My Office Today
- Thread starter Rally
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Rally
NC Minnesota
Lamar,
I don't know, and that's half the problem working along roads where landowners often try to deal with the beaver themselves, I just never know what has been done there. Easy my ass!! I've spent more time there than any spot I've ever been. I was setting traps too deep, for little tiny beaver the size of muskrats, to avoid catching muskrats, or mink, or ducks. When I caught the first one, the lights came on. The little guys were pushing balls of grass as big as they were and covering my traps, swimming through snares, and not responding to castor based lures. Amazing how young those beaver know to patch dams.
Couldn't ask for an easier location, drive up to it and fall out of the truck. LOL I'm actually pretty curious if the adults are there and just played this game before. As long as they don't wait until Pheasant season to plug it!!!
Bill,
I had an adopted grandmother, that used to have a beaver feed for the family a couple times a year. I'd get a couple young beaver alive in snares and gut them right away. She would put them in a big roaster, with potatoes, carrots, onions, parsley, and nobody could tell the difference between that and beef pot roast. A beaver under two years old is as good as anything that's stamped USDA Approved. Big beaver start tasting like Poplar trees.
I don't know, and that's half the problem working along roads where landowners often try to deal with the beaver themselves, I just never know what has been done there. Easy my ass!! I've spent more time there than any spot I've ever been. I was setting traps too deep, for little tiny beaver the size of muskrats, to avoid catching muskrats, or mink, or ducks. When I caught the first one, the lights came on. The little guys were pushing balls of grass as big as they were and covering my traps, swimming through snares, and not responding to castor based lures. Amazing how young those beaver know to patch dams.
Couldn't ask for an easier location, drive up to it and fall out of the truck. LOL I'm actually pretty curious if the adults are there and just played this game before. As long as they don't wait until Pheasant season to plug it!!!
Bill,
I had an adopted grandmother, that used to have a beaver feed for the family a couple times a year. I'd get a couple young beaver alive in snares and gut them right away. She would put them in a big roaster, with potatoes, carrots, onions, parsley, and nobody could tell the difference between that and beef pot roast. A beaver under two years old is as good as anything that's stamped USDA Approved. Big beaver start tasting like Poplar trees.
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JonB
Halcyon member
floating Bog:
When I was a pre-teen or young teenager, my parents owned some land in Ottertail county (in MN), there was a half build cabin (that we never finished) and lots of shoreline on Dead Lake. It was situated on a shallow bay. Besides lots of cattails and rushes, there was a good a sized Bog blocking our boat access to the lake ...until one spring, during a windy ice out, and that Bog got blown out into the lake. Which created a nice access to the lake for us and one of our neighbors. That lake was known for giant sunfish...I often think of my youthful times that were spend on that lake.
When I was a pre-teen or young teenager, my parents owned some land in Ottertail county (in MN), there was a half build cabin (that we never finished) and lots of shoreline on Dead Lake. It was situated on a shallow bay. Besides lots of cattails and rushes, there was a good a sized Bog blocking our boat access to the lake ...until one spring, during a windy ice out, and that Bog got blown out into the lake. Which created a nice access to the lake for us and one of our neighbors. That lake was known for giant sunfish...I often think of my youthful times that were spend on that lake.
Rally
NC Minnesota
RKJ,
Thanks
I made snares until 2 today, but really wanted to go check my rice contracts. Got the snare order done and went to check them out. Got to the first one, which is the outlet to a traditional rice lake. Pictured is the outlet and the control structure is out of the picture to the left. When I got there, ( it’s a mile plus ride in on my wheeler) the place erupted with Swans, there were about 40 there. Took a bit to get my phone out of my pocket, but if you look center of picture you can see the majority in the distance. Of course when I put my phone back in my pocket and started to leave, they were coming back right over my head.
went to second lake, and bet some of you can recognize this spot! Yep, another new dam had just been started! Same routine, set a couple traps, catch a new pair ( quickly hopefully), then clean out dam. This is a WMA. With two lakes, I’m responsible for keeping the upper lake and outlet beaver free from 15 May to 15 Oct. I think this is the fourth time I had to set traps here this summer. Miles of prime beaver habitat. Mother Nature hates a void.
Third lake was still good.
