anyone ever hunt beaver? (the animal)

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - anyone ever hunt beaver? (the animal)

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:12:57 AM EDT

I have a co worker who is having a major problem with beaver. 5+ acres have been flooded and are now unusable. Conibear traps are out because of his dogs.

A couple snares have been set near their slides but we need to sit them out and shoot them.

Any tips or suggestions?

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:13:55 AM EDT

[#1]

Yes and I love to stuff them

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:17:13 AM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yes and I love to stuff them

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On a more serious note if you aren't going to trap them the only other way I have heard of getting them is to take out a portion of the dam. They will come and try to fix it. Wait somewhat concealed and shoot them.

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:23:47 AM EDT

[#3]

We have found several trees that they are actively taking down. I have also read they are attracted to the skins r of running water. So we were going to stake out those two locations.

But what times are they most active? Dusk and dawn?

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:30:05 AM EDT

[#4]

At one of my previous homes, we had a creek on our back property line. Beavers dammed it up, and start cutting trees in our yard. I busted the dam, and sat within range at dusk with a 12 gauge with 00 buck. I took out several. Had to eventually call the state wildlife dept, who sent out a trapper, he got several more.

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:33:00 AM EDT

[#5]

Depending on the size of their colony, you might be at it a while....

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:36:10 AM EDT

[#6]

If you're in a rural enough area, spotlight and rifle.

Beavers are destructive little bastards and will destroy a pond in short order by burrowing in to the dam.

Brother and I cleaned out several ponds using this method. Beavers work a lot a night and with a bright spotlight and a good rifle, you can terminate them.

Best I ever did was 6 in one night on the same pond.

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:37:57 AM EDT

[#7]

Set drowning sets in the water, should not be problem with dogs.
Put conibear 330 out at lodge set.
Good luck...

Posted: 1/7/2015 1:40:32 PM EDT

[#8]

There are several ways to trap where the dogs won't be anywhere near them.

Deep water sets can and do work.

Do the dogs swim the area daily?

You can set the conibears on the slides but keep them 5-10 ft back in the water. Place some branches in a funnel pattern to steer them into trap. They make brackets for them that allow you to set them in the mud in deeper water also.
You can set them in the dam in the late evening and pull them first thing before dogs are out. Just break the dam down in a 24" section to let water run down. Set the trap in the broken part. The beavers will swim through to check out the damage and Whammo.

I do a lot of Urban beaver trapping. In subdivisions, commercial areas, and drainage ditches. In 15 years I haven't ever caught a dog in a beaver set.

If you do hunt them. Set up a blind by the lodge and the dam. Break the dam in several spots and set up right before dark. You will need a good spotlight and a ton of patience.

Edit:

Just realized you are in Georgia.
What part?

If it's close to me I will come trap them out for you.

Posted: 1/7/2015 4:09:40 PM EDT

[#9]

The dog loves his new 5 acre lake! They are always in it. And the owner said and traps like that were No go...so not really an option anyway.

I'm going to busy a section of the dam where they have been must active and sit and wait.

I was hoping you guys were going to say they like 80 deg weather and bear hunted in the middle of the day....guess not. Looks like it's going yo get cold tonight too!

Roswell area.

Posted: 1/7/2015 5:50:50 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
The dog loves his new 5 acre lake! They are always in it. And the owner said and traps like that were No go...so not really an option anyway.

I'm going to busy a section of the dam where they have been must active and sit and wait.

I was hoping you guys were going to say they like 80 deg weather and bear hunted in the middle of the day....guess not. Looks like it's going yo get cold tonight too!

Roswell area.

View Quote

If they don't co operate let me know. I have an office in Roswell and would be happy to swing by and at least look at it for him.
If you make beaver noises that will help too....

Posted: 1/7/2015 9:37:03 PM EDT

[#11]

Spreading some beaver castor around the area will sturgeon them up, they are pretty cranky about others in their AO.

Posted: 1/7/2015 10:25:18 PM EDT

[#12]

USDA Wildlife Services is a group within USDA that specifically targets nuisance/problem wildlife. If you can't get them out, it's an option. Just look them up online. Yea, it's part of the .GOV, but if the beavers are destroying the property and you can't rid yourself of them, it's what WS does.

