First hand experience up North in Yellownife, NWT spring 1997. A first nation hunter shot a large beaver in the head with a .22 rifle. There was a strip of open water between the ice and the shore of about 100' and the beaver was floating... dead.
I stopped my truck, got out with my pregnant wife and my faithful chocolate lab. I assessed the situation and decided to send my dog to fetch the animal. She swam around it for what seems to me 2 minutes, sniffing, not sure if it was to be trusted... sure did not smell like a duck to her nose!
Finally she picks it up and swam back to us. We pulled this 50 lbs beaver out of the water for the old hunter. He could not believe that our dog could fetch it nor did his wife!
My old dog passed away last year, and I am still telling my 9 year old daughter that story once in a while to remind her on how special that dog was�
A dead beaver does not sink...too much fat said the old Indian hunter.
