Just awarded 1st beaver contract(s)

Just got the phone call that the county drain commission. I had bid on two beaver projects and the awarded both to me. They also happened to be only a short 7 miles east of home and a addition 3 miles east from there So. 20 miles round trip on two beaver jobs

Congrats, hope it works out for you.

I think I got it not based on price but on my plan They have had others trap both areas for about 3 years and they said both others would catch 2-4 beavers at dam site and pack up. I wrote a detailed plan to trap not just near dam and not for just a few days. Would give details but if it doesn't work I don't want to look to much like a schmuck on here

If it works I will give all the details for any interested
Thx

You should give the details if,it works,or fails. The smart ones learn more from others failures than sucsess

I will consider that! I probably should as many on here gave shared to help me and others. So I will explain it all at the end of my contract

Thx

Of course now you have everyone wondering about the details of your agreement. Most of the time I tell them they won't be billed until the job has been completed, the damming, cutting etc. has stopped, which means that the last beaver has either been caught or left because the rest of the family has been trapped, dams breeched, perhaps the lodge destroyed. With enough pressure a holdout may leave, but may also return later. I don't provide a time frame because an educated beaver, created or inherited, can be more than a handful, taking a lot of time waiting for the beaver to "cool down." Many days of consecutive trapping can be unrewarding.

You have alluded to the fact that you might expand your area. If they will go for that and it is allowable, going beyond the confines of the pond at the roadside where the problems are by removing additional beaver could help to slow their problems. Depending on the situation, I do ask about adjacent properties for access to eradicate as many beaver as possible in the same watershed and drainages.

Beaver can keep coming back, even if you have caught that family group. If the damming stops for weeks or months and new activity appears, its a new group. I used to believe that one trapping was good for a summer. Most of the time it is, until I had new beaver show up on a rainy summer 5 times at 2 locations.

What's the word?

Just starting project today. Took my son to the cabins for part of spring break. Got back last night, I will keep posted. Will likely only set dam areas today. It is very windy today and not really wanting to take canoe out in it. Will do canoe work tomorrow

I used to go to the beaver, but now bring the beaver to me, not much walking and only a little canoeing.

All ideas welcome. One site has 3 foot wide x 18" high dam built in the cement culvert that drains the backwater of a 700 acre lake

The other has a dam inside the 4 foot steel culvert that goes under the road. It goes about 4" from the top of pipe. Water is over two feet higher than stream. Flooding woods and yards.

Doing canoe work tomorrow to find other slides and the lodges.

First check on these contracts went ok

As a matter of perspective, I used to find the lodge, check out each and every dam, look for everything, chews, crawl outs, walk the entire property, canoe etc. Now all I ask the client, do you have a main dam, if its a creek colony, which is usually a given because that's why they are calling, everything is flooded. Later they will frequently ask, "where is the lodge?" To which I often reply, "heck if I know." The main dam is the focal point, so the beaver will be there maintaining daily. Even with a plan, you will have to resort to secondary methods at times, but you'd be surprised how many jobs you finish without a lot of effort, scouting or travel.

I'm with Jim..I still run into cases where I find myself chasing Beaver...but for the most part ,it is easy enough to get them to come to you...

Both dams are right at public roads (you know that means trapped beavers there will be seen). So I am doing first three days right at dams heavy because I will get there early morning. But am setting others away for road to pick them off there too. As the "repair crews" come and I catch one the others will get past that trap now (did this last night, as on was in a coni right in front of dam, the others just kept going right over its body and repaired dam (it was covered by sand from all of them crossing over it. The second catch at that sight hit a castor mound And a muskrat clogged up the other castor mound set

At other sight the dam is inside tube which I will not go in, dam is only inches from top now. So caught one in castor mound there. Canoed back into swamp there today (may have bad case of poison sumac now). Found and small dam back there and set it. Went further in and next good are has an otter toilet so I didn't set there. Don't want to get the otters

Thank guys all advise and ideas welcome. I will keep updated and will ask more questions as I weed them out

Thx

Three more today. One belly bumped on #4 so I missed it another one on the far back dam I set yesterday pulled out. No fur so have no idea what happened there.

Is your plan working out?