I use them here in Colorado to deal specifically with problem beavers flooding out streamflow gaging stations. They have always been very professional.

FWIW, they usually go out at night with NVG and whack them. They never target them during the day, the beavers are not active enough.

good luck

Posted: 1/7/2015 10:56:03 PM EDT

[#13]

Conibear traps in the water should work as well

Posted: 1/8/2015 4:22:43 PM EDT

[#14]

Looks like I am going to go scout it out tomorrow and hunt until dark. Saturday going to try to break up a dam to getthem out. Then come back Saturday night with nvg. Try to wipe out as many as possible that way.

After that stay putting out traps at night and picking them up in the morning before the dogs come out.

Sound like a plan? Anything else I should try?

Posted: 1/11/2015 10:29:09 AM EDT

[#15]

So his problem is much worse than he described. There where more than 5 large dams. The 5 acres flooded is on his property, there is much more on his neighbor's property. Plus the area is completely overgrown with stickers making is miserable to get close.

Didn't find any on Friday and the nvg didn't work out. So I am going back here and we are going to try to blow some of the dams out. Then sit and hope they come back to fix it. Lots of sign of the they just started on so I know they are there. Plus lots of trees that look like they have been down for some time.

Posted: 1/11/2015 4:12:04 PM EDT

[#16]

Got rid of one dam but think it was a little more than he wanted.....

You can see from the ice hoe much it drained in just the time it took to walk back to it. It's almost dry now.

Posted: 1/12/2015 6:15:20 PM EDT

[#17]

they will fix it given time.

Posted: 1/12/2015 8:56:59 PM EDT

[#18]

A beaver tube was installed. Wanted to sit over it that night and shoot them. But didn't get to.

Posted: 1/22/2015 8:33:27 PM EDT

[#19]

I have hunted beavers. Shooting at a beaver in the water poses some real hazards with skipping bullets, but where I hunted, I had a high bank on the opposite side to act as a backstop. I targeted beaver both in the water and at trees they were cutting. Never got more than 1 in a night with a rifle, but never had more than a handful at any one time. In the water, I targeted them at both their dam (which I had broken open) and at an area of exposed burrows (when the water came down).

If you don't have night vision, one effective way to watch for this is to watch for their bow ripples (like a boat) on the water, via the aid of moonlight. On land, you can hear their tree gnawing from 40 or 50 yards if things are quiet.

Posted: 1/23/2015 1:26:58 PM EDT

[#20]

I've had good luck getting them with a shotgun sitting in a boat. It's tough to snipe them with rifles in the water as there isn't much of them exposed.

Posted: 1/23/2015 10:47:35 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
The dog loves his new 5 acre lake! They are always in it. And the owner said and traps like that were No go...so not really an option anyway.

I'm going to busy a section of the dam where they have been must active and sit and wait.

I was hoping you guys were going to say they like 80 deg weather and bear hunted in the middle of the day....guess not. Looks like it's going yo get cold tonight too!

Roswell area.

View Quote

330 UNDER water, dive stick, castor mound, pen the damn dog up a couple days, problem solved.

Posted: 1/24/2015 9:10:47 PM EDT

[#22]

I use a 22 mag or 17hmr and go out before dark and sit so i can see the beaver house, once it ices up i am done till spring, most of the damage they do around here is in the fall before ice up.

Posted: 3/14/2015 5:22:42 PM EDT

[#23]

Owner doesn't seem too worried about the flooding problem.

Posted: 3/15/2015 12:48:31 AM EDT

[#24]

I couldn't help it....

Posted: 3/15/2015 4:06:58 AM EDT

[#25]

I would think if the problem was really that bad, the dog could just deal with being penned/tied a week or two. Traps work 24/7 and would be a lot more effective.

Also if you wanted to quickly de-flood a large area, go to www.uschemicalsupply.com , buy 50 pounds of their version of tannerite, make 6 different 8lb targets, put them in the dams, and blow em. Better yet, sneak one on to lodge while they're out and about. Actually if the dams aren't that large, you could make quite a few water bottle sized charges, stick them about 2/3's of the way in the dam, then blow them.

Posted: 3/15/2015 5:24:36 PM EDT

[#26]

The dams have all been removed. Beaver tubes installed. Waiting to see if they try to rebuild. Once they start I'll sit out waiting for them one night.