I broke their main dam (they had three main dams on one-half mile of creek, with up to three "check" or down-stream dams at each main dam) four times myself with loader - spent hours. Yes, I figured out how they did it. But What took me two to three hours to do with the loader (I was only working on their main dam),
they built back overnight!
Next I lowered their pond water level and installed a "Pond Leveller" in an attempt to "Live-With-Them". That didn't work, they figured it out and blocked it.
I Even Constructed A "Level Control Pipe System" to let them stay, yet not flood our field - didn't work - they figured it out.
Then we hired a bigger back-hoe three times, within a week - back again!
Next a huge tracked back-hoe was working on the neighbours Quarter Section, he came over and dug two huge creek - alternatives, we paid "big bucks" for this big "hoe". Then their main pond dried, because of the digging and the driest years - as mentioned above.
Then we paid for a D-7 cat to clear both sides of the creek, remove four other now unused houses, and about six secondary house, and lots of "runs". The cat then cleared and "broke" the surrounding land with a breaking plow, and/or breaking disc, and ditched the creek.
Sure we got some good land from their fertile 5 to 10 acre main pond. And we got rid of some bad looking dead trees (that about three years ago where huge beautiful poplar trees - that they killed and made look like swamp land - which is what our whole Quarter was heading for).
They are gone - only due to the dry weather. If we hadn't taken the trees - poplar and willow away - they would come back when the water came back next year.
Beaver Pond Now, Cleared, Piled, Ready for Burning!
Nice Ditch-Creek (Which Has Not Dried In 45 Years - Until This Year) , We Will Farm Right Up To The Ditch-Creek No Beavers!
Alex