Topic: Beaver eradication possibilities?

[burmashave]

This ain't merry old Europe; we've got wildlife quite literally oozing out of the woodwork. New Jersey opened its bear season because residents in New York City suburbs are waking up to bears going through their garbage. This can be a bit off putting as you let the kids out to go to school.

Last February, I hit a dear not far from suburbs. It totaled an Oldsmobile Aurora which weighs 2 tons (1800 kg). I might have been dead or seriously injured if I had been on my bike, or even in my Acura Integra. We're accustomed to deer on our back roads, now we worry about hitting them close to populated areas. I've got a deer path in my yard despite the fact that I live in the suburbs. Wild deer here go through series of overpopulation and starvation cycles because natural predators do not control their numbers. The same is true for other species as they push into suburbia out of sheer overpopulation.

Many urban areas are struggling with the problem of racoon overpopulation. How cute they are! Cute except for the fact that overpopulated raccoons carry rabies. Rabies may be rare in Europe; however, with our wonderful cute wildlife, it is far from rare here. We've got colonies of rabid raccoons living not far from where children play, and rabid animals are the most aggressive you will find--on a mission to bite anything they can. I was once bitten by a rabid raccoon while working on my truck. Fortunately, the bugger didn't penetrate the hard toe of my boot. You may not be aware of the cure for rabies. Essentially, you get a long series of injections to the stomach performed with a six inch spinal needled. This causes pain.

Many species that used to be rare are flourishing, if not overpopulating. Many other endangered animals are on the increase. Wild turkeys used to be shy and hard to find. In the late 90's, I regularly stumbled upon large flocks of them (15-20 birds) that didn't mind the presence of me and my large dog. Bald eagles, once rare, are not common in some areas. I've seen a few. Beavers were once endangered, or close to it. Now, they flourish in our wetlands.

I have no animus. I think beavers are among the most amazing in the animal kingdom. Just looking at a beaver dam is a sight to behold. They can build dams over 5 miles long without starting with anything like a diagram. Beavers are beautiful to see while kayaking or canoing on lakes. You seem one swimming gracefully underwater; it will come up, do an underwater flip and then splash the water flatly with his tail. I understand that the splash is a kind of territorial warning.

On the whole, we do not wantonly kill our wildlife. Europeans are prolly not familiar with our, often draconian, Wetlands Protection Act. Most Americans are prolly not familiar with the amazing progress we've made in cleaning up wetlands, especially in once dismal places such as Boston Harbor. The same is true for our forest land. We have 9% of the world's land area, but 10% of its forests. We've got the same amount of forestation that we had in 1900--roughly 70% of the country. On the whole, I believe that ecological conditions are slowly, but steadily improving in the US. The upshot is that wildlife populations are also on the rise. As such, wildlife is now appearing at our doorstep. It would be so nice to catch them and release them somewhere else, but in most cases, we have what are now pests living near us because they have no where else to go. Moving an animal to an already over populated area accomplishes nothing but needless starvation.

[upperlake04]

They can build dams over 5 miles long without starting with anything like a diagram.

  Thats probably BS. 

 http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=33299.0

[burmashave]

They can build dams over 5 miles long without starting with anything like a diagram.

  Thats probably BS.  ;D

 http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=33299.0

Man, that's not just BS, I am BS. I stand correctimicated. I must have misinterpreted a reference to a 5.6 mile (up and down stream) instead of 5.6 miles wide series of dams. :-\

Thanks so much upperlake.

[edit]
The fact that the beaver dam is visible from outer space is proof positive that beavers are communicating with extraterrestrials. michel, you may have more to worry about than your neighbors.
[/edit]

[Gregorymoto]

You should By Some Wolf Piss and spray it around, works for dear, so i hear from a guy i do work for that owns a Vinyard in Napa.
He told me it even freaked out his dog.

[750K2]

so who gets the job squeezing piss out of a wolf?? i'd rather shoot the beavers.

[Gregorymoto]

Naaa why kill, they are just trying to make a living like all of us, they just do it differently.

[750K2]

i stand corrected...trap and relocate if at all possible..i hear europe is looking for some! 

[tsflstb]

You may not be aware of the cure for rabies. Essentially, you get a long series of injections to the stomach performed with a six inch spinal needled. This causes pain.

They do those in your thighs or cheeks now.  Still not a pleasant experience.

I got bit by somebody's dog after leaving a bullfight in Juarez.  At least I think it was a dog.  Better safe than sorry with the rabies shots there.

[Buber]

This ain't merry old Europe; .......

Agree totally. I mean, with reasonable approach we can do a lot. Reasonable is the word.

How it went? "the difficult thig with common sense is, that it's not common anymore....."

P.S. in my place they are "bombarding" fields and forests from the planes with a type of candy, that contains rabies vaccine or something, so animals eat it, and become immune or cured... Don't know the details, but it apparently works. Don't know the cost, though...

