Beaver Conservation Tip

[TRAPnHUNT]

For those who are new to trapping beaver, after you target an area where you have trapped a good number of animals, let it rest for a year or two and move on to new locations. Especially if it's not a big area. Even though there maybe some beaver left, you want to let more beaver move in, get comfortable, and breed. By doing this, what you have harvested will be replenished.
This doesn't mean that you cant target other animals in that same area. You can still go back there and target muskrats & mink. Just don't trap out an area and let it rest.

[ewoktrapper]

Good tip Ron....

I did that all the time in Maine....

People don't know how to leave seed,so to speak.
If you leave them someone will go behide you a trap them.They are too greedy here in Pa for that to work...

[Buckskin]

That is if you want to have a population of beaver...  The damage they do around here flooding corn fields and such, only good beaver is a dead beaver.

I took out a whole colony of them about 15 years ago from one set.  Haven't been any beaver in our stretch of the river since...

[trappnman]

how is the 2nd trapper there, any greedier than the first?

[ewoktrapper]

The way that was ment..Is they will go in and trap them all,instead of take'n 1 or 2 and let the rest be.

[trappnman]

I guess what I mean is this-

I don't start water trapping, until 99.9999% of the other water trappers are done.

Whats left, is fair game, is it not? Because someone else took stuff before me, doesn't mean I'll trap any harder, or less.

I do understand he concept of leaving seed, but to be practical the only time I let areas rest, is if no damage is occurring, and its exclusive permission.

doesn't PA have limits on beaver, traps, etc- so shonld't seed be a natural porcess by a limited harvest?

[RdFx]

Everyone and preditor is after  bvr!  Wisc is in process of rewriting its bvr management program.  In parts of Wi bvr  are down by over 50%.   Having  bvr in certain population densitys is a plus for  other animals and fish.  Some fishing groups have  gone overboard in controling bvr and results are a ecosystem favoring only one species or two.  In long run this  hurts the total ecosystem.   Im surprised that the  bunny hugger faction hasnt jumped on the dwindling bvr population which is a major wolf food .    A bvrs  habitat when not over used by bvr  is an ecosystem that provides  food, cover and place to reside for fish, furbearers and large game.    If bvr fur prices were high like $1 an inch from yrs past,  the bvr would be in worse shape yet in Wi.   One has to only  look in past years of when bvr were almost wiped out and closed seasons  were in affect.    Just reflecting

[trappnman]

I agrree and disagree Lee.

on small streams, beaver are, IMO, a bane on habitat, not a boon.

[Bogmaster]

 Beaver in the right spots , are the greatest things on earth.They provide habitat for a lot of other species.
 Its when they set up shop in the wrong places that the trouble begins.
 Most of the places I trap beaver want them gone.And if a trapper can't finnish the job, the land owners will find someone that can.
 The amount of seed left by trappers --depends on the numbers in the area.Years ago,I trapped the same colonies for years,take a couple every year and leave the rest.
 A farmer with fields under water,wants them all gone.Townships with roads flooded and at times washed out do too.Plugged culverts and water backed up for miles ,tends to change a lot of peoples views on beaver.
 I think our big rodents are something special. If your populations are low,practice restraint when trapping them. In areas where the populations are out of hand and damage is high--go get em.
 Tom

[RdFx]

Steve and Tom you are both right and so am i, it all depends upon the situation and location.    Bvr can cause headaches and when you see where they set up house and cause problems and IF they only went up or downstream further and set up they probably wouldnt have  caused a problem.   Again if they didnt cause a problem we wouldnt have all that fun trapping them....

[trappnman]

agreed-

when I first moved here in 1984, the creeks were full of beaver. multiple dams and check dams, even houses (fairly rare and haven't seen one such for many years) built in the streams. In a few weeks each fall for 4-5 years, we'd take 40-50 beaver.

over the last 20 years, thats all changed, as a direct result of my trapping. what the situation is here is this- he have hill streams, cold water streams, flowing down to one medium river or direct into the Mississippi. So I have a migration from the river, and higher up in the hills where its inaccessable to trap in any practical terms.