So far but it's only been two days. What I was getting at is if the proposed timeline, fees and conditions work out to be a profitable way to do beaver control as well as beat competitors with as far as being selected for contract

I guess you really only need to catch one beaver at a location, the last one. Catching 2 to 4 beaver like the fellows you mentioned is more like fur trapping, not solving the problem. If any beaver remain you will get that nagging call, "they plugged up the hole you made in the dam." Most of the time you will know when you are done by remembering to put small boot holes in the dam, a pretty reliable indicator, which I sometimes forget. If active, and not during spring run off or after heavy rainy conditions, they will push fresh mud into the holes nightly. The only time you might have a remaining beaver that I can think of and it doesn't show is in June when there could be a pint size beaver or two left because they are only a few weeks old. At that size they don't usually do much plugging. Good idea making a small hole in a dam when you start and check each day while you trap so that after you have caught a bunch of beaver and you think you might be done, you will have a good idea when they are gone since the trickle will still be open and running.

Jim, I've told this story before but it's funny enough to repeat. I was in waders standing behind the dam when I spied what I thought

was a large muskrat swimming upstream towards me. I was leaning on the dam and I froze in position. My muskrat turned out to be one

of those pint sized beavers. The little guy not only crawled over the dam but actually stepped right on my hand while scaling it. One

of the few times I didn't know what to do. Should I have tried to grab it by the tail? What are the chances that I would still have

all ten fingers? What would you guys have done?

You can pick them up any way you like, no problem. Those little guys are like live Beany Babies, could not be cuter. They will not bite. You can hold them under the arms. I caught 5 in my hands again last year. Fun to chase them down, they can't stay under long. Ran 3 out of a house at one location, the other 2 were next to the big male caught in a cage, just sitting on the bank. Nabbed them as the went by.

In Virginia in the 70's we ran 6 beaver into a 200 Northwoods Conibear in 45 minutes, dispatched the big ones, turned the small ones out on the ice, chased them down later, about 15 pounds each. They didn't bite either, though that were not tiny. One nipped once. I had them in my shower for 3 nights. My friend Mickey was to keep them at his home. Told him on day 3, after absolutely no sleep with those three banging around, that they were going a board if he didn't take them, NOW. He did.

Caught a 17 lb one this morning that didn't go out to end of drowning rig be wise it got caught on a root I didn't see. That bugger was hissing and lunging at me Wasn't going to try picking it up. The county is going to tear out the dam In The tube Wednesday morning So I plan on setting 6-8 conies around it afterward. The only other dam I could find there was way back. Set a couple drowning sets there but we need to pull Wednesday before they tear out the other one. The older gentlemen that owns the property on the down stream side said he walked his creek and found a new dam starting so he said I can trap his property too. Hope them breaking this main one doesn't wash them all out. But it has to be broke or the water is going to be over the road by the end of week

Most of the time the beaver won't leave when the dam is pulled, but there are times it does happen, maybe only one or two left and feed low after being in a location for several years. Work with the highway guys. If they pull in the morning, I'd wait and let the water drop back to a stream, then walk up the channel, find some tight spots or make some for big traps is you have them, 660's. If you can find some spots where the water is a foot deep, add a big log and set just in back of it. You might get lucky and end it. Wondering if you have caught the big ones yet?

Biggest in that location was 42# so far. Yesterday when I started canoeing to the back of the pond about 8:30 am I see one jump of the bank but it didn't look real big. I did make a small hole in back dam and set some #4s on drowning wires. Will get two days there because when they break the main dam that won't be very accessible

There should be another big one to match the 42, one male and female pair, but if anyone else trapped it, you don't know for sure. You might have a double colony, yearlings and two year olds. Can't tell for sure form the pics. Those groups can have 8--12, two litters, with one large pair, but there is no hard and fast rule of course, anything is possible. Just have to keep watching.

The clogged culvert tube

Got a 44# this morning on downside of dam in culvert. Is fat, may be mama. Also caught a 21# further down stream

Nice culvert! What's the problem, LOL. Glad you got the big ones. Important to get the big guys first, if you can. Little ones usually come pretty easy. Sounds like two batches of young. Are you up to 6?

