Saw a beaver in the pond today....

[Trials]

Dynamite works on beaver houses, too.
Oh and regarding trapping and shooting them. Don't get caught shooting them in the trap. Up here you would be in for a world of grief from the game warden.

You're probably correct on that. but slightly surprised you figure they would be good with you using Dynamite on the houses.
Imagine what would they do to you if you set the trap too deep and the Beaver drowns :| … or even worse relocate them to a provincial park. They'd probably shoot you for doing that now-a-days.

 

[PILOON]

Wrap the bottom 3-4 ft of the trees you wish to protect with hardware mesh. Metallic stucco mesh also is good.
Wrap loosely as trees do grow.
They will start on popular then aspen and eventually even tackle cedars.
Fast critters. We tried with 12 gauge but they would dive at the hammer click and as shotgun velocity is too low.
We had to resort to .22's which was a problem due to nearby housing and bullet skips on water.

For their dams we'd bury stove pipes with 3 'T's in order to camouflage the entry points otherwise the simply plug the leak.

Destroy the dam and they rebuild it overnight.

Remember a beaver is a rodent, just a big rat! and they multiply just as fast!
Just point out that fact to the wife, might work!

 

[ovrszd]

Well that would probably work too :| although ours ended up living in zoo's all around the world.

If I'm the Beaver, just shoot me, rather than put me in a Zoo.

 

[Trials]

You're only saying that because you've never lived in a zoo :| trust me, it's no worse then living downtown in a high-rise apartment building.

 

[ovrszd]

You're only saying that because you've never lived in a zoo :| trust me, it's no worse then living downtown in a high-rise apartment building.

True that.

I just don't see the value in Zoos.

Heard on the news this morning that the "famous" or "infamous" Killer Whale that has killed a couple trainers has a respiratory failure disorder that is probably gonna kill it. It's 34 or 35 (can't remember which) years old and has been in captivity 20 years. They were talking about how fortunate it is to be captured. It would certainly be dead by now if left in the wild. Made me sick to hear an educated person say that. Killer Whales can range as much as 100 miles a day. This one has spent over half it's life in a bath tub. Turning it loose and letting it feel freedom again is far more of a compassionate end than to watch it die in a bath tub........

Sorry for the rant.

 

[2ndhalf]

I'm sure they are probably afraid turning it loose would be a risk to the public due to the fact that it has killed already and may enjoy it. But I agree it it seems inhumain to have animals like that in a bath tub.

I watched the documentary on that whale... there was no way they should have had that last lady it killed swimming with it, the whale was pretty rogue. I don't think it could handle the captivity.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm sure they are probably afraid turning it loose would be a risk to the public due to the fact that it has killed already and may enjoy it. But I agree it it seems inhumain to have animals like that in a bath tub.

I watched the documentary on that whale... there was no way they should have had that last lady it killed swimming with it, the whale was pretty rogue. I don't think it could handle the captivity.

Yep, we'd be rogue too.

 

[tcreeley]

The beavers in my rural area of Maine is what manages the small ponds and brooks that create habitat for everything else. Otherwise it would be one dry stretch of trees. They like poplar and birch, red maple. But they are lazy and won't haul it to the water from a large distance. The dams they build are tough and go through the winter well. They help control the flooding. They provide the ponds for mallards and wood ducks to nest in- good for hunting. At the bottom of our state road there is a beaver lodge, been there at least 20 years. Every so often we will see a kingfisher on the telephone wire waiting for a fish below.
Plenty of people trap beavers up here. If they are a nuisance on your property, the game warden will come trap them and relocate them.
I can see if you are in the suburbs you might want to protect your trees, but in the rural area I live in- no one much cares- plenty of trees.
- Beavers are a riot when canoeing- slapping the water to warn each other you are paddling up. Came across 3 young ones and an older one one time.

 

[japody]

One way or another, you HAVE to get rid of that beaver. Trees grow back, that's not the problem. A beaver has to have a home. If he cannot build one out of sticks, he will tunnel into the ground. Beaver homes in the ground are the number one reason for dam failure!!!!!!

In California, they have a huge system of levies and canals built up around the Central Valley that we just call the Delta. Both sides are lined with rip rap. basically large chunks of concrete. This is there to stop erosion and beavers from tunneling into the sides of the canals. Every year they have to repair the levies because of beaver homes weakening them to the point they fail. Farms flood, roads are ruined and it costs a lot of money to fix.

California is probably one of the least hunter friendly states out there. Tons or rules and regulations that most people in other states wouldn't believe. But when it comes to the beaver, there are practically no rules. You can shoot them with anything, any time of the day or night, with lights, year round without a limit. I've been out with a State Trapper, and a buddy married to a game warden. It's just amazing how many of them there are out there when it gets dark out and you are shining lights on the water. Eyes everywhere!!!

Back to your pond and your beaver. It is just a matter of time until they dig into your dam. That is the softest dirt for them, and usually steepest. This is ideal for their purposes of creating a tunnel and then a cave big enough to store food and to sleep in. Over time, it will get bigger, and your dam will become weaker. You will never find it, and you will never know it's there until the day it fails. KILL IT NOW!!!!!

My wife and I shoot a couple beavers a year on average. They can be the easiest thing in the world if you find them on land, or at the edge of the water eating. Or they can be extremely challenging if all you can see is the top of their head swimming. I consider myself to be a decent shot, but that's a tough shot. Especially if it's a small beaver and it's over a hundred yards away!!

Do not use a .22 We use our deer rifles. If we have the AR with us, we'll use that, but so far, haven't had the opportunity. We carry the AR mostly for coyotes. Nothing worse then going for a walk and seeing a coyote just standing there watching you at 50 yards. Yes, that has happened.

Thanks Eddie, you helped convince my wife to get rid of Bucky Beaver. I'll try the .243 with a scope tomorrow if it's dry enough to get back there. Will let you know if (pardon the pun) he bites the bullet.

 

[Trials]

When you start talking about a Killer Whale in captivity and doing 3 shows a day or whatever for the entertainment of spectators, I think you might be confusing zoo's with circuses. Unfortunately for the Beaver and Porcupine which are animals that do not cohabit particularly well with an ever expanding human population, and don't have the benefit of living in a habitat as vast as the open ocean, you only need to read a few of the previous posts to realize that most people would see both species extinct. Zoos are usually the last bastion for animals being otherwise driven to extinction, so I'm afraid I do see a value in well operated and funded zoos.

I'll give you a very good example of where an animal doesn't even need to be considered a pest and yet zoos may become the only reason any members of the species survive into the next century -> Crisis in Madagascar: 9 Percent of Lemur Species Are Threatened with Extinction - Scientific American Blog Network


By the way japody, I'm not suggesting you shouldn't blow away a Beaver that has become a problem, I would do the same thing.