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Nuisance beaver choosing cedar?

Posted By: slydogx

Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 04:51 PM

I am currently removing some nuisance beaver and I had a question...
The area the beaver are working has some fairly upscale homes so there is a lot of landscaping.
The beaver are choosing exclusively to feed on emerald cedar and decorative junipers instead of readily available willow sapling, cottonwood, etc. Is this normal? I was taught and have read that beaver prefer deciduous varieties.
Posted By: QuietButDeadly

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 05:11 PM

They do not hesitate to hit cedar and pine here, even when there is plenty other saplings available. And cedar boughs make great dam building material.
Posted By: 330-Trapper

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 05:18 PM

Ive seen them choose lilly roots over Popplar birch and willow but never cedar when the food is plentiful
Posted By: Boco

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 05:43 PM

Are you sure they are feeding on it?
Beavers in spring and early summer rarely cut trees of any sort for food.
They will cut to repair and or raise their dam.
Posted By: slydogx

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 06:03 PM

They are stripping bark and small branches so I assume they are eating
Posted By: lee steinmeyer

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 06:16 PM

Have seen that lots of times, and have even used cedar as bait....and caught beaver on them. I heard once that it was due to a nutrient problem, but that may have been a convenient excuse! To be honest, the beaver I caught on cedar, I also used a good smelling food lure and they may have been more attracted to it, but it still happened...more than just once too!
Posted By: warrior

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 06:45 PM

I see definite seasonal preference here. We are just now entering the time of year I see them taking down wrist to thigh sized pine and gnawing even bigger. And yes they are stripping them sap and all. They'll do this up until the end of july.
However in high end subdivisions all bets are off as they develop expensive tastes, preferring crepe myrtles, japanese maples and knock out roses. I've even seen them mow down juniper ground covers.
Posted By: Ave

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 07:37 PM

It seems to be pretty rare here, but I have seen where beaver seemed to prefer pine over other species of trees that were readily available.
Posted By: Vinke

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 07:41 PM

It is a spring thing
It is usually the female in my area I think she's looking for some kind of weird nutrient
Posted By: ratbrain

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/30/20 09:04 PM

They'll eat cedar here but prefer the willow. It is like candy to them.
Posted By: jabNE

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/31/20 01:44 AM

I have seen them eat cedars here. They will walk right past locust trees to eat any other tree here though.
Jim
Posted By: MChewk

Re: Nuisance beaver choosing cedar? - 05/31/20 02:48 AM

Doing a job now where the beavers are eating spruce tree limbs?? Weird as there all kinds of trees along this creek. Had one job where the beavers were gnawing the clients deck....treated lumber?
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