[74cb750]

Solutions: thanks all for the suggestions. Some are good.
To show you the kind of people I work w .... "...place gum around their lair/paths/whervever ;you see them...it will lock up their stomach..."

-call Fish and Game, and they will tell you there is nothing you can do
-deer piss, This I will try
-Alien Contacts, the aliens will have to commute to this site as we are in a heavily wooded valley, and as we all know, the Ships are Huge

New news: seems beavers were 'introduced' to the environment several years ago by .... you guessed it...Vermont Fish and Game! This is per a local hunter. I don't know if this is true or not, but it would not surprise me. Locations used are never near any 'rich towns' that I have witnessed.

-Beavers are still chewing on trees. Have lost 8 more this week.

The offer from craigslist to do something w the beavers for an exchange of tires.....wouldn't you know it, I do not have the size the  person needs.

-town response: again contacted town about possible flooding of newly repaved road above culvert (town also had road dug down 2 feet to lay a new base of gravel and what-not). "....we will try and get a look at it before the fall..." 18 inch culvert now has 2 inches of air space at the top.

-gun clip for my rifle has disappeared. I wonder if I have a beaver lover in my own house?

-Tourist Alert: Oh oh, the Mecedez-Benz, Lexus, Proche, Cornishe driving tourists have been spotted on the roadside taking pictures of the varmints

oh well,
peace,
michel

[burmashave]

Michel, I didn't realize that you are in the Green Mountain State. I have an idea what you are going through. The beaver I killed (headshot with a rock) had invaded a private pond in southern Vermont. That beaver was literally only a few hours away from a headshot from a .22. Rocks were his last chance, and I can tell you from the rocks he endured, rocks were not going to scare him away.

By the way, this pond was prolly about 200 feet from the road, although I wasn't going to let this stop me, even if I had to move up from a .22 to a 12 gauge. Unlike your situmication, the neighbors didn't really know about the beaver, and I don't think they would have mourned the demise of a beaver.

I"m no hunter. I had several friends who wanted to equip me with a 12 gauge, which was kind of funny because I told everyone that my next step was a .22 shot, and most replied by offering me their 12 gauge. Only in Vermont.

Too bad it's not hunting season. If it were hunting season, I might spy on my neighbor's house. While they were out, I would try a 12 gauge, aiming away from the road. I don't think other folks would be surprised by the sound of a 12 gauge during hunting season

-call Fish and Game, and they will tell you there is nothing you can do

They were absolutely no help beyond providing the name of a live trapper. That trapper had little confidence that he could trap a male during the spring. Note that male beavers are, as are male squirrels, kicked out of their birth areas during spring. Many simply travel downstream for new digs.

-deer piss, This I will try

I dunno about deer piss. Gregorymoto suggested wolf piss. I've heard mixed results about using animal piss. Part of the problem of using animal urine is that you never know if you're getting the real article. Mebbe Gregorymoto can point you to a reputable supplier, since it seems he got the real thing.

-Alien Contacts, the aliens will have to commute to this site as we are in a heavily wooded valley, and as we all know, the Ships are Huge ???

You could build a crop circle if you are in the Northeast Kingdom.

New news: seems beavers were 'introduced' to the environment several years ago by .... you guessed it...Vermont Fish and Game!

I don't doubt it, and it would help explain the ever helpful attitude of VT Fish and Game.

-Beavers are still chewing on trees. Have lost 8 more this week.

Until I witnessed a beaver working in my friend's pond, I didn't comprehend what "busy as a beaver" means.

-town response: again contacted town about possible flooding of newly repaved road above culvert (town also had road dug down 2 feet to lay a new base of gravel and what-not). "....we will try and get a look at it before the fall..." 18 inch culvert now has 2 inches of air space at the top.

Perhaps this could be raised at the annual town meeting. The locals might be on your side, especially if you can line up some supporters in advance.

-Tourist Alert: Oh oh, the Mecedez-Benz, Lexus, Proche, Cornishe driving tourists have been spotted on the roadside taking pictures of the varmints :-\

Typical. Why actually walk through the woods when you could cruise by and snap a shot. It reminds me, as I do not doubt reminds you, of leaf season. It used to drive me bonkers. I had an acquaintance who would regularly find tourists enjoying a picnic on her front lawn. I have another friend who was forcibly stopped one day on her way to work. It seems some flatlander was videotaping a covered bridge my friend used for her commute. He couldn't understand that the residents actually used the bridge.

On the other hand, I new a guy who would "tap a telephone pole" each year (as in tapping a maple tree to make maple syrup). Because it was close to the road, he would catch tourists stopping for a photo. We did not doubt that they were fooled.

I'm no longer in Vermont; however, I have a friend who is a professional trapper. (He has the varmit removal contracts for many of the local municipalities here in upstate New York.) He's the one whose motto is, "Just whack 'em." On the other hand, he may have some advice for your situmication. I'll get in touch with him today or tomorrow to see if he has some wisdom.