Went a couple miles out of the way to check this spot I’d set yesterday. Another culvert going under a county road, which goes straight south a mile then under a state highway, then south2.5 miles and connects to the ditch job in the pictures above. This place is at least an annual job. I’ve been trapping this pond/ culvert since about 1984. To the north is a series of lakes, all running through an abundance of popple, in short, beaver heaven! There will always be beaver here. Note the condition of the culvert. County got a new hoe operator. Lol Got two beaver there today, one is a bruiser.
Thanks
I made snares until 2 today, but really wanted to go check my rice contracts. Got the snare order done and went to check them out. Got to the first one, which is the outlet to a traditional rice lake. Pictured is the outlet and the control structure is out of the picture to the left. When I got there, ( it’s a mile plus ride in on my wheeler) the place erupted with Swans, there were about 40 there. Took a bit to get my phone out of my pocket, but if you look center of picture you can see the majority in the distance. Of course when I put my phone back in my pocket and started to leave, they were coming back right over my head.
went to second lake, and bet some of you can recognize this spot! Yep, another new dam had just been started! Same routine, set a couple traps, catch a new pair ( quickly hopefully), then clean out dam. This is a WMA. With two lakes, I’m responsible for keeping the upper lake and outlet beaver free from 15 May to 15 Oct. I think this is the fourth time I had to set traps here this summer. Miles of prime beaver habitat. Mother Nature hates a void.
Third lake was still good.
Went a couple miles out of the way to check this spot I’d set yesterday. Another culvert going under a county road, which goes straight south a mile then under a state highway, then south2.5 miles and connects to the ditch job in the pictures above. This place is at least an annual job. I’ve been trapping this pond/ culvert since about 1984. To the north is a series of lakes, all running through an abundance of popple, in short, beaver heaven! There will always be beaver here. Note the condition of the culvert. County got a new hoe operator. Lol Got two beaver there today, one is a bruiser.
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May I ask how large a full grown mature beaver gets? A decade or more ago some of us were fishing along a river bank and on the opposite bank 100+ yards upstream was a beaver. I'll swear this one sitting upright on it's hind legs was at least 3 feet tall for a body size. Beaver aren't unusual here (Montana) but this one seemed out sized.
Rally
NC Minnesota
I've caught and weighed them to 87 lbs. I've caught a few in the bush, I've skun in the bush and didn't weigh, I'm certain were heavier than 87. I have a friend who trapped a "Park" beaver down by Milwaukee, Wi. that weighed 102 lbs. I've caught and weighed quite a few @ 70 lbs.
A pretty good female^^
A decent male (alive in a snare). Tough to figure scale, and I'm no photographer.
A pretty good female^^
A decent male (alive in a snare). Tough to figure scale, and I'm no photographer.
Rally
NC Minnesota
The first picture^^ is taken from a major paved county road. This was all taken out by the hoe two days ago. It's just a ditch that runs adjacent to the road but floods clear back into the woods, and would soon be on the road with the rain we are getting now. I set up seven locations today, but only took pictures at these three. It rained on and off all day so I didn't think much about the pictures. The second picture, is a 4' cement culvert that goes under a county road. I just set two traps here because it will require I bring the canoe to get downstream from here to get to the dam holding all the water. The creek pretty much follows the wood line, then wiggles through the bog, then joins another small river about 1.5 miles away. Another spot I trap just about every year. They just want to water off the road and about 3/4 of a mile to the county line. I'd like to do a winter snowmobile line through here some day, because Google Earth says there are over 15 active colonies downstream from here, and the area produces a high percentage of black beaver.
The third picture is also taken from a county road, and there are two 24" metal culverts going under the road here. The county hoe opened the culverts yesterday and they were plugged when I got there today. Note in center of the picture, upstream, that is a dam and holds a pond behind it. The dam runs parallel to the road and is the full width of the tree line in the background. I set five traps there. Note the pink flagging to the left center. That's how the road crew marks spots for me they wanted trapped. Back to the ditch tomorrow to move some water.
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fiver
Well-Known Member
those females fur right over when they ain't nursing young ones don't they?
I don't think I have seen a Beaver up in the 90lb. range.
I have seen some I'd guess at 60 at the most, and on average more like 40 around here.
maybe my MK-1 guesser is off a bit because I have seen a Beaver fighting with a Badger before and the Badger didn't have the upper hand even though they were pretty much the same size.
I don't think I have seen a Beaver up in the 90lb. range.
