Only one beaver ?

Ok. You beaver guys. I left the beaver site alone for a week. Pulled SD card from camera tonight. And there is only one beaver at a time working on the dam. I caught the one 2 weeks ago. So do you think it is just the one left. Would the kits be coming to dam with it if there were any?

It is summer still. The kits are small if there are some. Lot of it depends on how far the house is from the dam. Also how far they would have to go to eat or den location. The water depth, if it is maintained, is a factor with activity to.

Beaver are like women, just when you think you have them figured out.... you are wrong.
It could be just one more left. Also its rare but I have seen very small kits out working on dams. I was shocked, At first thought it was a muskrat. but watched it for about 30 minutes pushing up mud into the dam.
No doubt it was a beaver. It came within 15 feet.

I am finishing a job this weekend on a water retention pond for a major corporation in the area. I went into the job expecting a mated paur and kits. Instead, I've caught 3 females, 46#, 39#, and 47# plus one kit probably 6# or so. The damage has stopped and the pond is draining back to its normal level. I was really surprised not to find the male and at least one more kit.

Jason, this is a clear-cut case of cheating. The 47 pounder caught dad with the 39 pounder because she was younger and had a better

figure. The judge awarded the dam, the lodge, the pond, and one child to mom. Dad got the rest of the kids but had to move out.

Dad felt that he got the short end of the deal, but I bet he feels different now.

If you get the kids you get the better end of the deal, jmo

Going to reset this job tonight, after careful review of the videos, I have decided I should be able to set up footholds that will get the front foot and drowning rigs. No dam break. Just try to be suttle

Paul-- 'cheatin beaver' , a 'homewrecker' LOL

Update: No beaver movement at dam since I set, camera shows nothing but deer so far

Well I caught this 9 lbs beaver in a blind set 330 in a channel in middle of the stream, so now I am assuming
this is a one year old in addition to the two adults at this site. It was near the dam on what I am assuming if the lodge side of the dams Was hoping to catch two adults and be done. But now think I may have to go find the lodge

Does that dam have a flowing spillway?

It has a spillway now. But no, the beavers have dammed up a seasonal wetland, that is why the ADC job as it is flooding a hay field

That beaver is just few months old, not a one-year old. I would assume there is probably a few more that size too. This years beaver will be about 16 lbs give or take by fur season. That has been true in both MI and MN by my observations.

Well I wasn't so sure on the age as I checked my records for a ADC job I did this spring and in 4/23/15 I caught an 11 lb beaver. Just the week before I had caught beavers in the upper teens.

What is a good way to age beavers, is it by weight only. Or weight and habitat. (Ie lily pad pond / swamp / forest. And weight)

Thx

Not sure how to answer your question. I was just thinking about the likelihood of a 9 lb beaver having been born the previous year, surviving winter, and then STILL only being 9 lbs in August the following year. Even if it was a late litter and born in August or September of last year (or even later), you would sure thing that by being a full year, or almost a full year old, it would be more than 9 lbs no matter the habitat (or die of starvation). I too have caught tiny beaver in spring that must have been born very late the previous year, but just can't imagine that once they have all of the foods available to them and easy summer living that they would not be up in the teens by August. I might be all wet on this, but that's how I figure it.

Seems like most yearlings would be larger than 9 pounds, but must have been a very late litter? Seems big for this years litter. Always surprises.

Jason, wondering if you opened the beaver to make sure they were female. Kind of odd getting that many large females with no males, but there are no absolutes. Once got 6 blanket males in one house on Lake Anna Virginia in the 70's.

Jim- Congratulations on getting some mentions in the September 2015 issue of Fur-Fish- Game magazine. Tracy Gilsvik stated "New York based Jim Comstock, told of his out-of-state adventures. I believe one of his traplines was in Alabama. I think mud and rain played an oppressive role on that line."

I hadn't heard that before; care to elaborate? I am always interested in reading about out of state trappers experiences here.

Jim, I didn't open them up, I looked at the buttons on their chest and saved their oil-straight up females. Wonder if he ran off?

Too many women, probably needed some quiet. Beaver can be tough to sex at times, easy to make a mistake as I have done many times. There was a story about a "female" beaver getting sterilized to be re-released. Only thing. After the operation began they realized that "she" had the "wrong parts." If I really am serious about knowing, I do make the incision.

Just to clarify, I only opened enough to get the oil but didn't check- saw the buttons so I assumed. I'll check better next time!