All my beaver trapping is "get them all" and over the years, its come down to each fall, 4-6 locations get a small colony started, and I remove them each fall. I works out good- I can keep them under control be removing the residents, but every other year or so the location gets another pair, and will all the locations, that gives me a few beaver to trap every year.

Cause while bog is often wrong (HA!) he is right on one thing- beaver are fun to trapand a little fresh castor always makes the shed smell better.
btw- the reason the landowners want them gone, is that the small streams on hills, are not good beaver habit per se, in that dams cause bigger floods, and extended beaver use eliminates need vegetation for erosion, and of course crop loss is also a factor.....trappnman

[RdFx]

Your right on the button in your description of your area and plan of attack.  This works very well for you and also for the landowner.  The big river is a  major supply for you and myself in my area.  Im sure same for Tom.   It is nice to set up the tributarys of the big rivers in spring and that cuts down going inland as the two year olds come out or are going in the tributarys.   At times ive picked up large adults , male and pregnant females for some reason traveling.  I find this unusual for the preg females as they usually stay close to lodge or bank den at this time of year.

[trappnman]

here is something odd that happened to me 15 or so years ago.

a local creek, that I trapped in every year. the previous fall/spring, one location had no beaver, no sign of beaver, and another location less than mile upstream had a small colony where I had taken a couple and left them.

this is a small creek 10-15 feet wide, some deeper holes, most  foot deep or lower.

that fall- the location with none, had seven dams stretching a block, and the other location had 3. and not check dams- dams that created deep pools.

I took 12 beaver at the 7 dam spot, and 7 at the other.

got them all out of 3 dam location early, no sign for months, took 11 out of 7 dam one, pinched an old male 2 times- we pulled all the dams, and that sucker was holed up in the last deep water hole ,would come out rarely. I'd see zero sign for day and weeks, finally think he moved on- and then a fresh twig, worked on him from DEC until late April- big storm so I had traps everywhere, and in the muddy deeper water got him in a 330. 

got home, said thank God that job done- literally had trapping clothes in dryer to put away- landowner at the other location called.... he saw a beaver

good grief- so out we went, and when we got there we saw beaver swimming. so grabbed 3 330s, and started setting up- by the time I set the last, heard a commotion and had one in the 1st trap. so 4 months for one, 4 minutes for the other-

you got to laugh

got another the next day, and that was it

so 21 beaver out of less than mile on  small creek where the fall before had been a couple at most.

I once saw a mass exit by beaver- a spot I found in fall, where it was beaver city with a half a doz pool dams, and a bunch of check dams- slides, fresh cuttings, I mean sign all over. that was late Oct.  I went back in march- and like they had left the day after I was there. and I know for a fact it was not trapped.

so they had to go somewhere- and thats what must have happened for me that one year- cause BANG! beaver all over, adults, 2 year olds, kits

off subject- but anyone seen a squirrel migration? saw it once as a kid- back in my dads woods, part of a long ridge line of hardwoods- one day I was out and hundreds and hundreds of Grey squirrels were in and moving through the woods- never saw anything like it- every tree I could see was full of them-

[Buckskin]

Trappnman....
You weren't smoking corn silk that day of the squirrel migration were you???

Not only haven't I seen that, I've never even heard of that, unless I suppose a forest fire was nipping at their tails...

[trappnman]

LOL - I never heard of it before I saw it, but heard old timers speak of such afterwards....

click.........
here is an interesting read

migrations occur, and during the mid sixties whn I saw it, was a period of such. read the whole thing- kinda funny towards the bottom.

[RdFx]

Ive heard of the squirrel migrations  down south but never saw one myself.     On beaver  i had a fella call me  in the middle of summer  saying bvr flooding his hay fields.  Now i trapped that creek for mink and rats  that fall and no bvr , also  had mink sets there in winter ice and there werent any  bvr.   I checked out the spot and  there was one  large dam which made  a small but deep hole.   I trapped  6 bvr out of that little hole.  Two adults , two -2 year olds and  2 kits.  Must have  been pushed out of somewhere or just migrated.

[Buckskin]

Well that is interesting... I'd love to see it, especially when I had my .22

[trappnman]

I DID have the .22   

for a couple of days after, I had good hunting as well- then it was back to normal always wondered if the ones that stayed there were locals, stragglers, or newcomers just liked the area