got beaver

farmerpsv · Mar 14, 2005

whew,
thanks everyone for the input. MikeZ. after reading that thread, i'm glad i don't live in maine. i'm all conflicted now, call the warden but don't give em the address just to see where i stand? don't want the gestapo desending on me. i have the beaver in two locations, one is on the line of my and another property, need to talk to the neighbor. the biggest area proceeds a lake on neighbors property making swamp on mine. i am going to call it a 'tree farm' for land use taxes, that may be an angle on getting rid of them.
paul

EddieWalker · Mar 14, 2005

I grew up in California. A friend said a group of guys were getting together to go beaver hunting. At that time I'd never seen a live beaver and didn't know if it was even legal to hunt them or the regulations.

I looked them up in the hunting regs and learned that they are unregulated there. It's such a pest that they can be hunted day or night, no limits and lights are legal.

We floated the river in a small boat with lights and looked for the reflection of their eyes. A .22 worked best with a shot to the head. The shotgun did the job up close, but most of the ones we saw were too far off to be effective.

The big issue with beavers there was the digging into the aquaduct that supplies water to So Cal. No trees or dams, just digging.

Check you state hunting regs to see what they classify beavers as.

Contact a state trapper. The ones I've met are very helpful and knowledgable on the best methods of eliminating wildlife.

riptides · Mar 14, 2005

"Check you state hunting regs to see what they classify beavers as." From EddieWalker

His advise is sound. That is why I mentioned PEST in capital letters. The game warden can be your friend, in this case.
Your neighbor on the other hand may have an issue, I am not saying he/she will or won't, but if the game warden is on your side, well...

I had a neighboor who was "upset" at my attempts of removal. Well, when the trees started falling on their property, their tune changed.

I like animals, but beavers can really screw your yard up when they forage. And they make it a dangerous place with saplings that have been gnawed at 6 inches above the ground.

Good luck, call your warden. Remember the keyword, PEST.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MMM · Mar 14, 2005

You'd better take care of them. The gnawing on trees can be the least of your problem. They can destroy acres and acres of timber by flooding it. I've got a neighbor who lost 7 ac of young pine planted in a low area. along a creek to beaver.

InlineDieselFan · Mar 16, 2005

Get rid of them the sooner the better.

If the flooded area that the beavers built stays long enough it may become a "wetland" then big hassles with the government.

Our property that we are building on has a seasonal stream, totally dry May-Oct. About 1 foot wide and a few inches deep at other times. It was logged 7-10 years ago. and the logging company did nothing for the stream. The skidders left a road that damned up the water and created a wetland that is now 90 feet wide.

We knew this when we bought it but to cross the wetland so we could build where we wanted has cost us about $10,000. extra.

Get ahold of the wildlife department and find a way to trap/kill them varmints.

steve

farmerpsv · Mar 17, 2005

good news, talked to game and inland today and they said there's no license necessary for getting rid of these guys. the head biologist referred to beaver as 'giant rats', so i'm free to set off my small nuclear device.
thanks for all the input
paul /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

bczoom · Mar 17, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( good news, talked to game and inland today and they said there's no license necessary for getting rid of these guys. the head biologist referred to beaver as 'giant rats', so i'm free to set off my small nuclear device.
thanks for all the input
paul /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

Great to hear!!!

Small nuke? Sounds very cool but no chance to plink at them for awhile.

riptides · Mar 17, 2005

Do you know anything about tanning the pelts?
They do make lovely pieces.

I have a stuffed one in my basement study. It was about 40-50 pounds. Reminds me of the war we had between us.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

L3650 · Mar 17, 2005

When we were trapping the ones we had, we brought them back and skinned them out by the cabin. One extremely cold January day, we had a fire going in the firepit to stay warm. Well, several of us were getting hungry. I had just finished reading Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery by Stephen Ambrose. Their journals mentioned one of the favorite meals - venison and beaver tail.

So, we skun one tail and quartered two kits (young beaver). We then proceeded to roast them on the fire. It took several beers each before anyone was willing to try it. It was very good, almost like dark pork.

After that, I brought some more home. I could not win the case to put any on the dinner table. However, come that summer there were a few cooked in the firepits around the neighborhood.

penokee · Mar 17, 2005

Sounds like the Black Bear barbacue I went to - after enough brews, sampled the meat - after many more brews not sure the meat was even cooked, but it was being carved up and eaten - never again. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
penokee