Good luck, and happy hunting. ;-)

[Rocking-M]

-Tourist Alert: Oh oh, the Mecedez-Benz, Lexus, Proche, Cornishe driving tourists have been spotted on the roadside taking pictures of the varmints

oh well,
peace,
michel

now's your chance, you can double dip, beavers and driving tourist. 

[burmashave]

I just talked to my buddy, Tom the trapper. He does a lot of trapping. He nabbed 53 beaver this Spring season, plus other furry varmits. He also has the pest removal contract for several area towns.

He said, "I tell you what I'd do. I'd whack 'em." ;-)

He thinks beavers are too determined to scare/encourage away. I can confirm that the beaver I killed withstood hours and hours of being chased and hit by rocks over a two week period. The pond was small, so I could drive him away, run around the pond and bean him on the head (he literally had no where to hide) when he came up. We also walked our three dogs around the pond so they could pee there. We had to keep them on leashes because they would have been no match for the beaver in the water.

Tom has little faith in live beaver traps, and he agrees with me that a live beaver is pretty much a pest wherever you might release it.

A .22 might work; however, it might skip right off the top of the beaver's head and ricochet somewhere else. For a .22, you need a head shot, and the beaver's head does not stick far above the water. The part of his head above the water is flat. At any rate, night time is the time to bag beavers. They are more active on the water at night. If you were to stalk them at night, a shotgun would be your best bet.

After talking to Tom a bit, we both would recommend leg traps. You can set the traps at dusk or early evening and pull them early the next morning. That's the best time to trap them, and the traps will be out before anyone else is up. When beavers are trapped, they dive and then drown, so it's likely that the beaver will remain under water after it dies, possibly unseen. At any rate, you should be able to pull the beaver out before anyone is up.

The key to trapping is that there must be enough water for the beaver to drown. Leg traps won't work if there isn't enough water. You should only need 1-2 traps to get the job done, and done properly, the beaver(s) will be trapped over the course of just a few days.

Also, Tom stressed that right now beaver are rearing their young. It'd be best to take care of the problem before there are another 6 beaver around.

Tom said that he'd be glad to talk to you. He's a very interesting person. If you're thinking about trapping them, mebbe I could hook you up with Tom to get more info. He said he'd show me how to do it, but I'm way down here in upstate.

[74cb750]

Seriously I DO appreciate all positive input. Local "sam's outdoor outfitters" belive they'll be able to get me some piss,  , but isn't this stuff washed off after a short time?

Vermont Dept. of Fish and Game....."....will get back to me sooon..." hmmm, seems I 've heard this before.

Burmashave: leg traps etc etc, are a problem, as I said in previous posts, the beavers are in the "fishing pond " area , which is at the bottom of my driveway. Unfortunately.

Traps and shooting are out of the equation. Possiblilty of problems are too great.

I have noticed that since I started cutting trees for firewood the past 2 weeks, and rolling the logs downhill towards the beavers den, their activities have lessened, but not stopped. This is obviously not something I can keep up as the wife has an extensive TO DO List which does not include beavers. 

Will repost when I have some contact w fish& game.
peace and thanks,
michel

[74cb750]

OK. I have a 1st solution on the way.

I purchased BobCat urine. Now I need some contianers to hang up.

Does anyone have some 35mm film cartidges for sale? I need around 15.

Sincerely,
michel

[troppo]

how accurate are you at log rolling?

"Sorry officer, i was rolling the log down the hill and he just jumped in front of it"

[Shenanigans]

Now a log? THATS overkill [youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="

name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="

type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[troppo]

pre-tenderised rabbit, YUM YUM

[74cb750]

Funny you should mention log rolling, as I have been cutting some trees for firewood above the beavers' lair and rolling them downhill
None of the critters have put themselves in the path of the projectiles though.
peace,
michel

[troppo]

patience grasshopper, patience is the key. Oh and placing lovely (whatever beaver bait is made of) right in the path of your log rolling hill
 

[burmashave]

[snip](whatever beaver bait is made of)[snip]

Popple

[firecracker]

You made me Google Popple.  I knew I shouldn't but I had to.

Now you, Burma, must see this:

WARNING - DO NOT GO HERE (unlesss you're BURMA)!

http://www.tinkebell.com/popple.html

Whatever you do, don't click the link at the bottom to enlarge the photos.  It's bad enough in concept, close up it's <shudder> disturbing...

Now, wipe THAT image out of your head.

 

[Frankenkit]

That's a horrible image, there.
The chick has a decent message, but goes about saying what she does in an AWFUL way.  I'm no PETA person or anything, but if you look at the rest of her site and have any pets you really love... it's really messed up.

[firecracker]

That's a horrible image, there.

Agreed, but I refuse to look at anything else on that site.  I only saw that because of the search for popple.


BTW (in my best John Cleese voice) I Warned Ya!

[burmashave]

Hey 74cb, what about the wabbit beaver? Be he dead, moved on, or taken up lodging in your bath tub?