MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

I've been living here for about 5 years. When I bought my place we had a swamp that was made by beavers about 15-20 yrs before us. Now somebody has trapped the beavers (8) and now my 2 1/2 mile long is about 200 yds long 50' wide and draining fast. Man, the ecological impact will be terrible!! It wouldn't nothing to see 5-6 different flocks of geese and ducks a day hit this area during the migration season. Now I probably won't see another one after long. Dag burn it, we had 2 BALD EAGLES flying high now they will probably leave with the rest of the food chain. I can't face the thought of all of it going away!! Man all my fish, turtles all my animals. What I like to do to who ever done this. Some people just don't add up all the factors before they do something stupid like this. This just takes away alot of why I bought this farm, and most of its character and my dreams. What kind of punk would do this. It serves no purpose to take them out. That land is/was swamp no building or roads or homes were no where near or at risk. Dag burn it, almost makes me want to scream, cry, get drunk and,and,and Sorry punk, big lip, no count useless piece of crap. Now what do you do????
Just had to get it out there. Watch your land close some people will destroy it just for the heck of it.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

Oh boy firstbow are you mad!
i have a few on my lease's that would thrill you . they will be full of ducks soon. saw a few the other day. but you know i wish they would do the same thing they did to yours to one of mine. dang pesky beavers took some of the best bottoms and turned them into a swamp. i used to could see two hundred yards in some spots.
the reason they did that to your swamp was because a landowner was losing valuable land that could be growing money producing timber. i can't say i blame them i am going to execute a few beavers myself and love every second of it. i hate them rodents. they have killed oh.. a few dollars worth of our timber. so our war is on.
anyway you apperently loved your swamp i'm sorry for your loss. hey send me some live traps and i'll send you some beavers free. you pay freight! deal?

SOUTH ARKANSAS REBEL

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RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

Its like this the owners I spoke with yesterday about it said they didn't know about it and didn't really mind it. We tried to keep them thinned down some what, about 2 a year. just to maintain the water level. I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the wildlife here!! From what I gathered it was a soggy bottom and was pretty useless before. I understand the damage the big tooth varmit could do but, I also saw the benefits gained by the varmits. EX> when the drought hit here this year the water was plentiful for all animals. Yea they chew up and spit out a little money tree here and there but was it worth destroying the rest of the animals depending on that water!! The 2 other farmers here didn't mind them and its their land also up to water line. Most of it was MINE! It may be childish the way I feel but it was my land that most of the water covered. I feel like its the same punks thats been shooting the deer here and leave them lay.
FirstBow

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

call the local DNR and let them know you'd be interested in takeing some beavers that need to be relocated.

Hurry up and wait.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

If it is your land, the DNR may help you get a few more. They are very destructive to timber, girdling and killing hardwoods, backing water up on pines and killing them, and cutting down and eating young timber. A fellow with one of the timber companies told me he shot 23 a couple of weeks ago. They will destroy one area and often move up or downstream and repeat the process.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

timbercruiser and bruce_smith60 yes, most (90%) is my land and the ajoining land is farmers that I know well. We have talked and they had nothing to do with this, so they say, I believe them. Time now is against me along with the coming elements. Today the swamp is down so far that the time for it to recover will be long. The heavy rains we've had over the last several days over come the dam and washed most of away. The amount of fish I just found just alittle while ago is devastating and made me about puke. It just makes me sick.
I have some family in Chatham Co. that are bringing me 4 beavers this weekend (Friday) they have trapped recently but the damage is done.
DNR will take a few days to send someone to evaluate the area before they would deliver is the way I understood them this morning. I'm still going to let them come but, as I said the damage is already done.
It hurts my heart. Its not just me you see, we have the church youth group that comes here regularly to spend time just to watch these geese come and go. It absolutely blows some of them away to see real nature at its finest, live, not on TV. They come here to fish, hunt, and campout here. This has been going on for the last 3 years. My family and I took over 2 years to get this area clear enough to do these things for the kids man. Alot of them look foward to "Mr.Tony's Outback Retreats". Its not 10,000 acres of prime land but 60-65 acres of swamp water that backs up to 121 acres hard woods and fields covers alot of area when stetched out.
It just hurts, really hurts my heart. <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>
FirstBow

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RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

It has been discussed and added into all the factors of placement. Just as they might still leave or make another dam farther up stream. Just as placement of any animal into a different enviroment could upset the balance. I have not been told that I couldn't take this action. I will ask today. I'm sure there are measures that I will have to take before we release them. Now what would you do? Just let it go? I will take all precautions given to me by a friend at NCSU. If she says NO this morning then NO it will be. I am trying to do whats best for all, thanks to suggestions of friends family and people like yourself. What else can I do, I can't just let it all die off with out a fight.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

If the relocated beavers take to the area it won't take long before the swamp is back to the way it was before as long as you get sufficient rain to fill the pond. I've never read anything about how well beavers relocate to a specific area.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

FirstBow get a backho and make a man made dam. That mite help keep the water in the same place as before. We do alot of that in texas for our stock ponds.

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

I understand the frustration, but a good Cat beats a beaver any day. If the Cat is a D9. Seriously have you checked with the water resources board? Here in Oklahoma they will come out and tell you most anything you want to know about having a dam. They might even &quot;give a dam&quot;.

