Finding Beaver
#7621597
07/07/22 08:35 PM
07/07/22 08:35 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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I'm trying to clear beaver out of a feeder creek and caught an adult female and male this past couple of weeks, mentioned here Preferred Stake for Mud and Beaver. I'm guessing that there may be a couple more but outside of the dam and some unused trails there's no sign whatsoever. To confirm the presence (or absence) of any remaining beaver I slipped in and set up a couple of trail cams this evening. I then went across the road (a 4 lane with a turning lane and wide shoulders) to where the dam is and cut a 10 inch by 10 inch hole to both make some noise and drop the water level a little. I'm thinking that even if the hole isn't repaired the dropping water level will force any remaining beaver to move about giving me a chance to catch them on the trail cams or see some fresh tracks. Is this a reasonable plan or is there something else I should or could do?
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7621605
07/07/22 08:41 PM
07/07/22 08:41 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,488 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,488
james bay frontierOnt.
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Where i am beaver wont immediately repair a small dambreak in summer,hot dry weather.After a good rain they often will "patrol" their territory and maintain dams and castor mounds.
If it is a new pond or if the old pond was trapped out previously there may be only two beaver. If the pond has been active for a couple years there will most likely be more beaver,in the absence of regular trapping.
Last edited by Boco; 07/07/22 08:44 PM.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7621654
07/07/22 09:35 PM
07/07/22 09:35 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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Thanks Boco.
With no rain in the forecast, how dry its been and the hole in the dam I'm hoping they move enough to leave some tracks.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7621844
07/08/22 08:06 AM
07/08/22 08:06 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377
New York
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Dry is a good thing. When it's dry beaver will usually watch the dams closely, not wanting to lose a pond, often plugging every night, but not always if there is but one beaver remaining. A hole in a dam will usually tell the tale pretty quickly. After a rain is the best time to look for repairs, unless it was a particularly heavy rain. Last summer it literally rained every day for weeks. With water so high beaver didn't do much plugging but left the leaks as is. The ponds were high with no need to plug. With so much continuous water they payed little attention to a natural break or a break that I made. When there is heavy rain beaver will generally not bother to start repairing until the water begins to drop back to normal. If there has evidence of fresh mud pushed up, even small spots, he's still there. Dam break sets last year were a tough go, not productive. What I find interesting is that where I used to find a pair or a pair with young, I now sometimes find colonies with big beaver only, all 35-50 pounds, 3,4, 5, or 6 of them, no young. Makes it more difficult to judge what is there when applying what has happened in the past. After catching 4 and the plugging appears to stop, I will sometimes get a call a few days later, "more activity." Just makes it harder to know when it's over. Even after all these years, hard to believe there are still new things to experience.
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: Jim Comstock]
#7621864
07/08/22 08:51 AM
07/08/22 08:51 AM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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Dry is a good thing. When it's dry beaver will usually watch the dams closely, not wanting to lose a pond, often plugging every night, but not always if there is but one beaver remaining. A hole in a dam will usually tell the tale pretty quickly. After a rain is the best time to look for repairs, unless it was a particularly heavy rain. Last summer it literally rained every day for weeks. With water so high beaver didn't do much plugging but left the leaks as is. The ponds were high with no need to plug. With so much continuous water they payed little attention to a natural break or a break that I made. When there is heavy rain beaver will generally not bother to start repairing until the water begins to drop back to normal. If there has evidence of fresh mud pushed up, even small spots, he's still there. Dam break sets last year were a tough go, not productive. What I find interesting is that where I used to find a pair or a pair with young, I now sometimes find colonies with big beaver only, all 35-50 pounds, 3,4, 5, or 6 of them, no young. Makes it more difficult to judge what is there when applying what has happened in the past. After catching 4 and the plugging appears to stop, I will sometimes get a call a few days later, "more activity." Just makes it harder to know when it's over. Even after all these years, hard to believe there are still new things to experience. Thanks Jim, good info. Glad to hear I'm on the right track with the dam break and how dry it's been. Considering the size of this feeder creek it doesn't seem like there would be more than two but I learned last night beaver have been a problem along this section for a couple of years or a little longer. If there are more I bet it's a similar situation to what you described with no young ones.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7622276
07/08/22 07:20 PM
07/08/22 07:20 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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Which side of a dam will a beaver push up mud from? This is the same “neck/pinch point ” I caught a male in last week. Its hard to see in this pic but it looks like the downstream side has been “dug” out a little. Here’s a pic of the same spot when I caught the male last week.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7622292
07/08/22 07:42 PM
07/08/22 07:42 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,488 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,488
james bay frontierOnt.
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They shove mud up from the pond side from the bottom in front of the dam,this deepens the water all along the face of the dam.(good for drowning) Not much activity by the look of it.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: Boco]
#7622301
07/08/22 07:55 PM
07/08/22 07:55 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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They shove mud up from the pond side from the bottom in front of the dam,this deepens the water all along the face of the dam.(good for drowning) Not much activity by the look of it. Thanks Boco. That's what I was thinking but just wasn't sure. I didn't remember the downstream side being as deep as it is but maybe it was.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7622927
07/09/22 04:37 PM
07/09/22 04:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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Trail cam pics didn’t show any beaver, just a family of coons and the resident geese. I’ve heard on here that beaver can hole up for several days in a bank den if disturbed hard. With this being such a short habitable section I may be done for the time being. I’ll check it out a couple more times over the next two weeks but hopefully I’ve gotten the miscreants.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: Boco]
#7623065
07/09/22 08:00 PM
07/09/22 08:00 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,383 Central Ohio
LT GREY
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trapper
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,383
Central Ohio
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Where i am beaver wont immediately repair a small dambreak in summer,hot dry weather.After a good rain they often will "patrol" their territory and maintain dams and castor mounds.
Beaver move with rising water !
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Re: Finding Beaver
[Re: We-Sa]
#7623160
07/09/22 10:02 PM
07/09/22 10:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719 Oklahoma
We-Sa
OP
trapper
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 719
Oklahoma
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I hope I've got it under control.
Sadly shooting isn't an option (city limits).
With no rain in the forecast, beaver trapping ought to get even more interesting, lol.
“I don't know, Chief, if he's very smart or very dumb.” Capt. Quint
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