Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Trapping => Topic started by: TheNoob on November 12, 2012, 11:21:39 AM

Title: Beaver Population.
Post by: TheNoob on November 12, 2012, 11:21:39 AM: What is a good way to figure out how many Beavers are in an area, even rats, mink.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Humptulips on November 12, 2012, 06:51:00 PM: Catch them then count them. :sas:

To be serious though if it looks like there are beaver, rats, mink I don't think you can over trap them with cage traps. Trap 'till the catch drops off, then move. There'll be a few left.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: woodywsu on November 12, 2012, 07:08:45 PM: If u catch a big male them probably few. If u catch momma or a little one then there can be quite a bit.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: TheNoob on November 12, 2012, 09:12:34 PM: Ok thanks, Just found a good amount o branches that were stripped and wanted to know if you could tell by that.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Hannibal on November 13, 2012, 05:24:17 AM: Quote
If u catch a big male them probably few. If u catch momma or a little one then there can be quite a bit.

Since when does the male not live with the colony?,,,,,

I believe differently then Bruce,,,,, With colony traps you can over trap rats........
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Da stump on November 13, 2012, 07:23:24 AM: Young beav are usually with mommy for about two years then driven off to find their own way. If you find an area with lots of big stuff chewed down you probably have young ones. If you find an area with grass roots, and cattail floating, and small twigs, usually an old beav. There are always exceptions but found this to be mostley true. :)
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: woodywsu on November 13, 2012, 08:07:15 AM: Just seems that when I catch a big male I usually don't catch many other ones.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Elkrunner on November 15, 2012, 08:53:11 AM: I was in an area yesterday that I saw 6 huge trees that are almost falling over. How many beavers would do that?
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Da stump on November 15, 2012, 10:04:33 AM: the young need to chew to keep there teeth worn down more so than the older ones is what i have been told. A beaver could probably drop one a night, depending on size
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Elkrunner on November 15, 2012, 11:42:29 AM: I am thinking of going back and putting up a trail cam
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: BiggLuke on November 15, 2012, 03:30:26 PM: Look for the food sources.
Like willow.
If there are lots of beaver... the area near the water will be stripped of food.
If very few beaver.... then there will be food everywhere and only a few downed trees.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: TheNoob on November 15, 2012, 04:54:31 PM: The beaver in this spot are not taking down big trees but there are alot of smaller limbs and a nice damm. These beavers from what I know have been there for atleast 2+ years and they dont have a hunt they have built a den under a nice big fir tree in the side of a bank.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Humptulips on November 15, 2012, 08:56:42 PM: Quote from: TheNoob on November 15, 2012, 04:54:31 PM
The beaver in this spot are not taking down big trees but there are alot of smaller limbs and a nice damm. These beavers from what I know have been there for atleast 2+ years and they dont have a hunt they have built a den under a nice big fir tree in the side of a bank.

Typical, it is rare to find a beaver house/hut at least on the west side.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Da stump on November 16, 2012, 04:33:07 AM: there are more bank dens than beaver huts for a large population, a single set of ponds probably hold at the most two adults and two kits. Trap light and next year you will still have animals. I only like to take one beav out of a system with about five connected ponds. There are enough that by traveling a bit you can get all you can handle. If you get in an area that seems extensive then you can take a few. Just remember that undertrapping an area is better than killing off all the brood stock. Think of it like farming. :hello:
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Hannibal on November 16, 2012, 05:19:06 AM: Quote
a single set of ponds probably hold at the most two adults and two kits.

Not sure were you got this info but i believe it is false..........

Quote
I only like to take one beav out of a system with about five connected ponds

You are the adc GUYS BEST FRIEND..................... :tup:
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Da stump on November 16, 2012, 07:18:43 AM: it could be false but was given to me by an old time trapper that has long since gone on to the happy hunting grounds. I would rather error to the side of caution than to ever hurt a population of furbearers that could provide me with future trapping :dunno:
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: TeacherMan on November 16, 2012, 07:58:55 AM: Quote from: Hannibal on November 16, 2012, 05:19:06 AM
Quote
a single set of ponds probably hold at the most two adults and two kits.

Not sure were you got this info but i believe it is false..........

Quote
I only like to take one beav out of a system with about five connected ponds

You are the adc GUYS BEST FRIEND..................... :tup:

I do know the Dastump has taken 1,000's of beaver when you could really trap and was a Rep of the Washington State Trapping Associating for a long time along with being an ADC guy in the state for over a decade. You never really know who's on here I guess do you ;)
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: bob maier on November 16, 2012, 09:26:36 AM: The times have changed, use to be you would farm the beaver and maintain the populations. Now with so few trappers and an ever exploding population the rules have changed some. Any waters that are connected to a river system I'd catch as may as I wanted. You have a steady supply of replacement animals to fill in the trapped animals. That being said each trapper knows there trapping area and what they can do to manage it. Down here I could catch 100 beaver if I was crazy enough to do it and had the time and I would have no fear of hurting the population.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: TheNoob on November 16, 2012, 10:25:38 AM: Im still trying to find some goog trapping areas. Not much luck yet, I have found a few but not to many.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Hannibal on November 17, 2012, 05:24:47 AM: Look in the creek that is behind greenbriar rail
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Jonathan_S on November 25, 2012, 11:00:34 PM: Quote from: Hannibal on November 16, 2012, 05:19:06 AM
Quote
a single set of ponds probably hold at the most two adults and two kits.

Not sure were you got this info but i believe it is false..........

Quote
I only like to take one beav out of a system with about five connected ponds

You are the adc GUYS BEST FRIEND..................... :tup:

:yeah: :chuckle: :yeah: :chuckle:

I am not a dynamite trapper by any standards and I've caught eight or more beavers out of the same small pond systems.

Last year on a job I caught five adults and three younger beavers out of one house.

That's funny.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Kowsrule30 on November 29, 2012, 07:09:08 PM: I know a place where you could trap beaver all day long... Multiples a day and never put a dent in the population.... They have 3 huts on the pond and down 18" or larger trees often.... I use to fish under some till they didn't finish their job... :chuckle: Too bad the pond is in a state park....
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: 3nails on November 29, 2012, 07:37:00 PM: Last year was our first year of trapping beaver so I know very little compared to most of you. Lots of things surprised me. One being how many beavers were in a given "area". We trapped seven between 54 and 25 lbs in one small pond. As we were picking up our traps the last evening of the season there were several beavers slapping their tails in the water at us. We may just ignore this area for the year but the thought of the 3 otters we also trapped there is tempting me. :chuckle: There is a little channel that connects to the river and might be too good to pass up.
Title: Re: Beaver Population.
Post by: Humptulips on November 29, 2012, 08:43:00 PM: You probably should look at it from a perspective of the entire drainage. Take a large river system. If you are trapping a pond off the river and you think you have wiped them out, probably not. There will be migration in from a population on the river and nearby. A smaller isolated pond up in the hills is going to be easier to hurt. There will be migration into that too just not as much.
So you take a few beaver out of a pond but the real question is how much refuge area are you not touching. Makes a big difference.