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RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

BowNC and all, I thank you for your support and suggestions. As far as backhoe's and dozer work, the thought has crossed my mind. Even bringing in a crane dragging up my own trees and becoming,
&quot;BEAVER DAM MAN&quot;<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>, concrete and rebar, radar and sonar<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Sometimes under stress and disappointment you can over think and over compensate. I think I'll try to use it to my advantage and clear some of the bottom trees and floaters and put in a small docking pier while the water is down. I couldn't do it before but now, oh well, what the yee hi! Check this out... we ready to release 4 new builders yesterday and BAM!!! guess what we saw... 3 small ones yes I said 3!
Sometimes you just over look things but, it still doesn't make the problem go away. Those little guys have their work cut out for them,
cutout, get it? It is a rather large dam to me, about 200 yds wide and 10-15' tall. Some spots we found dropped of closer to 20'. So it may take awhile for the little guys to rebuild. In the mean time its holding steady at 12' water level drop. We decided not to introduce the new family of builders thinking it may cause more damage than good when we saw the others.
Still, people need to respect other people property and think about the consequences before they act on nature!!! We also found 3 clap traps that I turned over to the game warden. I told him if he found the owners that I will press charges for tresspassing and anything else he sees fit!!!
FirstBow

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

AHHHHH firstbow sat. afternoon i was watching across my SWAMP and was watching a doe ease through it on her way to our pastures to feed and though &quot;poor firstbow doesnt a swamp anymore&quot;. it is most pleasant this time of year to visit the swamp , well........ if you have a swamp!
i see some talk of cat d9's i would love to watch one bury up in this swamp. it's a bad swamp old gooey gumbo mud that don't have a bottom. bad stuff i am looking for a small flat bottom boat to get around in it.
oh firstbow if you weren't so far away i would let you play in it for a while!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

SOUTH ARKANSAS REBEL

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

soarkrebel, you wouldn't rub it in would you.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> If you weren't so far away I'd come over and play. And I would let you use my 10' lowes boat so you could skid around out there. Thats was my transporter around this swamp. Now its hipwaders and pat and turner. We saw a flock of canadaian geese saturday loop around and land in what is left of the water. Mine has the ol' green goop to. But usually its just during the summer months. But still clear for the most. An old spring creek feeds this sweetheart of a swamp. Nice to now you was thinking about us up here in Caroline. I'll be thinkin' 'bout ya'll next time I load up my swamp skidder<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

I sure could have used that boat sat evening. a doe was in the swamp about 100 yards and i really wanted some meat. but i didnt feel like swimming. i mean i was already wet from the rain but i didnt want her bad enough to go in deep.
you know i was talking to one of hunters from texas tonight about that swamp. he wants to hunt it this weekend . i have two big swamps actually. the other that i didnt go to this weekend is actually better for deer.
anyway i will stop throwing salt.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

SOUTH ARKANSAS REBEL

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

Well, its happening. Mother nature will prevail!
The ol'swamp level is up about a foot. Yes! Rain,rain,rain.
I went out yesterday just to see, got a good feeling on the way.
Had 2 flocks (about 25-30) canadian geese in perfect formation make a loop. I got out at the swamp and they came around the second time and man they were so close you could feel and hear the air as the pasted. SO SWEET. I took off back to the house grabbed the kids and went back. We just watched awhile and listened, what a feeling, its so good. Then I cut my St. bernards lose and off the birds flew. What a trip.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
A HAPPY FirstBow

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

FirstBow,
Don't let SOARK get you too upset. He lives in the swamp. believe he's a &quot;Certified Ouachita (WASH-E-TAW) River Rat&quot;. He just don't know no better. But, he's about to move to Hot Springs where there IS no swamp.

Glad yours is back.

&quot;Size isn't important, but it HELPS!!!&quot;

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

OH sooner you is a hard flatlander! i have moved to the ouachita mountains now. AHHH i can look out the window and ten ft away from my deck are woods . it is awesome right now the colors!
But at least it's not as windy here as it is oklahoma.
OH first bow today i had to return to ouchita county for a dentist drilling session and afterwards know what i did? i went and checked things on the happy hunting grounds. and yes i went to my swamp!pesky little beavers built me a dam by my stand.
you know they are such good builders that there dams make good 4 wheeler crossings.
And sooner i was never a ouachita river rat! the water in the camden and el dorado area is dangerous in my opinion. i think it is contaminated with all kinds of trash. pretty river but i won't swim in it and sure won't eat fish out of it. they have mercury warnings about it.
the city water systems have a hard time keeping good water..well they have never had good water. enough chlorine to bleach you.and most times it is brown coming out of the faucet.
now hot springs water is like bottled spring water coming out of the faucet. it comes from the ouachita before it is contaminated!

SOUTH ARKANSAS REBEL

RE: MY SWAMP IS GONE!!!!
 

Its good, a little salt that is. Keeps your blood pumpin.
I know how them southern arkansas swamp frogs are. Yep, I just checked me'olswamp shes up another 6&quot;. They run dogs around here today. My boys said they didn't see nothing. Me either. But' I'll be taken that 10' lowe boat headed across that swamp thing monday morning AHHHH soarkrebel, I'll be thinkn' about you when I'm crossing my swamp nice, quiet and dry, yup sure is nice to have a little boat like that it sure comes in handy for hard to get to places. Know what I mean?[D:]
FirstBow