Beavers can be very disturbing when the topography of an area is changed by diverting water flow and damming rivers. They also cut down trees with their teeth for food and use the trees to build dams and huts. If you don't want to hire an expert to trap beavers, there are certain methods that are relatively easy to do yourself.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Tracking the Beaver
Step 1. Check local hunting rules
There are very specific rules about when you can hunt otters, as they were nearly extinct due to hunting in the United States in the 1990s. Before you decide to catch an otter, be sure to check the rules in your area. The following rules apply to the United States.
- Zone A (northwest), beaver season starts from November 1 to March 30.
- Zone B (northeast), beaver season starts from November 1 to March 30.
- Zone C (south), beaver season starts from November 1 to March 31.
- Zone D (Mississippi River), otter season starts from the end of the duck hunting season until March 15th.
- If you are a property owner who has a problem with beavers plaguing your property, you can usually get a permit to get rid of the pest. Visit your local wildlife regulation department (sometimes called the Department of Wildlife and Game, or similar, depending on your area).
Step 2. Find the best areas for beavers
You need to look for areas that are the best habitat for otters, as those are places where otters are more likely to find otters. This means finding areas that are conducive to building huts and dams and have the right food sources for the beavers.
- Beavers need a source of water all year round. Places where you're likely to find otters are near rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and low-water areas such as lowlands or marshes. In urban areas, they are commonly found in roadside waterways, sewers, and sewage ponds.
- Beavers are plant-eaters, and their diet varies with the seasons, so if you track otters at the right time (November to March) you will find their winter and spring diets.
- In winter, beavers prefer to forage from sweetgum, ash, poplar, pine, as well as birch, willow and aspen trees. Look for an area that has a large number of this tree species, as well as a year-round source of water.
- In spring, beavers are more likely to feed on aquatic plants and green shoots of plants, so look for areas that have a water source for aquatic plants.
Step 3. Look for evidence of otters
There will be clear signs of otters all around when you start looking for them. They tend to cut down trees by chewing through the trunk at a 45-degree angle. This will make the tree shape look like an hourglass
- Apart from fallen trees, you will see lots of wood chips and tree bases in the beaver area.
- You'll also see dams, or huts made by beavers on the banks of the river. This is usually a large pile made of a series of tree branches above the water, with an underwater entrance. It can reach 3 m in height and up to 1.5 m in width. But not all beavers live in huts. Some live in burrows along rivers or lake sides. If so, you need to look for other signs of a beaver.
Step 4. Look for the beaver sign
Beavers will leave certain marks on the areas they live in. These are things like footprints, or dirt, that let you know you're in the right location.
- Otters have unique footprints that can be difficult to identify, as their broad, flat tails and the tree branches they usually carry by dragging can obscure the tracks. Instead of looking for footprints, look for places where something has been dragged (such as thick tree branches).
- The most likely place for you to find otter footprints is actually the mud at the edge of a water source (river, pond, etc.). Beaver footprints look like tiny human hands (usually 6 to 7.5 cm long). They have 5 fingers.
- You can also look for their droppings. This dirt looks like wood chips. Usually, however, beavers store their droppings underwater, making them harder to find than other, more obvious evidence (eg fallen trees and drag tracks).
Step 5. Find a place to set the trap
There are a variety of great places to place beaver traps. You can find the entrance to the dam or hut and place it there, if the water is shallow enough. Otherwise, you'll have to find the beaver's path.
- Look for the beaver path. Beavers, like most other animals, are creatures of habit. They tend to use the same route, namely through water or over land. If there is a dam between two ponds, set a trap over it, as beavers usually walk on dams.
- Look for shallow water near a dam or hut. Look for narrow troughs in shallow water. There is usually no debris at the bottom of the trough, so it is safe for beavers. Set the traps in the trough. If the water reaches more than 25 cm, place tree trunks at the top so the beaver is forced to dive.
- If you find the entrance to the beaver hut in shallow water (30 cm or less), that is the best place to set the trap. The traps will be less conspicuous and more effective, as the beaver will have to be in and out of the hut by then.
Part 2 of 3: Trapping Beavers
Step 1. Use traps that grip the body
This is the best trap to use for catching otters, especially if you are a beginner in trapping animals. It's illegal to catch beavers and move them alive, so your options are either to try to get them to leave the area, or kill them. Traps that grip the body are the best way to do it.
Conibears are considered the best body gripping traps. This is the easiest and safest trap to use
Step 2. Set up the traps before you set them up
If your trap is new, it will usually be coated with grease which makes it dangerous to set up. To make sure the trap is easy to set up, and doesn't stand out too much when you place it, you need to soak it first.