I have seen some I'd guess at 60 at the most, and on average more like 40 around here.
maybe my MK-1 guesser is off a bit because I have seen a Beaver fighting with a Badger before and the Badger didn't have the upper hand even though they were pretty much the same size.
Kevin Stenberg
Well-Known Member
Is the Black Beaver just a color variation?
Rally
NC Minnesota
Lamar,
Just the nipples show even while lactating. The majority of the mammory gland is attached to the inside of the hide and comes off with the hide when skun , same with rats.
Kevin,
Yep, just a color phase, but preferred by hat and kitten makers, because they are easier to color match plates when sewing.
Just the nipples show even while lactating. The majority of the mammory gland is attached to the inside of the hide and comes off with the hide when skun , same with rats.
Kevin,
Yep, just a color phase, but preferred by hat and kitten makers, because they are easier to color match plates when sewing.
Rally
NC Minnesota
Went back to the ditch today to move some water.^^The picture above is the bottom of the big dam downstream. My chainsaw is sitting on the sandbar, note the halfmoon depression/eddy the small spillway caused, straight out from the point of the chainsaw bar. I wanted to see if I could get the water to move that sandbar, stay tuned!
Usually I have to remove the long sticks, logs and overhanging limbs first, to get them out of the way, but really to clear a spot so I can throw all the limbs, logs and sticks up higher and out of the tailpiece/ water flow. As i clear the loose stuff out, and get some water flowing, the water uncovers all kinds of neat stuff, that Lamar says is mostly sticks!! LOL I just keep chopping/ digging it out and letting the water show me what is there and how to deal with it. I use/ direct the water to where I want it and it takes away the mud behind logs etc, so I can use a chainsaw to remove the logs and live trees growing in the dam.^^
There's some sticks for you Lamar!! Note the layers of clay in the dam. When I got to this log, which was laying most of the width of my targeted area for removal, I just keep digging out the clay behind it and the water washes it clean, to keep the chainsaw out of the sand and rocks when I cut it. When it gets to where the water has cleaned it up, I just cut it into pieces I can carry/ move and it's out of the way.
When I get the majority of the clay/mud/sticks removed, then I open up a gap on both sides of the intended target area to increase water flow.^^
Remember the sandbar? Note direction of the spillway water is directed at the right side of the sandbar. When that side is gone, I change the spillway direction, by digging out the spillway deeper on one side than the other. If i want the spillway to go to the right, I dig out the right and the depth changes the direction the water flows.
This is a picture of the top of the spillway after I removed the top layer off the entire dam. Note how much deeper the near side has been dug compared to the far side. All I have to do is guide the tailpiece by controlling the water on the top, to eliminate/wash out that sandbar on the bottom, but also to wash out a deeper spot at the bottom of the spillway, because alot of the rocks, and small water logged sticks, coming out of the dam will end up there.
Wonder where the sandbar went to?? LOL^^
This is what it looked like when I got done with it today. It's about three feet deep and it has already dropped about the same amount since I started. I had to stop, the current was getting stiff, I tore a hole in the right hand of my long rubber gloves ($32.00 pair), and there is another log about the size of the one you can see I cut out, down about 3 feet deep at the base of the dam. The water will wash the mud out from around it and there won't be three feet of water running over it when I go back in two days, so it shouldn't be too hard to remove.
This ^^ is looking across the dam facing west when I left. If you look at the tree at the top of pic that is leaning, then look below it and a little farther down, there is a tree laying horizontal, which is about where the other end of the dam is.
This is looking down at the spillway. That faint yellow color in the center left is the large log to be taken out later. Looks like the water already has is polished up for me.
Had to make a second post to get over ten pics in.
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Rally
NC Minnesota
This^^ pic is looking at the pond above the big dam and the water marks on the trees. Also notice the dark brown leaves on some of the trees that were flooded and probably killed, but maybe only stressed, there are a few Oaks back there but mainly Ash.
This^^ is going upstream to the next dam. This is the one I was hoping would wash out when the big dam was opened, and some did, note the spillway out there by my beaver fork already flowing. Quite frankly, these kind of dams scare the crap out of me. Note the material they are made of. Just sticks right Lamar!!! LOL Yep, but also chunks of floating bog, that vary in size and move on their own, whether your standing on them or not! I've had pieces I loosened, the size of a 4wheeler, just take off in the current, and I've seen pieces next to the piece I was working on take off. No rhyme nor reason to tearing them apart, I just have to get in the water and start digging. What is also pretty unnerving about this type dam, is that the material on the front side is very loose, so much so, that you can put your foot down, then pick your foot up and the depth under your foot changes, as the water washes the material under your foot away! In short it is loon poop in a varying current, the faster the current the faster the bottom/ your footing changes.
