good thing for some people

They are good in a lot of ways, it’s just inconvenient for us sometimes. This book Three Against the Wilderness is an excellent story about how a family reintroduced them in B.C. around 100 years ago.

 

[not2old]

Prior to my retirement in 2010 I used to regularly remove the dam beavers made on a lagoon that was part of a townhouse project in Steveston British Columbia. The crazy part of this is that It's in the middle of a city, at the edge of the ocean.. I don't think that you could find any more beaver within 20 miles.

 

[copytmpmzl]

Full story about halfway down this page.

1/8/2023-1/21/2023

www.michigan.gov

Several 911 calls came into the Montmorency County dispatch stating there were multiple gun shots and then a very loud explosion that had shook multiple houses in the area. One of the callers stated that they thought a new property owner had blown up a beaver dam that was in Crooked Creek. The same caller stated that the river began to significantly rise causing flooding onto their property.
...
The subject stated that he did not think of what would happen when he removed the dam in such a drastic and immediate manner explore.



Bruce

Looking for knowledge on controlling beavers. We've got at least 12 dams on a 2 mile stretch. Hired a hoe to remove them but $$$ and they are already being rebuilt.

Does it work to blow them with tannerite? Is it legal? I haven't done it myself but seems to be the only 'explosive' easily available. What's the best way to stick it in the dam? How many pounds for a small dam?

County will blow them but only on their schedule. Would be nice to blow a dam and sit and wait to shoot the repair crew when I have time.

What's involved in trapping them yourself?

 

[bcp]

Use a long pipe under the dam. Beavers can't find the leak.

Bruce

 

[finallydribben]

Looking for knowledge on controlling beavers. We've got at least 12 dams on a 2 mile stretch. Hired a hoe to remove them but $$$ and they are already being rebuilt.

Does it work to blow them with tannerite? Is it legal? I haven't done it myself but seems to be the only 'explosive' easily available. What's the best way to stick it in the dam? How many pounds for a small dam?

County will blow them but only on their schedule. Would be nice to blow a dam and sit and wait to shoot the repair crew when I have time.

What's involved in trapping them yourself?

I use to do alot of contract Beaver trapping and blasting for Georgia Pacific. Trapping them is the only way to control them effectively. You will need go buy yourself several dozen Conibear 330 traps for your 2 mile stretch. Get your waders on get out in their water system and look for the paths they frequent. These are easy to find as the bottom of the water will be clear trail where they are moving. Look for natural bottlenecks, logs they are going under and place your traps in those places. Use a good sharpened 1.5-2.5" green stick to stake the trap in those locations. You will also need to take several green sticks and drive those in the ground in the shape of a "V" leading to the trap. That helps funnel them to the trap. If there is a way for them to go around the trap....they will. Make sure all your traps are under water so once they are caught in it, they drown.

If you dont see natural bottlenecks to place your traps, then near the banks where they exit the water you can set your traps. Use the same V formation of sticks stuck into the ground leading up to the trap. You may also need to find a good sized log and place it over the path to force them to go under the log and into your trap. Always use the V formation of sticks to funnel them otherwise you are wasting your time.

Check your traps daily and pull dead beavers and reset. You will catch snapping turtles so those need to be cleared. They can hold their breath for a really long time so if you do catch one, be careful as it can still be alive and bite you. Eventually you will get the beavers under control, but you will need to continue trapping on the boundaries of your property even after you eliminate them on your property. Once beavers on neighboring properties reach maturity, they leave their family ponds and head up and down river in search of new territory for themselves. So you will continue to have beavers coming on your property up and down river and that will need to be monitored and trapped.

Once you have caught a lot of beavers and start seeing activity levels drop, fewer signs of fresh movement, activity on the dams, etc. Then you can blast the dams. You can use agricultural explosives to do this. You will need to find a vendor near you and complete the forms to be cleared for purchase and use. (this process may have changed, not sure. Its been a long time since I have bought KinePak explosives). When blasting, walk out on the dam and take a spade shovel and open a small slot on the water side of the dam in the mud. Put your explosives in the slot. Usually 1-2pounds is all you need but it does depend on how big the dam is. Putting it on the water side uses the weight of the water to push the dam out once the blast goes off. If you put the explosive anywhere else you are wasting your time. Use electrical blasting caps not fuses, they are more reliable. I used a roll of telephone wire to get out to a safe distance before blasting.

 

[TheMan419]

It was a 'crime'.

In the United States, there are two bodies of law whose purpose is to deter or punish serious wrongdoing or to compensate the victims of such wrongdoing. Criminal law deals with behavior that is or can be construed as an offense against the public, society, or the state—even if the immediate victim is an individual. Examples are murder, assault, theft,and drunken driving. Civil law deals with behavior that constitutes an injury to an individual or other private party, such as a corporation.

And they turned it over to the prosecutor for charges. If it was an offense that was just a ticket they would have given him one.... like speeding or blowing through a stop sign etc. Those are civil cases but prosecuted by the government.

 

[copytmpmzl]

I use to do alot of contract Beaver trapping and blasting for Georgia Pacific. Trapping them is the only way to control them effectively. You will need go buy yourself several dozen Conibear 330 traps for your 2 mile stretch. Get your waders on get out in their water system and look for the paths they frequent. These are easy to find as the bottom of the water will be clear trail where they are moving. Look for natural bottlenecks, logs they are going under and place your traps in those places. Use a good sharpened 1.5-2.5" green stick to stake the trap in those locations. You will also need to take several green sticks and drive those in the ground in the shape of a "V" leading to the trap. That helps funnel them to the trap. If there is a way for them to go around the trap....they will. Make sure all your traps are under water so once they are caught in it, they drown.

If you dont see natural bottlenecks to place your traps, then near the banks where they exit the water you can set your traps. Use the same V formation of sticks stuck into the ground leading up to the trap. You may also need to find a good sized log and place it over the path to force them to go under the log and into your trap. Always use the V formation of sticks to funnel them otherwise you are wasting your time.

Check your traps daily and pull dead beavers and reset. You will catch snapping turtles so those need to be cleared. They can hold their breath for a really long time so if you do catch one, be careful as it can still be alive and bite you. Eventually you will get the beavers under control, but you will need to continue trapping on the boundaries of your property even after you eliminate them on your property family planning gold coast. Once beavers on neighboring properties reach maturity, they leave their family ponds and head up and down river in search of new territory for themselves. So you will continue to have beavers coming on your property up and down river and that will need to be monitored and trapped.

Once you have caught a lot of beavers and start seeing activity levels drop, fewer signs of fresh movement, activity on the dams, etc. Then you can blast the dams. You can use agricultural explosives to do this. You will need to find a vendor near you and complete the forms to be cleared for purchase and use. (this process may have changed, not sure. Its been a long time since I have bought KinePak explosives). When blasting, walk out on the dam and take a spade shovel and open a small slot on the water side of the dam in the mud. Put your explosives in the slot. Usually 1-2pounds is all you need but it does depend on how big the dam is. Putting it on the water side uses the weight of the water to push the dam out once the blast goes off. If you put the explosive anywhere else you are wasting your time. Use electrical blasting caps not fuses, they are more reliable. I used a roll of telephone wire to get out to a safe distance before blasting.

thank you so much for your suggestion