Soak in hot, soapy water, then rinse the trap. After rinsing, immerse the trap in a mixture of hot water and ice cream salt. Place it outside to dry a few days before you set the trap. The trap will become rusty and easy to set up, making it more effective at trapping the beaver
Step 3. Place the trap properly
Again, the Conibear body gripping trap is the most effective, easiest to use, and safest trap for catching beavers. However, this means that you need to place them correctly, otherwise you could get injured. Take a look at the instructions that come with traps, as not all traps are set up exactly the same and the traps described in the sub-steps are Conibear traps.
The trap consists of 2 springs (wire that bends on each side), 2 safety latches (hooks hanging from springs), 2 jaws (square or square trap body), 1 trigger (which hangs on the trap lock), and 1 key trap (which is at the top of the jaw). Make sure you recognize the different parts of the trap so you know how to set it up
Step 4. Tighten the spring
Extend the spring away from the trap body. After that, grip and press the spring. The spring generates a force that will ensnare the animal in the trap when it triggers it.
Step 5. Set the outline properly
Pull the trap frame with one hand, keeping the spring depressed with the other. Place a grip over the jaw to hold it in place, or tie it with string.
Step 6. Position the trap lock (also called the dog) and trigger where you want to place the skeleton
Set the trigger at the desired limit in the trap lock. Keeping the trigger at the limit, grip the spring and slowly release the frame. If you're using a gripper or rope, remove that too.
Step 7. Place the trap
Wherever you set your trap, on a waterway, in front of a nest, etc., you should place it upright, with the trap lock on top. You can attach a spring to the stick to hold it upright, or tie it in place.
You may have to build a small structure from a few tree branches to keep the trap upright and prevent beavers from walking through the trap. Consider the area where you will be placing the trap and how you will need to set it up
Step 8. Examine the traps
Check your traps regularly (every few days). You don't want a dead beaver to attract other animals, because once you kill the animal, you'll need to use its skin and flesh to avoid wasting it.
Part 3 of 3: Reducing Beaver Damage Non-Lethally
Step 1. Cover the tree with chicken wire, coating or other heavy metal wire
Cover from the base at least 0.9 m. This will prevent the beaver from eating from the tree or using the trunk. You need to check your tree to make sure the beaver has left it.
You can also create a wire fence to prevent beavers from entering certain areas (especially around ponds). Also, you can put a mesh cover over drains and the like to keep beavers away
Step 2. Destroy the dam or hut
Sometimes completely destroying beaver dams or huts, as well as eliminating access to their habitat can keep beavers away. You have to make sure all parts of the dam have been removed, so the beavers don't have access to rebuild it.
- Use a sturdy garden fork and work downstream to completely destroy the dam or hut.
- You should continue to check the dam or hut area to make sure the beavers are not rebuilding and that there are no materials that can be used to rebuild.
Step 3. Use beaver repellent
There is only one repellent that has proven effective in getting rid of beavers and the damage they cause, namely Thiram. You will need to apply beaver repellent to the leaves and bushes that the beavers feed on.
- Again, it's a good idea to use this method in addition to other methods, such as destroying dams and huts, and then spraying food sources with Thiram.
- There are other repellents and sprays you can use to keep otters from coming into your area, if they haven't already, but only Thiram can get rid of them if they are already there.
Step 4. Control the water level
There are different ways to control the water level so it doesn't become a conducive habitat for otters. You can make drains to keep the water level low or you can keep the water clear of debris or anything that can prevent the water from flowing.
- Make a drain pipe by joining two plastic sewer pipes and making a hole in one of them. The diameter of the pipe can be 10, 15, 20 or 25 cm, depending on the volume of water in the river.
- Dig a hole in the beaver dam along the actual current channel. Place three-quarters of the pipe at nearly every level of the dam, and extend the hollow edge toward the beaver pond (upstream). Attach the weight to one end of the pipe.
- Allow about a quarter of the pipe to extend out downstream of the dam.
- Add about 2 inches (5 cm) of the bend or downwards towards the side of the hole so you can prevent clogging the upstream end of the pipe.
Tips
- If you're going to eat the otter's flesh (which you should do, so you don't waste it), you'll want to avoid the guts and glands at the base of the tail that can contaminate the meat. You also need to get rid of as much fat as possible. Beaver meat is delicious grilled, stewed, or fried.
- You can also use nets for water traps, or foot traps, but the latter should only be used if you are experienced.
- There isn't much of a market for beaver fur these days, but you can find some in the United States.
Warning
- Catching beavers may be off limits or even illegal in certain countries and regions.
- Wear protection because beavers can be dangerous, especially if you trap the beaver alive.