I've caught 5 at both locations. I will check my notes and edit this with info

Ok. Site one is large lake with backwater 21# 41# 25# 17# 42#

Site two is culvert with dam 32# 24# 14# 44# 21#

Those are also in order of catch.

So I guess in culvert one I only got one in the 40lb class

I remember when I got my first out of season beaver contract. It was fun. But it became work and expensive since it was cutting into my time to devote to other real money making species that were being a nuisance. There is something to be said for beaver trapping no matter what time of the year it is. Maybe it is the challenge and the connection to the mountain men. I still like it. Not as much fun as coyotes though.

This is called ..Getting involved in a water sport !

No problem on the money with what I'm doing here. Both project are close to home beavers are cooperating and so far averaging two a day and from the time I leave home and get home from checking it takes less than two hours. Once they slow down I will use 330 only and check every three days

Haven't done a coyote ADC job yet but look forward to it I love coyote trapping too. Do you trap them the same as during fall/winter!

I like to set heavy right off the bat,lots of traps will save you a lot of (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) around and keep the expenses down.
Do you have to check every day?

Was the word that is unacceptable on T-man, by any chance Richarding?

No but I don't want dead beavers clogging up my sets at the start as they are in these traps daily. But once it slows down I will check less often.

Well the county road commission came out and didn't quite destroy dam. The knocked of the top one foot. Then put this fence up. So we shall see how this effects the activity

Could take a little time for the beaver to plug or maybe not. I would consider it a good candidate for plugged, you just don't know the date.

Just out checking traps and spotted a small beaver making bank den. Problem is the property owner has swans in this pond. So I went to truck and grabbed a 330 and is in den again so I dropped in in front of hole and am waiting on site. Wish me luck

Well. It didn't come out while I was there. Did catch one at other site a 22# big tailed one. Will talk with owner about isolating this pond or Penni g up swans

I'm doing two jobs with swans and they are worth more than I am. I agree that it would be nice if I didn't have to worry about the

swans but if it weren't for the swans I wouldn't have the job in the first place. I do wish you luck; mute swans are $1750 a pair and

the trumpeters cost 3 grand. When you're done catching the beaver you might want to ask the owner of the swans if he'll pay you to

catch the raccoons that are eating the swan food. That stuff is expensive.

Can you use a 22? If you can I would keep one in the canoe to pick off ones like that

22 will not go through water the velocity it travels at causes I to break up I believe. The two times I've seen beavers here one was jumping off the bank and swam under and this one surfaced for a nanosecond I think I migh have to try my hand at snares in the ponds. Put them on a drowning rod and see if I can get them that way maybe. Swans won't get stuck because we have to have a stop on our snares

You might want to think that one through some more.

Once the beaver plugs that pagewire fence,it will be near impossible to open that culvert.
I would put the boots to whoever put that thing there.

No I don't. I gotta catch them beavers. The 330 is a sure death to them. I'm fairly sure I can set the snares up in a way that the swans won't set in them. If the swan heads down the rod evantually he has to go backwards I hope

Yea. That would be the county road commission. They were also suppose to remove the dam from inside of it. But they only took off the top foot

Also makes it hard to set the runs they have in the creek bed as the water is still 20" too high.

They do the same thing here.

Snares are deadly on birds of all sorts,be careful where you set the snares.

Ok I get the point that snares might kill the dang swans. So what I need is advise on how to catch the beavers in these ponds without catching the swans.

I did one job were geese were using pond for a loafing pond and I would set traps right befor dark and get there at first light and set them off. I really don't want to do that here but maybe I will have to. Any suggestings would be appreciated. My contract goes until may 1 on this site with an option for 10 more days at my discretion

Getting them slowly. One at each site 22# at lake. 19# at culvert location

Got a 48# female a large lake this morning that was carrying four kits, this should just about complete this colony so should lead to more jobs with county drain commission as well as nearby counties I hope

Congratulations on the gig. Good luck with everything.

