BEAVER DAMAGE SOLUTIONS
Castor canadensis
Beaver control has become a major issue throughout many areas of the U.S. As
fur prices have dropped, and antis (animal rights protest industry) continue
their war against wildlife utilization, many are discovering that something
must be done to control beaver damage. This page will help you sort through
the options.
Please read it carefully. A word of warning. There is no magic in the animal
damage control industry. Despite what people say, there are few situations where
the solution is something easy like a spray.
Before you ask your question please visit our questions
page.
Beaver
Damage Control Booklet Learn the techniques professionals use to trap and
control nuisance beavers.
Conibear
Beaver Trapping in Open Water : Master Beaver Trapping Techniques
Beaver Snaring
Sometimes people are seeking information to reduce beaver damage. They
don't need total damage elimination, they only need a reduction in the severity.
We have listed some strategies here for your perusal.
To protect valued trees from beaver teeth, install hardware cloth around
the tree trunk. The mesh should be at least half inch diameter and installed
around the tree trunk at least 4 inches away from the trunk. In other words,
you are building a fence around the tree to protect it from the beaver. The
fences should protect exposed roots and be at least 4 feet high. The fence should
be braced by posts to prevent beaver from knocking it down.
A man named Rawge, does not suggest removing trees to discourage
beaver. He says, "having studied
beaver for many years, and removing the trees will result in their eating telephone
poles for gnawing and roots and tubers, or even grass for nutrients. I have
studied their diets under stressed circumstances and would not recommend removing
trees.; they just change to other sources, and its doubtful that they would
abandon the area. I do agree with the tree wrapping.
We have found that you can
even wrap wire fence tight against the tree and still have adequate protection.
Also, we have never had a beaver dig under a fence...perhaps we have just been
lucky, but we have wrapped over 2000 trees and have over 1 mile of protective
fencing."
Used with permission.
Lights
This was a new one to me. But some people think that if you flash lights at
beaver or around their lodge they will go away. I asked other professionals
what they thought of it. And their answer was it doesn't work because of the
problem of habituation. Animals get used to things. Although beaver like their
surroundings quiet and disturbance free, this method would probably only work
when beaver are just beginning to consider moving in. By the time you notice
they have already decided to stay.
Most times, the problem can only properly be controlled by lethal means.
While some may consider this a tragedy, it can also be seen as a
blessed opportunity to utilize this valuable resource. We
would encourage the harvest of beavers in season so that their pelts etc. may
be used to their fullest extent.
This can be done from a boat or on the bank or on the dam. Try to keep out
of the beaver's sight. If you have permission (ie. permits) break the dam so
that water level drops rapidly. Do this around dusk. Then wait for the beavers
to arrive (to repair the dam). Shotguns would be safer to use then rifles due
to the danger of richochet off the water. Of course, all firearm safety and
legal precautions should be taken.
Drawback to this method include, beaver can become very wary and difficult
to shoot if you don't get them all quickly. Beaver become educated very quickly.
You may also have difficulty retrieving the body once the beaver is shot. Make
sure you have a boat handy.
This method is by far the most effective and practical. With a little training,
beaver can be caught by almost anyone. The difficulty arises when you have educated
the beaver, ie. failed to capture him with your set. Beaver can become trap
wise. At this point, you will need to consult with us or a professional trapper
to help you out. We can also recommend a variety of books that would help you
become an effective beaver trapper.
Hancock Beaver Trap: ORDER
ON-LINE
Modifying Bailey Beaver Cage Trap
On a side note, we received one e-mail which stated that they didn't want to
trap because of the danger to pets and children. This fear has little to no
basis in reality. While it is a theoretical possibility, (then again so is getting
killed by a falling tree branch) it is a remote one. Properly set footholds
and conibears (when set for beaver) are not dangerous to the public. We challenge
any animal rights group to prove this statement wrong. If you decide to use
the Bailey and Hancock traps for beaver then these traps would pose a real threat
to children and pets. (I doubt the anti's will agree).
Snares are also a very effective safe and humane trapping method for beaver.
Unfortunately, many states haven't legalized snaring and animal rights protest
industry advocates don't want this sort of information getting into public hands.
However, if you want to learn about beaver snaring let us know. We can recommend
some books for you.
One viewer wondered if introducing alligators to a particular area would reduce
his beaver problem. While such a scheme may indeed work, WDC is not aware of
it ever being tried. There are, however, a number of problems with such a technique.
1. It is probably illegal to introduce new species to an area without special
permission. 2. Introducing a new species to an area can wreck the ecological
stasis of the area causing more problems than it solves. 3. It is unnecessary
as beaver are a valuable resource and trappers can be found to trap them
or workers can be trained (see our Store for training
information) 4. According to Arlo Kane, a Florida biologists,
"Beavers and alligators coexist just fine. Some of the best alligator habitats
are beaver ponds. The biggest problem with using alligators to control beavers
is that you create a bigger problem than you started with. An alligator big
enough to handle a beaver would be big enough to be a danger to the public.
Because beavers are generally able to avoid be eaten by an alligator you now
have two nuisance problems instead of one. Arlo H. Kane Wildlife Technical
Services Biologist Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Used with permission.
A study on this subject is entitled "Practicality of Reducing a Beaver
Population Through the Release of Alligators" pp. 1799ff. published in
The Worldwide Furbearer Conference Proceedings August 3-11, 1980 Frostburg,
MD Ed. by Joseph Chapman and Duane Pursley.
Melvin Wilson, one of our visitors says the following on "Predator
Introduction." "Your article on beaver control was most helpful.
I would like to emphasize that using alligators to control beavers is utter
nonsense. We live on a river/creek/canal (water three sides). It is a virtual
swamp with alligators and beavers as best buddies! They do everything but baby-sit
each others kids. PLEASE emphasize that any combination of the two does NOT
work. It is illegal for us to trap or kill either animal, so we are open to
any and all ideas, but NOT that one! We have tried fencing around trees, Louisiana
Hot Sauce, human hair, lights, musical Christmas lights on trees (even in July),
lights with rap music, country music, hard rock, and James Brown music (we can
now sleep through "I Feel Good"). The infestation is so great that none have
worked. 5/18/00.
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Animal Damage Solutions
Disclaimer: WDC seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information
on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to
help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes
only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must
consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in
the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others.
WDC encourages readers to obtain appropriate training (see our informational
literature at our Store ), and understand that proper animal damage
control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works
for every situation or even 100% of the time. Your use of this information is
governed by this understanding.
We welcome potential users of the information
and photos to simply ask for permission via e-mail. Finally, WDC welcomes
e-mail but understand that all e-mails become property of Wildlife Damage Control.
8/6/03
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