living with beavers

I've trapped a lot of muskrats and beaver and I have never seen a 'rat capable of dragging a tree anywhere much less down a "sluce" pipe.

You must have some kinda of powerful 'rats where you live.

About 15 years ago, beavers showed up in a small stream. (They apparently didn't like where they lived before and was looking for new ground.)

They quickly blocked up the stream that went under the road and flooded a bit of land. (Land not really worth much - it was boggy and wet to begin with, but had trees growing on it.)

Not only did they kill the trees they chewed down, but the flooding killed the rest of the trees. They kept building a bigger dam to get more water to back up and the landowner didn't really mind them (I don't think) but didn't want anymore land flooded. What little of the dam he tore down (to let more water out), they quickly built back up.

He ended up letting someone trap them. To this day, the dead trees that were drowned are still there and some brush trees are finally starting to grow again.

Sorry, but unless the beavers are on a big expanse of land that you don't care what they cut down or how much they flood, you are better off having someone come in and trap them.

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

YUP, gaters will eat them. BUT THEY will eat any thing else they get ahold to.
I cant think of any thing that works better than a .300 win mag.

They will rebuild that dam faster than you can get a good nights sleep. They are a big time nuisance here in the southland and our Game and fish commission is OK with zapping them. You can hire pros or do it your self.

Beavers destroy millions of dollars in timber each year by flooding standing timber - not to mention those they girdle. Having to kill them is part of the natural system.

Beavers are NOT cute. Granted, they make
habitat for a whole list of other critters. But
at your expense. Its your place. Do as you
wish. I don't have much patience with them.
They taste good. Eat em all!

I heard of someone that put up a battery powered radio and blasted the beaver with that all nite ear ringing music your kids enjoy. Seems the beavers like peace and quiet too.

I know everyone has to do what is best for their own property and their own situation. I don't think one size fits all. If the beavers are cutting down your heirloom apple trees, flooding out roads, backing up water in your hayfield, I sure do understand the need for their control.

We own a tract of land out in the boondocks. It's a short drive from our farm, a place where we built a cabin-go out there for the isolation. The beavers moved on the land about 6 to 7 years ago, into a swampy bottom, surrounded by woods. Perfect habitat for them. At first I wasn't sure what to think, but then took the time to start watching their construction. Over these years, they have built a series of four, terraced dams that are a remarkable site to behold. The wood-ducks and other wildlife have benefited.

Over this time, I have sat on the banks and watched the beavers. I have really enjoyed those evenings when I have sat along the beaver dams just watching. It has really given me a time for reflection, and joy that I don't get elsewhere. I have watched them build their lodges. The beavers are now used to me, and will swim over to where I sit, and I will give them an apple or two. What a hoot they are. When the momma beaver brings her babies over and they are riding on her tail, it sure is enjoyable to watch. They groom one another, and are highly communicative to each other with their sounds. It truly is a sight to witness, up close and personal. Upon my personal, and long standing observations of the beaver, they sure do work together as a colony, a real good lesson that humans could use.

As far as beavers wasting timber....well, we have personally sold some of the timber off of the tracts of land we own. I could be self-righteous and say, we are managing our timber, doing select cut, rotationally harvesting......but the bottom line is, we have done it for the money. Nothing is wrong with that. Yes, we have taken the money to pay off land, and to do other things with the land, but the trees were still cut. So, if the beaver takes out trees for their habitat (for food, build lodges, dams, etc) on my land, I am not getting too wound up about it. The beavers will never keep up with man's chainsaws, bulldozers, developments, gas well locations, pipelines ... for our own building and prosperity.

So, just giving a different perspective here. I know it's a delicate balance and everyone has to do what's best for their own situation. You can't always paint with a broad brush. Just a different thinking here, not right or wrong. For my situation, the beavers are in a place where they are supposed to be, so I let be. Take care.

