phishook

I do some landscaping and mowing for a large company, and they have a beavers. One of the guys there has asked if I wanted to hunt them a few times and I've always said no. I just wouldn't have a clue where to start.

So let me have it, tell me like I'm 5yrs old. What do they eat? Where do they live? What equipment should I have? What if they attack me? Hey, all I know is they chew on tree's and have a big flap for a tail.

phishook

hmm, you guys must know as little as I do.


I really don't want to blunder through this hunt like an idiot.

jerseyhunter

Your better off trapping them so you don't ruin the pelt. But a 22 through the head won't degrade it much. They are vegetarians and love willows and poplar. You would have a better chance setting some traps and rigging them up to a drowning cord. But thats my opinion. Maybe search the internet till you find the info you need. If you don't know how to trap them, how are you going to handle the pelt after you harvest them? I hope you don't plan on letting the pelts go to waste.

drgildy

First go to a trapper supply place and get yourself some snares and ask them how to set them. They are relatively easy to snare by hanging the snare in their runs. The pelts are not worth much now but the meat is pretty good if you remove as much fat as you can and then roast them. Oh yes be sure that you gut them and remove the hide.he he he heh. They are strict vegetarians so I doubt that they will attack you. I have trapped many of them in the past and never found one that would attack. Just walk up to them if they are still alive and tap them on the end of the nose with a stout stick and they are dead.

young_gun

i was talkin to a trapper at my girlfriends house, doing the same thing trapping beavers and he told them to shoot them if they see them but that they should really be using higher powerd rifles than a 22 because they can get shot quite a bit and sink to the bottom and still be alive. but he had a special kind of snare that was right at there entrance and just below the water so the dogs wouldnt get caught, and after that they havent seen any.

mez

If you want to hunt them sit along the water on a moonlit night and they are very easy to see swimming around. They are much more active at night than in the day. Look for areas on the bank where they are chewing on trees and there should also be fresh "slides" where they are exiting and entering the water. When you find an area with recent activity sit and wait. They are very good at seeing movement so be careful. It doesn't matter what you shoot them with, they sink fairly fast after being shot. If you want the pelts you need to shoot them on the bank, otherwise they will sink never to be seen again. They are a very passive animal, don't worry about them attacking you.

Pesky Critters

Phishook

Before you do anything, Check the laws in your state on beaver.
In Maryland, it is illegal to shoot a beaver. It's, also, in 7 counties illegal to use a snare.
Beaver are fairly easy to trap. I use a no.#4,mb650 or mb750 leg hold attached to a drowning cable with a one way slide. That is the easy part. It took me over 2 hours to skin, flash and stretch my first beaver. Find a local trapper. Most will be willing to help you. [ If you don't know of a trapper call your D.N.R. they can help you find one.]
I'm a Nuisance Wildlife Control Cooperator, Hunters Safety Instructor and a Natural Resources Police Reserve Officer in Maryland. And I do hunt and trap. No way would I shoot a beaver in or near water. Not only does it damage the hide. But it is very dangerous. Bullets will ricochet off water. A 22 bullet can travel over a mile. A higher powered rifle? who knowns? You may hurt or kill some one.
Safety First!!!

phishook

hmm. Maybe I'll just go diving, and try to wrestle them into a big sack.
JK

Thanks. Keep the info coming.

Thinking about calling a guy up, and see if he wants to take a look at it with me.

Pesky Critters

Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha,. Good Luck.

James White

Phishook,

Have money will travel ...lol