Dinny;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope that this promises to be as mild a day for you folks down south as it's looking like on this side of the medicine line.

I'm by no means an expert on beavers, learning what little I know from a few older trappers - Harry, Stan and Willy - who are now all passed on.

They told me that the valley beavers here were what Stan would call "bank beavers" in that they didn't build houses often but would live in the river or lake side banks like muskrats do. Then the ones up the mountains in the little lakes on either side of the valley were more traditional in that they'd build lodges.

Stan and Harry both told me we had some of the largest subspecies here in the valley that they'd encountered, but I can't say how far and wide they'd trapped - for sure Stan did in the prairies too but not sure about further than that.

As I recall Stan didn't like the fact that the "bank beavers" would have rubbed fur more often and that would lower the price of the pelt as well.

Going off of foggy, pre-caffeinated memory Dinny, I can't recall them ever saying females would fight, though they may if they're over populated perhaps? That's a complete guess on my part however.

Anyway sir, we've no shortage of them down here in the Okanagan - here's one I snapped a photo of years back as I was commuting to work, it's a south Okanagan commuter traffic sort of issue. laugh

[Linked Image]

When I first showed that photo years back, a few fellow 'Fire members opined life wasn't too, too bad here if that's the worst of my traffic problems and honestly I'd have to agree with that assessment all these years later.

I'm glad you enjoyed my story, thanks again for twigging my memory and letting my thoughts wander a couple decades back to hanging with some "colorful" folks.

All the best to you Dinny.

Dwayne

The most important stuff in life isn't "stuff"