Shopsmith Forums

From some of my other posts you know I like wildlife and have an area where with some lucky I can find things like beavers. This spring I found a small dam and have been stopping by once or twice a week to check on things.

People here are not beaver friendly. Well today I found the beaver out by the dam, and something seemed wrong as they don't like to be exposed when you are around. I couldn't see what was going on but took some pictures. When I looked at them I could see the trap. A leg trap.

I know people trap beavers and I know that they are not welcome in a lot of places and I also know that leg traps are legal and all that but I don't like to see animals suffer.

This is the same area where I found the snare so I was worried if this was a legal trap or not.

Being in the evening trying to find a number to call was pretty hard. People go home at noon on Sat. and come back Monday. The beaver might last that long or not. We managed to call the police non emergency number and found a person who at least was emphatic with us. He called around and found a number for us to call with the animal control people who work for the city and again not there normal job but again they were helpful and got in touch with the officer on duty who again was helpful. I sent him some pictures and the location and he contacted a lot of people.

In the end they found a trapper who does work for the city, a really nice 80+ year old that has spent his whole life doing trapping. I went to a near by spot and waited for the officer to arrive and then took them to the beaver. This had started just before 6:00 and it was about 7:30 before we were able to meet.

The results are the the trapper will be back in the morning light to see how damaged the beaver might be, who's trap it is(all traps must have tags) and release the animal if he thinks it can survive and if the trap is illegal. If it is a legal trap then they can't do anything until 24 hours is up as in IL you are required to check your traps every 24 hours.

Not sure what will happen but we did what we could to help him survive.
The dnr and other live trap so this is not them attempting to move the beaver. It is also possible the trap came from somewhere else where something else was attempting to be trapped and simply dragged the trap until it got caught.

I also have a movie here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6--FDBCgfo

Not sure I want to know the out come.

Ed

Thanks Ed, for your kindness.
Hopefully, today will be a good one for the beaver.

From all indications it was a successful release! The beaver was still in good condition and the damage was minimal so they decided to release it. Not so sure I would have like to have ended any other way but since we all did our parts I hope the beaver lives long and prospers.

I'm not sure but I've heard I might be up for human of the year at the annual beaver convention later this year having saved two of there kind already this year. Perhaps it is my year of the beaver?

Ed

Have you ever seen the amount of damage they do. I have a very large pond on the back of my land and it goes across several other peoples also I would estimate the size is 30 to 40 acres. The dam is in narrow area on the creek and is about 4 or 5 foot wide at the top and on the lower side is around 7 or 8 foot own. I have a permit to shoot them which I don't like to do but I also have trappers come in and trap in the fall. The first year 3 trappers took around 20 beavers apiece. I had 15 acres of hardwood timber that was being sold for veneer logs and they got into them. Our local DNR estimates that they cost me round 10,000 dollars in lost timber.
West of me the road goes thru a swamp and the rod commission has tubes under the road. The county comes out a couple times a week and digs the tubes out and the beavers have them plugged again by evening. Now the ever has brush cut ready for the new dam before the old one is dug out.
I am glad that you found this one because no animal should have to suffer because of some fools stupidy. I for one hate to shoot them because I am a believer if you kill it you should use it.
I hope you get the beaver ship award this year LOL.

In my younger years I had a friend who trapped and was a Licensed Trapper by WI DNR, in Eagle, Wi there was a golf course called Eagle Springs GC, beavers would dam up around there and it would flood some of the GC, they would call Whitey in to trap them.
A mutual friend every June would sponsor a game dinner/picnic, we all hunted and fished, and would bring our best wild game dinner to share, I mean there was Mallard Duck breast in orange sauce, Venison Sourbrotun, ect, Whitey would bring ground Beaver Burgers, Beaver, ground and about 10% beef fat added, to die for, a very dark rich meat and tasty. Like Racoon and Black Bear.

Ed, Be careful on your forays into beaver land.
This news story is scary.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/04/ ... gextension

Gene Howe wrote:Ed, Be careful on your forays into beaver land.
This news story is scary.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/04/ ... gextension

I found the story about the beaver killing a man more scary. If you go to the above link there is a sub story line about the killing. Who knew?

When it's your time it is your time. Sorry guys the tools get passed on to the kids...........

Ed

You should be fine, Ed. Not only did they make you "Human of the Year", but there's professional courtesy to consider, as well.

reible wrote:When it's your time it is your time. Sorry guys the tools get passed on to the kids...........

Ed

Oh I fully agree but what a way to go. Get a beaver bite on the thigh and then bleed to death.
Never knew beavers objected to being photographed that much