Two nights this week I happened to see what I assume are beavers in the cameras monitoring my wood duck boxes. My pond is about 1 acre and is 3 1/2 years old. Both duck boxes have female wood ducks setting on a dozen or so eggs. The images show the IR camera at the top and the same camera during the day at the bottom. Below the images is a link to live video from Camera 3. That beaver made the same pattern over and over for an hour or so: It spent about one or two minutes on the bank, then paddled off to the left out of the field of view and then immediately returned to the same spot on the bank. This morning I checked both locations and could find no holes or damaged vegetation.

I have a friend coming tomorrow to help set out some traps, but I sure would like an opinion on exactly what the beaver is doing in its repetitive pattern.

Camera 1: Beaver on left of image partially covering the white irrigation pipe.


Camera 2: Beaver just to the left of the predator guard on the box.


Here is the link to the video of Camera 3:
http://s823.beta.photobucket.com/user/Fa...99aa03.mp4.html

The video looks like there is some activity just as the beaver nears the bank, but that is a compression artifact and is not present in the original video.

I am assuming that this activity is probably occurring at other locations on the pond, and that I just happened to catch these because they were near the duck boxes that I am monitoring. The interior cameras indicated that neither of the setting females was at all concerned with the activity.

Looks like beav is checking out the PVC pipe to me. Is there water flowing thru it or is one end stuck into the pond where a water noise would travel up the pipe?

Any way the trapping only prevents future problems in my opinion. Little fellows destroyed a neighbored pond here a while back. Plugged the drain pipe while he was out of town and caused a blowout.

It could be getting mud to help build whatever it's building. Is there a dam or a beaver house on the pond?

I'd be very tempted to be laying on the bank where the camera is positioned with a .223.

The water is turned off until the weather warms up. And they don;t have any openings in the water. I did look closely at the pipes in both places, and can find no damage to them. They are two-inch PVC with pretty thick walls.

No beaver dam or other beaver structure that I have seen. I would not even know they were present except for the cameras on the wood ducks.

I am in the city limits, so I'm nervous about a rifle. I guess I could get out my 410, but the only hiding area is on the dock where the cameras are between 100 and 150 feet away.

If you're in the city, then throwing lead is a no-no, and too noisy to boot. 100-150 feet? Crossbow would work. Either that or search around for a nusiance trapper.

Google beaver castor mound set.

This is the time of year when the beavers run off last years babies. Maybe they are just passing through. Good luck.

I love the crossbow idea. Now i just hope the camera is on when that happens.

Otto

It's illegal but a Green Beret friend of my dad's once offered to show me how to make a silencer for my .22. I declined but perhaps that is an option?

Cecil, it's no longer illegal in Texas. You do have to pay a $200 fee.

Tell that to the criminals!

My next door neighbor, who is pretty expert on wildlife subjects, came to take a look this morning. He couldn't find any evidence of damage or even any evidence that a beaver had been there. He suggested watching the camera a few more nights to see if the beaver shows a pattern. If so, then he could set a trap.

I sure understand how beaver damage can slip up on a person. If not for the cameras, I would not even know they were around.

The city limits line runs right along my property line about 50 yards away. I'm not too worried about the noise or anyone reporting me. I just worry a little about a bullet ricocheting off the water. The nearest neighbor in that direction is about a 1/4 mile away. Pretty small chance of harm, but probably not zero. The crossbow idea sounds interesting. That could lead to a whole new obsessive hobby.

Thanks. Those videos were fascinating. I guess trapping is a lot more complicated than I ever knew.

Dave:

Still illegal in Texas to make one unless you have the correct license. Plus pay the $200 fee for each one you own.

Cecil, I know how to make them too, but without good metalworking tools, the ones that you can make probably affect accuracy unless you are up close and personal.


You can search the internet to find books and "how to's" and it's legal to have the books. But don't get caught with one that isn't registered.

Dang Scott, no way I would let the Feds know that I was making cans.

My point is that we can now buy and use them and just pay the fee.

The possession, manufacture, or sale of a firearm silencer is permitted in Michigan under MCL 750.224(1)(b) if the person is licensed or approved to possess, manufacture, or sell such a device by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as required by MCL 750.224(3)(c). Possession, manufacture, or sale of a firearm silencer by an unlicensed or unapproved person is a felony, punishable by up to five years imprisonment under MCL 750.224(2).

Meaning,
we can just go and buy one from a dealer/mfg with the proper credentials, and the person is approved to own one. Same 200.00 per silencer tax.

Dave....I have a pellet gun I bought for squirrels getting in my attic at my old house. It's really quiet. If you hit a beaver in the head with it do you think it would kill it?

Squirrel Pellet Rifle

Zep, within 20 yds probably. 30 yds maybe. Aim between the ear and eye, if they are in the water, it'll be dang hard - you'll have to hit them right at the water line.

Silencers or cans are legal to have on air rifles without any BATF paperwork or tax. If they were the threaded on kind, then it might get kind of sketchy. The BATF could say that it would be possible to remove it and put it on a firearm.

Mark, that thing will do a good job. I'm using some 22 calibris that have no powder or as they put it "sans poudre". I got 4 squirrels in my back yard a couple of weeks ago.

I have not seen the beaver in videos since the original night. Maybe they were just passing through.

The wood ducks in one box fledged day before yesterday, and those in the second box fledged today. The ones today were unusual in that several male woodies were hanging around the box when the babies jumped. One of the babies even got confused and tried to follow the male.

Not all beavers damn up water, I think.

I want to say there's a type of beaver called a "Bank Beaver." They do cut down trees, but don't make log-jam type damns. Perhaps they don't make damns at my pond as the pond is already filled.

Mostly come out at night at my pond.

I've never heard of a bank beaver before I always thought it depended on the beaver, and the enviorment they are making a home in as too what kind of den they made. I've seen beavers in the river below our house dig under the bank and I've also seen the lodge type of den but I'm really not sure maby there is another type of beaver, and I just never heard of it.

I have a creek that runs around my pond. We had beavers maybe 20 years ago, then they disappeared. They've reappeared over the last couple years and have dammed up the creek pretty good. So good there's algae in a lot of places along the creek. Something I've never seen before. Because of the close proximity to my pond, is it advisable, if possible, to destroy this dam? I kind of want to just for the sake of the creek's health.

Omaha, I found this on the web. Even though the article's origin is Canadian, it's makes some sense:

Destruction of beaver dams alone is not recommended, as it does nothing to make the area unattractive for beavers. If you destroy the dam without eliminating the beaver they will rebuild, often starting the same day. They will use some new trees for repairs and this may accelerate the damage you were trying to stop in the first place. If you remove the beaver and destroy the dam perhaps other beavers will move into the attractive site. If this is the approach you will take prepare to be vigilant.


I too have a creek running near my pond but I've seen no new beaver activity (no fresh cut trees, etc.) and no new dams. My problem is the dens that were made in my pond as I've discussed in a different post.

I believe there's also only two types of beaver, North American and European who inhabit ponds, rivers and creeks, etc. If yours have limited themselves to the creek, your lucky!

I'm just glad my beaver apparently was passing through. Haven't seen it in about a month.

I've had two briefly and both were run over by cars due to the highway next to the pond.

They are easier to trap if you bust a hole in the dam and set traps there. They come to the area to fix it.