It took less than 30 minutes to open this dam up, and it was at least five feet deep when I left!!^^ Wouldn't surprise me at all if half this dam washes out by the time I get back there, it moved up and down some when I walked across it, and there is alot of pressure on it now.
This ^^ is the reason there is so much pressure on that last dam. This is a ditch that comes into the main ditch just above the last dam, which drains the two lakes I referred to earlier in this series. It runs as far as you can see in the pic plus about another 1/4 mile to the first of the two lakes. That might have been where that barron female came from. I'm hoping there aren't any more dams up that ditch, because I have to walk into the ditch from the North through a cedar swamp to get there. I'll know when I come back because the road I'm coming in on runs between the two lakes, and if there aren't anymore dams, the lake levels should drop some.
This ^^ is the third dam, just below the big culvert. Doesn't appear to be beaver built per say, but a collection point at what used to be a beaver dam. I think I tore this one out three years ago, last time I was in here. The beaver had the big pipe just about full last time, and my brother and I tore it out (two men seven hours) and this might be some of the remnants of that job also. Anyway, no big deal, just rake it out, move some sand that had formed in front of it, and it's flowing again.
What it looked like when I finished raking it out. Note the difference in water depth just in the time it took to rake it out.
This ^^ is what I raked out of there and threw on the shore. Surprising how much can be in such a small spot.
That completed my day. Took me 6.5 hours to dig that much, pull my traps and get back to the truck. I left the dam upstream, and four traps there, just in case. I'll tear that dam out when I come back and check on the big dam and water progress in a couple days.
The high today was forecast for 44 but I think it got a tad warmer around 2 o'clock, but it was snowing when I was loading my wheeler into the truck. My right arm was wet, to the elbow, from the tear in my glove. I jumped a flock of Woodies when I went in this morning, and got to watch them filter back in while working on the big dam. Pretty neat office.
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Rally
NC Minnesota
This ^^ is one of the spots I forgot to take a picture of when I set it up two days ago. That pile of sticks in the water is the feed pile/cache the beaver cut and store for winter food. At the base of the dead tree on left is the beaver house they also built recently. Downstream/top of picture is the dam holding the water, it looks like this on the other side of the road also, and a large cement culvert under the road. Did this spot two years ago and went downstream a mile or so. A logger had done a clear cut about half way down and pushed a bunch of basswood and popple logs in the creek. My brother and I worked it from the down stream and removed a bunch of bog dams full of logs. Seemed it rained every time we got there, just long enough to get us soaked!
This ^^ is where I have to park, or at the top of the distant hilltop. Cable guard rails on both sides and drops just about straight down. Caught both the male and female here today. I'll tear the dam out soon, once I make sure there aren't anymore beaver there. To get the hoe in there they have to remove the guard wires and pull at least one post. I just walk down there and tear the dam out, on the clock.
This ^^ is another spot along a county paved road. Pretty much bog for about two miles south of here, but the beaver like to watch cars go by I guess! Took two out of there today also, but a total of five off this road, at three separate locations, in a 12 mile stretch. I can actually see one of the beavers back, which is drown out there in the flooded timber in a snare. Look out over the dam, where it takes a jog to the left, look at the base of the large tree. The bump at the base of the tree is the beaver.
This lady and her husband own the land adjacent to the ditch I'm trapping there, and maintain the access road which is gated. The ditch comes in a half mile south from the highway, then goes East a mile, then south three miles, at about one mile south, a second ditch joins it and drains bog to the East. Their family and the owners brother and his family all had arrived there about an hour before I came to check traps (so I didn't have to open gate) so there was a whole tribe of kids there and four adults. I had ten beaver in the truck, all stacked around my wheeler, so stacked them along the ditch (to their backs) so I could get the wheeler out and run the ditch to check traps there. The little girl pictured and her Dad, had walked down the ditch (mowed first half mile) and could see the small beaver she's holding, dead in a trap at the first dam. She was just beside herself, and couldn't wait for me to get the wheeler unloaded and go get that beaver! She was running behind the wheeler until her Dad called her back!