14 beaver caught so far at These two sites. The dispersal of the two year olds seems to have started here. Seeing dead ones On the roads. So maybe I will get some of them to show up at sites and stick their heads in a 330

You have done well. Don't know what you run into there for dispersal. In the Adirondacks where feed is poor dispersal at two years is the norm. In lily pad ponds they seem not to toss the two year olds, but can all live in one lodge, several generations, 15 at times, due to the abundance of feed. Have seen beaver that weigh in the 50's, 40's 30's, 20's down to the teens all crammed in one lodge, always lily ponds. It's a good idea to keep cognizant of what you are catching just to have an idea of what might be left, but do get fooled from time to time.

Actually went out in canoe today at site with culvert, A lot of feeding taking place on lily root/ shutes and other aquatic vegetation. Set some 330s in these feeding areas. Look like they are after roots because ther is a lot of grass flooting on top with white shutes eaten off. I think there are some still here. Got a couple of good leads for fall/ winter pelt trapping for beaver today from a local taxidermist

At lake site it looks like maybe something came and started working on dam last night. I will know in The morning.


And I do keep notes about the size of what I catch as well as type of set and location of sets. I know it will make sense when I sit down and compile the info

Just caught a we little beaver this morning. 11#. Along with a 21#. Makes 16 on this contract. The dang thing is so cute. Almost makes me want to not catch them. Almost Now I know that the ones on my trail cam are surely beaver. As I had nothing to size against in photos. Thought they might be muskrats. Had one jump off the bank. When walking this morning so I know there are more

That little thing was in a #4 drowning rig. He only went about 2 feet down the 15 foot rod

Now that you mention it, I've seen lots of pet wild animals including fox, raccoon, skunks, mink, otter, and opossum. But I've never

seen a pet beaver on a leash. Just imagine dinner time: a bag of wood chips for supper and a log roll for dessert. I guess you would

have to be careful when you bathe him that he doesn't dam up the tub. I did catch a large male in a snare and gave it to a friend who

owned a wildlife zoo. He was amazed at how fast it adapted to captivity and ended up in a zoo in Green Bay. ( Probably wearing a

Packer uniform )

Looking good!

Got trail camera photos yesterday of beaver on the edge of the guys pond, so today we are fencing his swans in to a smaller area and start trapping his ponds. He knows if we don't, the ones left there will rebuild dam. It's good having property owners who cooperate with you. They guy on other side of dam is going to take me to the back of his property this afternoon too. There is another dam back there that is up stream from the culvert

The 21# beaver I caught Monday I believe was not from this colony he appears to be one that was drove out of another colony he had a lot of bight marks and his coat was different from the ones I had been catching. So that makes maybe one dispersing beaver caught at this site

Wish we had as many beaver to trap as you do. Just went to an "emergency" spot in which the beaver had made a big mess, but were gone. Must have been trapped over the winter. All the town saw was the result. Very difficult to judge, triage, which to attack first. One calls with "huge" problems that are nothing, one tree, one stick. Next guy says to come when you can and it turns out his whole place is flooded, dams everywhere, perceptions.

Jim, it's that time of the year. Everyone sees all the old muskrat holes that caved in because even if you were blind and couldn't

see them, you could still fall in. Fortunately I've been able to catch at least one on every job, so my reputation stays intact. I

have the distinct feeling that I will be returning to nearly all of these locations by fall. The people that call early are actually

pretty smart. If I take out the adults, no babies! ( Except, of course, the new ones that crawl in from other waterways )

Got #17 this morning a31# on a drowning rig. Fenced swans in and set the two ponds thus morning found two fresh castor mounds so looking forward to tomorrow. More beaver = more pay!

Might work myself right out of a job at this site. But will ask for a recommendation for the two other local county drain commissioners

Hey Paul, I guess I have had a number of places over the years I did not take beaver simply because they were not there. Can't expect the public to know it all as that's the reason they call us, a good thing. I am always respectful and just say, "they surely were here" but have moved on or perhaps a fur trapper caught them. Sometimes you can tell from a football field away they are gone, other times have to look a minute. One landowner thought the neighbor blew up his dam, but the feed was gone and the reason the beaver left. The old unmaintained dam went out as intended by nature. Had another spot the beaver has left the day before, tracks in the mud, but never any more sign.

Keep up the good work Michigan!

