Secrets and techniques of beaver hunting: video from the hunt. How to catch a beaver? Effective methods Other methods of catching beaver

Beavers are hunted from the beginning of October until the end of February. Hunting this animal is exciting and brings a lot of unforgettable emotions. The rodent is caught either with a gun or using traps or other devices for trapping. Both hunting methods are interesting in their own way, each has different techniques, but also has its own disadvantages.

Where to look for beaver

The traditional habitats of beavers are small rivers, abandoned irrigation canals, and oxbow lakes with abundant aquatic and coastal vegetation. For these animals, standing or slowly flowing water is more comfortable. They are not able to overcome fast currents. This is why beavers build dams. The beaver prefers reservoirs with banks overgrown with aspen, alder, willow, and birch.

To determine whether a discovered beaver lodge is a residential one, you need to check if there are fresh gnaws nearby. They should be white in color with no gray spots that form over time. A good sign of the presence of an animal is gnawing near the hut. The beaver comes to a nearby feeding area earlier. The presence of a beaver is also indicated by branches floating in the water and tracks on the coastal mud. The traces should be clear and not have time to heal.

Hunting with a gun is easier than hunting with traps. This method of hunting does not require lengthy preparation of self-catchers and careful selection of their installation location.

When hunting beaver with a gun, there is a point that makes killing the animal useless. At any extraneous sound, and especially if there is a threat to life, the beaver immediately dives into the saving water and hides in a hut, hole or under a snag. If the rodent is slightly wounded, it will not appear; if the wound is fatal, it will drown. Retrieving a wounded beaver is possible in rare cases.

Like most animals, beavers have highly developed hearing and sense of smell. You should not approach the rodent's property from the leeward side. Sometimes it is better to make an ambush on the opposite bank from the hut. Despite its acute hearing, the beaver is not afraid of sounds characteristic of the area. Hearing a quiet splash, he becomes wary, but then calms down.

Water transmits sound vibrations better than air, since it is a denser medium. Hunting beaver from a boat, especially a motor boat, will not have the desired success. He will hide until the hunter has time to shoot.

The approach option is not suitable for catching beaver. The main type of hunting for him with a gun is ambush. The hunt begins at dusk, when the animal comes ashore to feed. You can see it during the day only in exceptional cases.

If there is snow on the shore of a reservoir, it is better to wear a camouflage robe that does not make rustling sounds when moving. If there is no snow cover, you need to remove dry leaves and thin branches from the ambush site. You need to arrive at the ambush site around 5 pm.

The beaver must be allowed at a distance of about 15 meters. At dusk, the chance of missing increases. For beaver hunting, cartridges with shot from 1 mm to 9 mm buckshot are used. Experienced hunters recommend using 6.5 mm buckshot.

Devices for catching beavers, invented in ancient times, are sometimes used in our time. The principles of their operation were also used in the creation of modern airplanes. The types and designs of such devices are very diverse. The choice of trap type is determined by the conditions of the area chosen for hunting.

The main division of devices for catching beavers is stationary and portable. Stationary ones include trapping pits, self-catching traps and gouges. Traps, cherkans, venter-type traps, and box-type traps are used as portable ones. The use of passive loops for catching animals is prohibited in our country. Pits, as a stationary means of catching beavers, are allowed only in some regions.

Beaver hunting using a trap is less effective in the sense that an animal of any gender and age can fall into the trap. The hunted young beaver does not have good fur and an acceptable amount of meat. Therefore, it cannot be considered a successful trophy. Hunting with a gun in this regard is more selective for both the hunter and the environment. In addition, this method is more humane.

In any family of animals, the largest representatives are the most sensitive and cautious. This also applies to rodents. Therefore, traps and other types of traps must be carefully treated before installation. They are cleaned of lubricants and rust, wiped with pine needles, putting mittens on their hands.

In the Deaf deserted places beavers are not too careful. There are no predators that feed on them in nature. In places with a fairly large concentration of people and where boats with motors are used, their presence can only be determined by traces of life activity.

