Nutria???

[HawkCreek]

Sorry for the picture quality, it's the best I could manage running along a bank trying to figure out what this thing was. I've seen a few Nutria hit along the road down by Moses Lake but I've not heard of them this far north. Seems like the state wants them dead and I have no issue with that, I'll just have to wait until the weekend is over and the campers have gone. I never got a look at the tail so does anybody know of any other way to ID a nutria over a beaver? This thing seemed huge, like 2 feet or larger which to my understanding is bigger than a normal nutria.

Shoot and leave? Coyote Bait? What should I do with it (I'm not eating a rat)?

[762Armo]

I've heard of people eating those. Give it a try. 

[huntnphool]

Pic looks like a flat tail (beaver) not a rat tail (nutria)

[HawkCreek]

As I already stated, I'm not eating a rat.

Huntnphool, is there anything I can do to "spoke" the critter so that it will give me a better look? I don't want to shoot a beaver and get all tangled up with the game department. I watched it for several minutes yesterday evening and never did get a good look at it's tail.

The body of water it was in is real close to the irrigation canal but the only "trees" within miles of that place are one scraggly hawthorn and one piece of crap cottonwood. I'll be out to look them over for damage but I don't know where a beaver would have come from in these parts.

[huntingcl]

Looks like a beaver

[huntnphool]

As I already stated, I'm not eating a rat.

Huntnphool, is there anything I can do to "spoke" the critter so that it will give me a better look? I don't want to shoot a beaver and get all tangled up with the game department. I watched it for several minutes yesterday evening and never did get a good look at it's tail.

The body of water it was in is real close to the irrigation canal but the only "trees" within miles of that place are one scraggly hawthorn and one piece of crap cottonwood. I'll be out to look them over for damage but I don't know where a beaver would have come from in these parts.

Trail cam maybe? http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/348260

[TONTO]

Toss a rock at it, a beaver will useualy give you a good tail slap.

[steeleywhopper]

best guess from the picture is beaver

[3nails]

 I'll guess beaver as well. I wouldn't advise shooting a nutria unless you were beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't a muskrat. You could easily end up on the wrong side of the law. 

[bigtex]

Shoot and leave? Coyote Bait? What should I do with it (I'm not eating a rat)?

You say you don't want to shoot a beaver and then get in trouble with WDFW, yet you ask if you should just "shoot and leave" it? Shooting and leaving ANYTHING will end up with wastage of wildlife charges.

[HawkCreek]

Shoot and leave? Coyote Bait? What should I do with it (I'm not eating a rat)?

You say you don't want to shoot a beaver and then get in trouble with WDFW, yet you ask if you should just "shoot and leave" it? Shooting and leaving ANYTHING will end up with wastage of wildlife charges.

I said I don't want to shoot a beaver. Meaning I will have positive ID before I kill something since the state views a native animal like beaver differently than an invasive animal like the nutria.

A nutria is a pest and I would leave. Kinda like coyotes, they are a pest and harass/harm livestock, they are shot on sight but nobody around here has a use for them. Washington State says nutria are no bueno, so ya I'll kill it and leave it.

[bigtex]

Shoot and leave? Coyote Bait? What should I do with it (I'm not eating a rat)?

You say you don't want to shoot a beaver and then get in trouble with WDFW, yet you ask if you should just "shoot and leave" it? Shooting and leaving ANYTHING will end up with wastage of wildlife charges.

I said I don't want to shoot a beaver. Meaning I will have positive ID before I kill something since the state views a native animal like beaver differently than an invasive animal like the nutria.

A nutria is a pest and I would leave. Kinda like coyotes, they are a pest and harass/harm livestock, they are shot on sight but nobody around here has a use for them. Washington State says nutria are no bueno, so ya I'll kill it and leave it.

I know what you said. You missed my point.

Killing it and leaving it will end up with charges from WDFW. It is against the law to shoot and leave anything, doesn't matter if it's a deer or a coyote. Nothing like admitting to a wildlife law violation on a hunting website.

[HawkCreek]

Would you be happier if I hung it on a fence? PM me an address and I'll mail it to whoever wants it 

More than a few threads around here about leaving coyotes and what not lay.

[ghosthunter]

Shoot and leave? Coyote Bait? What should I do with it (I'm not eating a rat)?

You say you don't want to shoot a beaver and then get in trouble with WDFW, yet you ask if you should just "shoot and leave" it? Shooting and leaving ANYTHING will end up with wastage of wildlife charges.

I said I don't want to shoot a beaver. Meaning I will have positive ID before I kill something since the state views a native animal like beaver differently than an invasive animal like the nutria.

A nutria is a pest and I would leave. Kinda like coyotes, they are a pest and harass/harm livestock, they are shot on sight but nobody around here has a use for them. Washington State says nutria are no bueno, so ya I'll kill it and leave it.

I know what you said. You missed my point.

Killing it and leaving it will end up with charges from WDFW. It is against the law to shoot and leave anything, doesn't matter if it's a deer or a coyote. Nothing like admitting to a wildlife law violation on a hunting website.

I do not think so Bigtex. Show us that law please.

Page 79 Big Game regs, Item #2
"You may not allow game animals or game birds you have taken to recklessly be wasted."

Nutria are not classified as game animals.

[ghosthunter]

From State web site.


Trapping and Lethal Control

Nutria are easily captured in single door three or four foot long live traps (Fig. 10). Bait live traps with sweet potatoes or carrots and place them along active trails or wherever nutria or their sign are seen. A small amount of bait leading to the entrance of the live trap will increase capture success.

Due to its classification as a Prohibited Aquatic Animal Species (see “Legal Status”), all live-trapped nutria should be euthanized and not returned to the wild.

When cornered or captured, nutria are aggressive and can inflict serious injury to pets and humans. Extreme care should be taken when handling captured nutria.

Trapping may not be legal in some urban areas; check with local authorities. See Trapping Wildlife for additional information, including euthanization.

Since nutria are usually found in waterways, there is often an unlimited supply of replacement animals upstream and downstream from where the damage is occurring. Rapid immigration coupled with a high reproductive rate makes ongoing lethal control a “high-effort” method of damage control that is often ineffective. (Lethal control can be effective in areas where the local population of nutria is still small.) The methods described and referenced in “Preventing Conflicts” are the best long-term solution.

Shooting has been an effective in eliminating small isolated groups of nutria. For safety considerations, shooting is generally limited to rural situations and is considered too hazardous in more populated areas, even if legal. No fumigants are currently registered for nutria control.

Public Health Concerns