I've got a small creek behind my house that runs between two small pounds. I had seen old beaver sign, and heard stories from neighbors, but last week I saw an 8" diameter tree dropped on my neighbors place, about 15' from my property line by beaver. Yesterday I noticed a 2" diameter tree cut-down (about 4" off the ground) on my property. Looked like a punji stick.

The interesting thing is that when we moved in a few years ago I found two Havahart traps back in the trees, so I know someone had been trying to trap raccoons, beavers, or something of similar size. I still have one of the traps.

Anyone had any luck clearing a property of beavers by themselves, or did you have to hire a pro? I'm not even sure what the laws are yet. I'll check with the city tomorrow.

Years ago it was the SSS method that we applied.

GWB

They are extremely difficult to get rid of in urban areas. You can't (legally) shoot them and the absolute best traps, conibears, have to be set very carefully, usually in the water, because they will kill a dog in a heartbeat, not to mention the horrible possibility of a child messing with one. They have live traps, which I've never used....who needs a damn live beaver?.....and I think they're fairly expensive.

Depending on your area, I'd consider very quiet .22 shots to the head, or trapping. They are actually easy to trap, but they breed like overgrown rats so you have to get all of them to do any real good. If you shoot them, be prepared to recover and dispose of the carcass, they float and a bullet hole is fairly distinctive.

I'd buy a couple of 330 connibear traps and an opener (critical, but can easily be made if you're handy with steel) and go to work. They say beaver is good eating and my son, who wants to try everything, wants to cook one. I'm not so enthusiastic personally.

Because they are such a damn nuisance, the net is full of "how to trap a beaver" instructions.

Be damn careful with those conibears, they are not to be fooled around with. They will break an arm in a heartbeat.

Snares work as well. Find the lodge, it maybe built into the bank. Also use the setting tool for the 330 conibear. I like traps made by belisle. The springs are strong and the safeties stay in place.

Oops wrong topic.
I was thinking about the other beaver.
Never had a problem with them.
(I think it's illegal to trap the other beaver)

Find a local trapper and hire him .

I'm with NV. They are a lot easier to shave though...

Hire a pro.
A quick google search will work as the ADC field has boomed all over the country in the last several years. Make sure they actually have the experience they need to get the job done because a trap shy beaver tales a LOT more work to catch.

Here is a thought: why not check with the legality of killing beavers before you go off and make a very expensive error that could cost you a lot of money and possibly your ability to purchase a hunting license in the future?

My grandad used to use dynamite to blow out their dams which threatened to flood his whole property. A 330 Connibear under water with a stick of aspen for bait works pretty well too.

quote:

Originally posted by nvmichael:
Oops wrong topic.
I was thinking about the other beaver.
Never had a problem with them.
(I think it's illegal to trap the other beaver)

You are confused. The "other" beavers do the trapping......

Beavers are very tasty, as the best veal. But one problem - they are too intelligent. My wife and I once watched the process of the construction of the dam, and decided that we will not eat them.

Stop trying to talk me out of this Vashper. If I catch one, I'm going to need your address so I can send him to you. If I don't catch the SOB, I'm at least going to name him after you.

You didn't hear this from me directly, heard it from some oldtimer (not Me) a while ago. Find the house, dig a hoe in the top and throw in some of those Clorine tablets you buy at the swimming pool shop, cover the hole back up, goodbye beavers.

Interesting. I've got a bucket of those in the garage.

Right now the HOA is studying my request since the problem originates on a "Common Area", the ponds/creek. No way of guessing what their decision will be. The local pros I spoke to say go with lethal traps, forget the live traps.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
You didn't hear this from me directly, heard it from some oldtimer (not Me) a while ago. Find the house, dig a hoe in the top and throw in some of those Clorine tablets you buy at the swimming pool shop, cover the hole back up, goodbye beavers.

Good luck digging a hole in top of a beaver house for those who haven't tried it. prepared for lots of work.

Yea, that's why grandad used dynamite

Hmmm...I'm thinking a 1/2 scale Napoleon 12-pounder would be useful....

I'm thinking " wow , a beaver dam on my property - how cool is that ? "

But I dont have any experience with the dam-building kind of beaver so maybe my sentiment is wasted on these critturs ?

Here's the sad story of the Russian Internet: "My beavers won.
Their "dam" was dismantled three men. Two days and all the beavers regained.
Further dismantled by hand was no longer in the forces.
Twice dismantled excavator - three days and still.
Friends - the hunters lying in wait. One of them, dozing in ambush, saw the beavers laughing over them.
After the ambush set traps and left.
Traps someone stole".

