Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Intro & Dam Critters

Wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and our property.

Last summer my wife & I became co-owners (slaves?) of 50 acres with 8 acres of water (out of a 10 acre Lake). This property was acquired jointly with my son and his family and is located West of Tyler, TX. We had looked at a lot of property for more than 2 years and when this became available we immediately jumped on it as we felt finding property with a 1 - 2 acre pond would the best we could hope for, and this far exceeded our desires. Soon after closing, the adjoining 12 acres with the remaining 2 acres of lake became available, and after a long 7 months I recently closed on this property using the Texas Veterans Land Board. We're now the proud owners of a 10 acre lake in the middle of 62 acres. Did I say I was Lucky?

Most of the land was grown up (4 - 5 feet) in Coastal and briars and we have been working with the USDA Conservation Service and will be planting loblolly pines in the winter of '09. The lake itself is spring fed and since it is over 50 years old, it has its problems with trees grown up on the dam and some erosion from overflowing. One of our immediate problems is the Dam Critters. We put out game cameras at what must be one of the most active spots on the dam as we have recorded beavers, nutria, coyote, a bobcat, deer, skunks, rats, coons and armadillos. The biggest problem is the Dam Beavers as they have cut down or girdled many trees, some as big as 30 inches in diameter. The very worst aspect is their holes along the dam and one very active slide that has cut into the dam's face by about 4 feet deep. Beavers are no longer welcome here!

Here are some photos: http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj48/outdoors57/?albumview=slideshow

Our plans are to locate our office and our homes to this piece of paradise within the next couple of years. Did I say I was Lucky?

Welcome, Lucky Larry. Sounds like you have found the land of your dreams. Congratulations. If we can be of help, just say the word. Need help with the beavers? Need help with the fishery?
If so, Pond Boss is the best.

Yep, the beavers need to go. Also, picture 14 shows some vegetation that could turn into a problem.

Welcome LL to the PB Forum. Great looking property. The beaver and nutria need to go and the holes/slides fixed.

I have had a lot of experience with beaver incursions and have both trapped and shot them. My 3 acre pond is just upstream of
a large reservoir (8000 acre) with an estimated beaver population of 5000 in the watershed) and every year or two there are beavers spreading upstream into my pond and doing damage.
You can shoot them early in the AM or at dusk but if there are very many or if you miss they are quick to learn what a menace you are and become terribly wary.
I have had my best luck trapping them with conibear traps. Use #330 traps. You can buy them online along with attractant scent ( from the beavers' castor glands). I usually make small mounds, around 6" high and a foot in diameter at the waters' edge and smear some castor gland extract on the mound. This imitates the way beavers mark their territory. By moving sticks and brush, and with a small amount of shovel work I create a small channel in the shallow water leading to the mound. I place the conibear trap so that it is set in the channel. You can also
find the paths the beavers follow by looking. After they have been in the same spot for a while you can identify their paths in the shallow water and over the dam etc. You can intercept these paths by setting a conibear trap in them. I usually react quickly to beavers because I live on my pond and have valuable trees as part of my landscape. I can't wait for the beavers to start making trails or they will have destroyed my trees,so I bait them. Also, the state trappers take about 4-6 months to respond to requests for animal control and by that time no telling how much damage would have been done.
Beavers are very good to eat, both the backstrap, tendereloin and the haunches. It is like a cross between pork and domesticated rabbit. I have often eaten my game. There is ample online info on how to procede by googling "trapping", "beaver trapping" etc.

Dave, are you speaking about the brown film on the water in Picture #14. I don't know what this is, and any input would be appreciated. It is only in the incoming creek area and does not seem to be in the Lake itself. It has now been there for 8 months ( July through February), which is when we first bought the property. I don't know if it there all year long. It is just on the surface and is small particles and it does not seem to have any growth.

Layton, I hope I don't have to reach the experience level that you have achieved. Right now, we seem to be making some headway with a deer rifle and a powerful spot light just after dark. We did notify the local game warden, just to make sure that he knows we're not spotlighting deer. The beavers that we have shot were swiming from their hut on the dam, going across the lake. When you use the traps, are you actually setting the traps in the water? If so, what water depth? Do you get other animals in the traps?

Thanks for the slide show. You've got more Dam critters than anybody else on the forum.

Larry, I'm not sure what I'm seeing. Is it a film or is it plant life? It looks red in the last 4 pics. Vegetation isn't necessarily bad. However, some of it can get out of hand pretty quickly. Each small particle is actually a plant. I'm not a plant whiz but others here are. See if you can get a closeup of it and the others. Post them and someone ought to be able to ID them.

I set the traps in the water, usually in about 3-4" and away from the water's edge. I have not caught anything but beavers in my traps. Dogs, coyotes, coons etc would most likely investigate the castor mounds I make from the land side and not approach from the water side like a beaver does. Beavers raise their families of 3-6 young and they hang around a year or so before the parents drive them off. I don't know how densely beavers will populate a larger pond like yours but there may be more than you think. One year I trapped 6 out of my 3 acre pond which I feel pretty sure constituted a family. Average weight of those I have trapped is about 40lbs. Big one=55-60lbs. It is hard to know when you have trapped or shot them all. If there are some trails on the land you can sprinkle flour across them and look for fresh tracks. This is easier than looking for fresh damage all around the lake.