Hey, if you cant feel it, then it isnt loud enough. LOL

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http://lownfamilymaplesyrup.com/ max@lownfamilymaplesyrup.com
Professional Tool. 1220 Woodmere Ave,Traverse City, MI. 49686. 231-941-8003. http://professionaltool.com/

Diane:
What a lovely letter. I'm glad you enjoy your flat tailed rodents. As far as enjoying the anticts of wildlife, why limit it to beaver? You could feed deer and rabbits in your vegetable garden, too. After all, since you harvest there, what right do you have fencing them out? I agree with you far as your gready sale of logs, it seems only fair that the beaver ruin the rest of your trees. Otherwise the trees become some sort or renewable resource. Can't have that.
It is a matter of degrees. You can stop them where they are now or you can stop them when they flood all your property. But it is likely that at some point, you'll have to stop them. Some prefer to stop them right away, others find pleasure in watching them kill trees, flood meadow and woodland habitat and spread disease. An alternative and far much less distructive form of rodent watching would be to turn a couple of pet store rats loose in your house. They do the funniest things.
Also, would you mind if I came over and cut me some logs and firewood before the beaver kill them, or would you get wound up over that? Just because you failed (by your admission) to manage your woods before is no excuse not to start managing your land now.

This is just one of the fine examples of what the flat tailed rodents have done to our property. They are everywhere around here, and we are not the only home/landowners with this problem. Just about all of our neighbors are proud owners of their very own beaver pond.

They "moved in" to our place a few years ago, and dammed up a small creek. Now we are stuck with a two acre wasteland of dying trees and nasty water.

Did I mention that they are a protected species in the state of Massachusetts?

So unless you are faced with some potential catastrophic damage to your home (no one here is) from these critters, you're stuck with them.

Sorry, I'm usually pretty nice. I just cannot stand these overgrown toothy rats.

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Living Simply... Or at least making the attempt. Blessed Be.

I'm surprised too. We have muskrats, and aside from digging a couple of holes in the side of the bank, they don't seem to do any damage here at all. I've never seen them carry any sticks. Every now and then I'll see one with a mouthful of plants swimming across (not even as much as you'd eat in a salad), but I always figured they were taking it to their young. I haven't seen any tree damage since the beavers left.

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Melissa
Reformed hoyden. Please forgive me if I relapse.

Haypoint
until Dianne's beavers damage the neighbors property, it's her land & beavers to manage how she chooses. you may disagree & offer arguements or advice. you may have a legal right to belittle her but morally you're being an @$$.

Again, everyone has to do what is best for their situation. Everyone who is or has experienced problems with beavers, I hope you can remedy the problem to protect your property. And to the OP who started this thread, welcome to this forum, it is a nice place to be. I hope you get your beaver problems solved without too much headache.


Pop2 has said what I feel. Hats off to you Pop2!! I'm much obliged!

Haypoint-I don't engage in argumentative behaviors. Whether I meet someone in person, or talk on a forum, I do try to be respectful of everyone's ideas. Even if I don't agree or understand their perspective, I try to shut my mouth and listen. I find that sometimes just by listening, a person learns alot. I sure don't have all the answers.

I made a simple decision to let the beavers move into a swampy bottom, out in the boondocks on my own land. I decided to live with them. That decision may not be popular, or agreeable to some people, but it was right for me. And, since I own the land, the decision is mine. The tract of land I own is in the head of a holler. The beavers are not anywhere close to the boundary line. The beavers would have to travel, a long, long way to reach the adjoining landowner. In the event they would, I would take the necessary steps to remedy the situation. I always try to be a good neighbor.

To Haypoint again, about taking care of my land. Maybe I didn't do a very good job of explaining myself about timbering that has taken place upon tracts of land that I own. I may not do a good job in explaining, but I sure have tried to be a good steward of the land. I own the land, bought and paid for it, nobody is going to take care of it but me. The timber has been managed by a paid Professional Forester. The timber operators have done a pretty good job. We have select cut, rotationally harvested. The areas that have been cut, have been managed that in such a way, can be reharvested in 15 or 20 years, if I want to. I'll have to cross that bridge at a later date.
So, I am caring for the land I own, whether I was able to get that point across or not.