Kensco, if you know how to make homemade corned meat, of course, I'll give you my address. Mind you, I don't like much spice.
In modern conditions the problem is unsolvable. The only way is trapping with snap traps. Gonna have to break their construction and in this place to put the traps at a depth of not less than ft, or about leaving hole, or near the entrance to the beaver's Lodge. Just have to watch not to catch the neighbor's children and retrievers.
A few years ago I abandoned my land, mainly due to beaver: the site was on reclaimed land, and the beavers destroyed the drainage system outside of my property. To buy licenses for them was too expensive, and who knows how many there are.
Maybe if you deprive them fodder, they migrate?

Vashper, you need to post that first bit on the Humor thread. That is funny.

The strange part about my beaver issue is that I can't find where they live, or where they come in and out of the water. It must be from a small drainage south of my house. That is the only area I can't get into because of the thicket/bog surrounding it. There is no visible dam. I realize they have to chew to keep their teeth trimmed, but these beaver seem to fell trees for the Hell of it. I don't blame Obama, although he could have had something to do with it.

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
I'm thinking " wow , a beaver dam on my property - how cool is that ? "

But I dont have any experience with the dam-building kind of beaver so maybe my sentiment is wasted on these critturs ?

It sort of depends where you are. I've got a couple properties with beaver that aren't hurting anything that matters so I'll leave them alone unless I feel like skinning them or get hard up for bear bait. It was sort interesting to see how some waterlogged rats took a little spring fed trickle and picked the perfect place to dam it and raise the water level. The dam is actually quite a distance from the two lodges.

They make duck hunting ponds

There is that. I put a stock tank in for the cattle + ag. but I appreciate the dual purpose of dove season.

One group of engineers played tapes of hard rock music ! The beavers left !!Having done some experiments with rock and animals reactions I have no doubt it's true .

I would have thought that rap music would be more effective - it certainly makes me get up and leave .....

The beavers leave, but it might attract coons, and they are trouble too.
I'm sorry, I know that's wrong, but couldn't help myself.

Yeah, you're probably going to Hell for that.

I suspect that lethal trapping is your only solution.

We've got millions of the things in and around Dillingham and yes, they do fell trees for entertainment, spite/ revenge, pure contrariness and occasionally to eat. I love the darn things and always get a kick out of their comic wanderings and construction fortitude. No, I don't live near their waterways.

"Save a tree, eat a beaver"

Why do you not want the beavers? beaver ponds are cool things, retain water, good fishing, slow erosion.

Besides, they are fun to watch of an evening, kinda cool critters.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
They are extremely difficult to get rid of in urban areas. You can't (legally) shoot them and the absolute best traps, conibears, have to be set very carefully, usually in the water, because they will kill a dog in a heartbeat,. . .

Your reply triggered a question. And, NO, I am not joking. Has anyone, individual or business, created a repellant series, each one being designed to repel [nearly??] all mammals and birds that this repellant/product is not specifically intended to attract. To make my question more clear: Is there a product that attracts beaver but repels pretty much other mammals and birds? Or perhaps is the a product that attracts a small classification or category while it repels pretty much other mammals and birds, such as attracts beaver, nutria, muskrats and repels others?

Beavers are causing erosion on my property when they start felling my trees. Nothing like planting a $200 tree and then finding it horizontal in a year or so.

Thankfully, Texas is allowing silencers. Did I just say that?

I didn't hear anything. Must have been the silencer.

It's that time of year again I guess.

I dropped a dead locust tree on my tree line and cut it up for firewood. The next night a beaver dropped a 3" diameter six-foot tree about five feet from where I had been working. The following night he bit the fallen tree in half and carried the top part away. The third night he took the remainder.

I've contacted the HOA again, but don't expect much help. My Mexican Plums and Oklahoma Redbuds are about 6' tall and 3" in diameter. The first one of those that drop will have me sitting up all night with something lethal in my hands.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:

I dropped a dead locust tree ... The next night a beaver dropped a 3" diameter six-foot tree about five feet from where I had been working.

There are two options of their motives, either beavers familiar with the case-law (they have understood so that now everybody can), or they suspect you in the demonstrative attempt on their food resources, and began to take precautionary measures.

quote:

Originally posted by Naphtali:Has anyone, individual or business, created a repellant series, each one being designed to repel [nearly??] all mammals and birds that this repellant/product is not specifically intended to attract. To make my question more clear: Is there a product that attracts beaver but repels pretty much other mammals and birds?

Money.

Yeah, I know, that was too easy.

Not much help to you in Texas, but moose love beaver ponds. We encourage them at our hunt camp.

Squirrels hate moth balls, but they evaporate in the open air rapidly. However, in an enclosed space like a beaver lodge, it might be more effective.

What if you drove a piece of pipe (slanted on the end) into the lodge with a sledgehammer and poured a box of mothballs in ????