I'm at 18. But the last couple of days nothing. Moved the swans and thought I would get some In those ponds but none. Even see fresh sign there. Seen fresh tracks at large lake site pulled traps there that day. Will go back in midweek with foot holds. Did watch a otter hunt in creek Thursday while checking traps. Will go after him this fall

Discovered today how tough snapping turtles are. Two in 330s in neck and both walked away after release. Tough animals.

Seem to be low on beavers. Had a carp this morning.

Keeping track of sizes, numbers, is a good thing, but kinda like card counting, not always exact. Have to keep a sharp eye. Had one big beaver spread out on the center line the other day, so that one was easy. Yesterday noticed some intestines along the road that were obviously beaver, so made a note of it. Judy found where someone had dragged a good sized beaver off into the bushes, which matched the other big one we had just caught, good to know. Turtle time of year and they are tough. Just did 4 big turtles at a spot, a product of cross over setting, which I knew better. This time of year the castor seems to be a whole lot better, off the trail, bringing the beaver to you.

Contract ended today. Got a total of 18 beaver on the two sites. 7 at one 11 at the other. The county never showed up to bust the dam So they will need me again befor e summers out, as I know there are more in that location. It's the one were I got the 11 at.

I hear you about keeping eyes open, had one road killed beaver that I spotted on other side of large lake that I was trapping 20-25# and talked to local store owner over at that side and she said there are beavers that have a dam on the creek that comes Into the lake right over by where the road killed one was

Also the owner of the property at the other site said he seen a large beaver carrying a stick across the pond, I new there has to be at least mama beaver left mad I hadn't caught a pregnant there

Will work on final report and bill this weekend and submit to county. Will be requesting a letter of recommendation from them as well as a request to bid other projects in county

This is new to me, a time frame. I just tell them I will stay till the problem is cured, no damming. Sometimes I will back off for a time with a really educated beaver, but unless you get the last beaver for them, they still have the same problem, yes? Are the beaver still repairing the dams?

No there has been no attempt at the culvert site to repair the dam since it was partially demoed by the county. It's been about two weeks on the other site since any repair work was done there. I removed that dam myself completely 10 days ago.

Well the previous trappers at both sites (2 different trappers each of the last 3-4 years) would only catch 2-3 beaver right at dam sites and stop so I contracted to run traps for a minimum of 21 day at least
10'traps at each site, with the option of 10 additional days if I believed I could catch additional beavers

Part of one contract was that the county would remove the dam in the culvert during my contract so I could trap more effectively at that site, but they never fully removed dam. Of course in my final report to them, this will be mentioned as it has prevented the capture of the additional beavers that are lodged behind a dam further up stream.

Basically they will need to hire me again at this site as I am positive there are still beaver at this location

Basically I caught 3 times as many beaver as the previous trappers so I would think that they will continue to hire me. We shall see. I would have no problem continuing to trap if they had demolished dam as required. I do not charge a trap check fee, only a set up fee and a per beaver fee, I would charge a straight fee to get all of the beavers and require the dam break but they requested a quote based on how others had charged (except others also charged to go and check traps, which they did for a week)

Already rethinking on how I will charge and what will require for further beaver projects . Still trying to get a feel for this part, as everyone seems to hold fees charged tight to their chest.

A little less than a week ago a beaver started to rebuild the dam I took out. I called the drain commissioner and told him and offered to reset traps at no charge for set up but still same charge per beaver. The dam building stopped immediately But...... This morning I caught it. It had definitely been in a trap before (I never had one set off and empty at this location). The property owner said last year the trappers had a tie nail in one trap and commented that it would be hard to catch that one now. I got it this morning. Missing toe nail completely and healed over large 5 inch scar across its back. Only weighted 35lbs but has the largest tail of all the past 30 beavers I have caught.

Also got my first fox job yesterday

Very good P.R. to do what you did, reset at no charge, just charge for catches. I do the same with chucks too, or anything really. Sometimes chucks are absent a long time. I pick up after a few weeks and then just come back when I get the call the chuck has returned. Reset at no charge, only charge for what is taken.

You pointed out that the beaver was only 35 pounds. It's not always the monster 50-60 pound beaver that are a problem. Sometimes its 25-35 pound beaver that are educated too. Last year I even had a yearling that offered a bit of trouble, which was a first. He saw the others get caught I guess, wised him up, so went to a foot hold.

The missing toe

ttt