Now, back to those beavers,

My life is taken up with work and the farm. If I choose to have some few moments of enjoyment, on my own property, watching the beavers, well so be it. In my life, I haven't been afforded the opportunity to always make a "warm, fuzzy" decision. If I want to sit on the bank of the beaver dam on my own land, when my work is over, and pitch apples to the beavers, then it's nobody's business but my own. The beaver dam has brought joy to my life, and if life gives me joy, I'll take it.

Everyone has to do what is best for their own land. I respect that. I would never tell someone what to do on their own land. Nature is a balance. Beavers are a nuisance in some areas. I fully understand that they must be dealt with. I guess I am just glad, some areas can accomodate them. I guess, everything has its place.

Pops2 and DianeWV: Sorry you took offense to my opinion. I was reacting to my experience with these distructive pests and the fact that I too once thought that I could live at peace with these animals. I enjoyed the dams they built on my property. While flooding out habitat for the showshoe hares and sharp-tail grouse, they provided habitat for several specie of waterfowl. Once they have cleared out the trees in the area, avoiding tag alder (the ones I'd most like to be rid of) I was surprised that they'd travel 100 yards to the beautiful grove of white birch I'd planted and cared for the previous 15 years. By the time I discovered them, it was too late. Eventually they moved both up stream and down. Mosquitos and black flies that hatch in the remaining shallow ponds present health risks and ruin sunsets walks along the meadows.
A half mile up stream, just 100 yards west of my woodlot's property line, a new dam was developed. Over the past ten years, the beaver have flooded 20 acres of Maple, Oak, Spruce, Birch and Aspen. Hundreds of these dead trees, standing in the shallow backwaters, show witness to the distruction of habitat the beaver do. After a decade of dam building and tree girdling, they have moved onto my property. While the actual dam is on the very edge of my land, my trees are dying due to the flooding. Many spruce, 6" diameter, 20 feet tall are now dead and the beauty of this once healthy forested land is gone. The prospect of managed harvest of mature trees is gone.
I once shared your "live and let live" aproach. But with 30+ years of experience, I've had to adopt a more realistic view. On this site, I often read about folks that are trying to make it on the land, generally with too few workable acres. I believe that if you make the best use of all your land you stand a better chance of remaining on the land. My focus is on those trying to raise their own food and preserve their land. There is another group that enjoy this site. That group has enough disposable income to create a farm-like setting, but don't depend on the fruits of their labors. Farming economics isn't a factor for these folks. They enjoy the fresh air and clean living that the rural lifestyle provides. Perhaps I should put a list together (Jeff Foxworthy style) " You might be a Rural Yuppy....." 'cause there is a big difference between those throwing apples to the beaver and those eating beaver with a side of applesause, while wondering if they can market enough logs to cover this year's property taxes. We make decisions based on our experiences and what we can afford to do. Many on this site cannot afford your expensive entertainment. Glad you can. Sorry if I offended you, just the view's a bit different from the cheap seats.

I'm thinking that the ability to enjoy the beavers is more about the lay of the land than the income of the land-owner.

My land had a swampy bottom that was useless to me.
Now it's a rather magnificent pond - and it cost me $ZERO$.
Protecting it as a wetland means we get a small income from it now, & that helps pay the taxes.

When it comes to managing land, - raping it to squeeze out every penny is not the only option. Good stewardship can be profitable, as well.

Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder.
:c ute:

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Hut on the Hill Farm
http://www.hutonthehill.org

it wasn't what you said but the way you said it.
i personally vote for consumptive use of the rodents while leaving seedstock. making pets of them puts them at greater risk when they disperse, it hampers their survival instincts & will make them more likely to be a pest. BUT it's dianes beavers to do with as she see fit until they cause problems for the neighbors.
your post came across as belittling & imperious.
i personally am getting tired of people trying to tell others how to run their lives, it's the root source of groups like PETA & Handgun Control Inc.

Our beaver stopper:



Clear both sides of the creek and they'll leave. How do I know? We've had to do this with 1/2 mile of branch that runs through our farm (still have places to finish, that are currently beaver wastelands). Makes some beautiful soil though, and great flat hayland.

Having a bad day haypoint? I feel for you if you are struggling to get by, but that's no reason to be rude.

Pete