The county hoe was in there last Thursday and cleaned the ditch out for all of the three miles. The beaver had two dams rebuilt by saturday, when they came up to their property last weekend. Mario, the Dad, said he'd been shooting at them, and thought he'd shot eight, but some might have been Muskrats. LOL So I got four there today, the two pups they are holding up, and are going to try cooking, a two year old male, and the adult female. I'm sure he didn't kill eight, might have shot at eight, but I surely would have seen at least a couple of the eight if they were there in the ditch. So, it's going to be a guessing game to see how many are there still. County did a real nice job cleaning out the ditch, and making me a trail to get in there, gotta love that. Ended up with fourteen beaver today, minus the two little ones they wanted to try to cook. Good PR.
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Rally
NC Minnesota
Back to the ditch today, to see if I moved enough water. This is looking ^^ upstream from the road/trail. If you look at the side of the culvert you can see where the water was when this project started.
This is looking downstream, definitely moved some water, but should be more, so downstream I go to the big dam.
This ^^ is a picture of one of the beaver houses.
This ^^ is the second beaver house, sorry about the limbs in the way. Need Jim to give me some photography lessons. LOL
This ^^ is the big dam, and the log at the bottom has slowed the water some and holding sticks etc. I cut the log and dug it down about another 18" and had it flowing good again. Shouldn't need anymore here. Back upstream to clean up some.
This ^^ is an old dam, that until now, was completely under water. There was no evidence it was even there, and was pretty rotten with some sand on the face. Had to dig it out.
After digging it out about 30" or so. The water did a good job taking down to sand/gravel bottom.
Moving upstream, this ^^is what was left of "Ole Slippery" the one that spooks me. If you look at the far side of the notch I dug out, you can see where the water washed out a piece of the bog chunks under the debris pile I had stacked there, so, I unstacked it, and dug it out some more, to include it to the spillway width. The water had cut a channel about crotch deep on my waders, so I just raked the rest of the spillway that deep.
What was left ^^ of "Ole Slippery" when I got through today. Would be good campfire wood in about a week!
The small dam, just below the culvert didn't need any cleaning, and had washed out as deep as my waders, so I just kept on upstream.
Had to make two post today also, to get the pictures in.
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Rally
NC Minnesota
This pic ^^ is the dam upstream from the culvert, the one the big piece of bog floated into. T was a bit bigger when I got there today, or looked bigger, because there wasn't much water on the downstream side. There were quite a few small limbs to move, but under the mud on the top was just rotten willow and chunks of bog all weaved together. Once I got the sticks out of the tailpiece, the top came off fairly quickly, and the water did most of the work.
I'd left four traps upstream, ^^just in case a few beaver showed up from any upstream colonies, wondering where their water was going. Turned out it was a good call, and I caught these two "Nosey Neighbors" coming to patch the dam. These are three year old, both males, so likely there are at least two active colonies upstream. I may be back there trapping if they patch the dam this next week. This ditch runs several miles to the East, and I'm sure there are beaver there, but this is as much as they want to pay for, so time will tell.
Remember that piece of floating bog?^^ I just kept digging on the spillway side, next to it until the water sucked it into the spillway. I couldn't move it by myself, so the water was the next option. That's it floating downstream! If you look downstream beyond it, there is a partial dam, that causes a small eddy. I was hoping the chunk of bog would park itself in that eddy, and it was a bullseye. The water pushed it right up against the bank on the right side.
This ^^ is what it looked like when I left, I couldn't stay in the current any longer, and the water was really cutting the bottom clean. I pulled the last four traps and will go back in a few days to check on it's progress.
The bad news is, the level between the two lakes hasn't changed, which means there are dams/ beaver between the lakes and the ditch. I'm guessing the Forestry will want me to keep working on that outlet, which I'm not looking forward to, because it is tough walking in there. I may be able to canoe into it a couple times to remove the beaver, then canoe out fast the day I take the dams out, before the water drops and I have to drag the canoe out the last 1/2 mile.
Back to the road line tomorrow.
This is ^^ at the big dam downstream again (I missed a row of pictures in my phone) LOL. Remember that sandbar? It went elsewhere.
This is standing on the big dam when I got there today, looking upstream and west, where it was flooded into the timber. Check out the waterlines on the trees!
This ^^ is standing on the big dam looking straight North/ upstream. It will drop another 18"- 24" with what I cleaned out today, and should be down to the intended level then.
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