Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping GETTING RID OF BEAVERS

In my state we cannot use leg hold or body gripping traps, only box traps. Is there any way to attract beaver into a box trap, or get them to come out so they can be shot? I can't get to the dam.

Can you use snares?
Can you use bait to attract them?


Where there's a will, there's a way. But beavers are smart, and wise up very quickly when under pressure.

the only thing we are allowed to use in Wash, are box traps

When you say "box traps," do you mean a live trap like a Havahart? Or can you use drowning traps, sometimes referred to as "colony" traps?

There are live traps for beaver, check out Northern, or F&T, or Bailey's in NH. The Hancock trap is a real monster, expensive, and could catch a small child. I don't understand why outlaw the traps that are only dangerous for the beaver? Sorry, not to rant, just use caution as always.

SSS.

Does your county have a trapper employed by the State or County to eradicate pests? If they do they can help you. If they don't and its your land the problem is on then use a trap designed to live trap beaver.

Beaver move around a lot a night in my reservoir and I usually have no luck trying to get one just swimming by. Happens once in awhile but not often.

I'm really not surprised you have a Beaver problem.

I like Beavers and only try to get rid of them when we no longer get along...

It happens.
LOL!

flooded timber is a real nitemare---trees take a lot longer to grow than beavers.--cranky72

I think you could get smaller beaver to go into a large cage trap in the spring by using a castor type lure on a mudpie at the rear of the trap. YOu won't know for sure unless you try it. In the spring beaver are traveling everywhere and marking out territories. They are very sensitive to other beaver in their territory.

I have a serious beaver problem. I have discovered two large tunnels in one of my dams, one I found by my tractor tire collapsing it yesterday, the other when I went looking for the entrance.

I have trapped one with a Conibear 330 in a place they have used to travel in and out of, and shot one, but there are obviously more as they have been "improving" their dam the last few days.

I need some help with instructions on getting rid of these things before I have serious structural problems with the dam.

Thanks,

Ed

other than traps, which someone with more moxy will have to give you advice on, I've always went in the morning and wrecked the crap out of their dam.

Then went back just before dusk with a shotgun and a light.

Bring bug spray - and a buddy.

Moonlight helps some, as you can see the ripples reflecting in the water to help you know when they are coming.

Of course, all local laws regarding lights and night hunting apply.....

If it were my property I would just use some #4 legholds and 330 Conibears. They represent the only viable means of removing beaver in any #'s. The he11 with such a ridiculous law. Option #2 is to move to a state that is still free.

That's how I managed to shoot the one. The others got smart REAL quick and they only come out late at night.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm still looking...

Ed

I forgot to mention it was an all nighter...

Who needs sleep anyway.

Still hoping someone can point me to a website or provide some tactics to use this late in the year that doesn't include me sitting in the dark, trying to decide whether to shoot the cottonmouths and copperheads or wait for the beavers.

Ed

beavers are nocturnal, friend with a good light & a decent caliber like 257 roberts or a 6.5 mm. lots of times you only see a nose so you shoot low thru a little water to blow them up. explosives on their dams are allowed for government trappers in okie land.--cranky72

.32-20 with a hard cast 110gr RNFP at around 1600fps worked well on my first one.

The dams aren't quite to the explosives stage yet, but I HAVE considered pumping propane into one of the tunnels and touching it off ala the "Rodenator" for prairie dogs.

Ed

Ed if you were up North you could pour used peanut oil on the lodge and the Brown Bears will take care of the problem! Probably underwater snare is your best bet should be a You tube
video on it.

TRAPPERMAN.com

Easiest way I have found is snaring them in their land trails. Gotta keep the pets up. As a bonus ya get the coons too.

Thank you, sir!

Looks like I have some work to do.

Wish me luck, fellas!

Ed

You should be able to get a permit from the F&G dept to trap them with footholds and connibears.

I had to go down to CO and clean the beaver out of my daughters irrigation dithches and the local warden gave me permission to use traps and snares. I year later another moved in and they shot it before it had a chance to get a serious foothold and companions.

Contact Phil and Si Robertson from Duck Dynasty LOL

Since you live in a greenie state, your only choice is to SSS and wreck their lodges and dams.

If you breach a dam, come back to the breach in the late evening and you'll find a rather target rich environment. Once you think you've given all of them a headache, wreck the lodges. Those left behind will go elsewhere.

Surely TX does not have that trapping restriction.

I'am lucky in Michigan the local DNR officer gives me a permit to shoot, trap or snare 10 beaver every year. 3 years ago beavers flooded about 120 acres of my woods, it was war. Usually with are long beaver trapping season I can keep them in check.

I bust the dam mid day come back at dark and head shoot them with 22 LR. sub-sonics with a Trijicon 3-9 scope. I've shot as many as 3 in a couple minutes. The best time is a full moon little to no wind in your face, let them get close a dead beaver cannot be educated.

If you use snares 3 on a 1/2" re-rod baited with poplar. Snares cheap fast to set-up deadly.

I'm about to declare war as soon as deer season ends. I'd LOVE to trap them, but with the dogs around I just can't do it.

I'll be spending some rifle time on the banks in the coming weeks.

They are largely nocturnal, but I'll bet you knew that�.

Conibears go in the water.



Travis

I know, so do my dogs.

330 conibears in the main run of the den works.
Caster will lure them in as well. Try trapper man forums to do some research

What state are you in?

I've trapped more than a few beavers before, it ain't new to me.

We can shoot them here so it will be something to do after deer season.

Bust a big hole in the dam and the beavers will come out of the lodge as the water level drops. We had problems with beavers damming up a small stream that had a natural run of sockeyes, so fish and game let us rip it out. It got to the point where we were going up there 2x a week to take the dam out. Then they started building 2 dams, with basketball sized rocks in them. Once trapping season started I went up there with my boss and we caught 5 in one night. The problem went away after that.

I was being a smart ass.


Travis

Lose your job. Every beaver will leave at that point.


P