Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Beaver eradication help??

Got plenty of 140 grain Berger VLD hunting bullets loaded up but am thinking I would do better with the 12 gauge and some, maybe, coyote loads for the beaver. Will likely have to shoot them while swimming ....... thinking it will be very unlikely to catch them sitting still for the 260 rifle. I know I could develop a better rifle load but it is hardly worth the effort. They attempted to invade some 12 or so years ago. We killed 2 of them and had not seen them again until now. They are building a "home" in the 3.5 acre pond and a log dam across the stream a ways down below the pond dam. The beaver dam has potential to flood a good size bottom that we have better uses for, other than a beaver pond.

I will take the rifle and shot gun and wait for them late in the afternoon. What shell would you get for the shot gun, size shot etc, and do you think the Berger 140 VLD hunting bullet will just pencil through without expanding? How would you approach this pest elimination project.

Buckshot or trap them.

Spotlight and buckshot. Done it a bunch of times.

most states prohibit you f'n with a lodge, but dams are open season.

Mid day, go out and wreck a damn. Do it so the water level upstream drops noticeably.

Before nightfall go out with a 12 gauge and a spotlight and wait near the dam.

shortly after dusk bobby and belinda beaver will venture forth to see WTF is going on.

When they do, put the kyatus on them.

Note, kyatus (pronounced like its spelled) is an official term for shotgunning beavers.

There's a couple of new FoxPro sounds that call beavers really well.

Either one would be an excellent choice!

Hundred dollar bills rustling, or credit card swiping at Neiman Marcus.



Aside from that, conibear traps work really well.

Sounds like an adventure.

Buckshot or good goose loads will work just fine. As above, tear a hole in the damn and get in position just before dark.
A backhoe can be helpful!

My preferred beaver eliminator is my 22 Hornet with a 6x40 scope. Good low light performance and plenty of cartridge. I've hit swimming beaver without any trouble, they aren't all that fast.

Hit a beaver with 140 grains out of a 260 and expansion won't matter!

Some excellent suggestions here. I will be beaver hunting now. Thanks.

17 wsm is pretty effective as well. Though either of the ones you mentioned will work. I'd stick with #4 buck in the shotgun though for pattern density as well as getting through the hide. They're also pretty active early in the morning also. Good luck they can be a PITA.

Will their eyes reflect light like a deer or coyote?

Do the eyes of a beaver reflect light like deer and coyote do?

no. beavers eyes do not reflect light.

My grandfather used to have an old stash of dynamite that he used on beaver dams (many years ago). Not advocating, but wondering what a pound or two of tannerite would do?

Bear country, used cooking oil on dam and lodge, is supposed to work quite well. Bear will tear it apart to get at oil.

tannerite ???? hummmmm.

no luck finding any yet.

Midway, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, Academy Sports, ...
https://tannerite.com/

My buddy used about five pounds of tannerite on a beaver dam. It blew the fugk out of the dam. And I'm pretty sure it took a couple flat tails with it.

A farmer got a nuisance permit when I was a kid. I recall #4's working very well and CCI Stingers working even better.

Of course the 330 conibear is practically poison but not nearly as fun.




Dave

no luck finding the BEAVERS. May resort to a tannerite experiment for the fun of it..