Experienced hunters note the beaver’s sensitive reaction to the smell of iron, as well as to other foreign odors. This is evidenced by the rodent's lack of fear of a trap under water, even if it is clearly visible. On land, these animals try to bypass the traps and even throw branches at them. More often, beavers fall into a trap in the snow, as well as after powder. However, in most cases, traps are carefully camouflaged.

Based on the practice of catching beavers, traps with rounded arches No. 7 are considered more catchy. Semicircular arches are better at capturing a passing beaver. The teeth and spikes on the arches increase the holding capacity of the trap even with lightweight springs. But it is also necessary to provide safety measures for people and pets, since large traps are used to catch these large rodents.

Traps are most often placed along the path of beavers to feeding areas. The depth of installation is determined so that the trap is in the water, but the rodent swimming above it cannot pass it without hitting the alert. Also, the installation site can be transition paths to an adjacent body of water.

Plate traps are often used, the anchor and sinker with a float are attached to a stake driven into the bottom. In deep reservoirs, several stakes are driven in; the traps attached to them should be at a depth of 10-15 cm from the surface of the water. The length of the cable should not allow the caught beaver to escape to the shore. The sludge near the trap needs to be shaken so that when it settles, it partially covers the trap.

They also set traps at the beaver dam. By making a small hole in it, you can force the beaver to repair it. Obeying his building instinct, he will swim to the chosen place. The place where the rodent prepares material for the dam can also be a place to lay a trap. But this requires careful camouflage of the trap.

After purchasing a trap, the factory grease can be removed with gasoline. It dissolves technical oils well and evaporates quickly. Then the device must be kept in water for some time until the odor disappears completely.

Baits for catching beavers

The beaver is a semi-aquatic animal with territorial behavior. To mark the boundaries of the family plot, he makes hummocks of grass and soil, marked with urine and secretions of fatty glands. Hunters call this liquid beaver musk. Its secreting glands (beaver stream) look like pear-shaped sacs located at the base of the tail. Bait is made from beaver stream to lure beavers.

To prepare the bait, the beaver stream is kneaded in hot water and, after cooling, the liquid is poured into a plastic bottle. They use beaver stream from animals caught in other settlements. Having replaced the marked hummock with a fresh one, it is sprayed with the prepared bait. Having smelled the scent of a stranger, the beaver becomes aggressive and more active.

To preserve the bait, fill the contents of the beaver stream with glycerin in a 1:1 ratio and leave in an airtight container. The bait can be stored for a long time. Glycerin is a preservative and the jet itself has antiseptic properties.

The efficiency of beaver harvest, regardless of the hunting method, is determined by the experience and level of professionalism of the hunter. There are many different nuances in the life activity and habits of a beaver. To successfully hunt this animal, you need to know the peculiarities of its behavior in various situations and use appropriate hunting techniques.

V.Sugrobov

How to trick a beaver

The habitat of beavers is distinguished not only by fallen trees, but also by the marks of the beavers themselves, who believe that they are the only absolute masters here. These marks are a kind of way of communication between members of their family and a way of transmitting information to other animals.

All protruding objects are marked. For beavers, their marks are so familiar and natural that even the same traps and traps that smell of beaver stream do not cause fear in the beavers, and each beaver considers it his duty to visit the “mailbox” and leave his new message there. The beaver marks objects not only with urine, but also with fatty (anal, sebaceous) glands. Beaver urine, entering the musk sacs, acquires a different smell, but remains the same liquid.

Hunters call this liquid beaver musk. Beavers secrete it constantly, but more actively in spring and autumn. One beaver secretes up to 20 cm of such liquid per day.

Those glands that secrete musk are called “beaver stream” and are paired pear-shaped sacs. They are located under the skin at the base of the tail, below. The size of the pouches in an adult beaver is 95 mm long and 63 mm wide. They are filled with a yellowish-green substance with a strong odor, somewhat reminiscent of phenol. This smell is formed due to stagnant urine and rejected cells of the mucous membrane of the pouches. This substance contains about 40 components. Both males and females have such pouches, only the latter are smaller in size. They are absent in young individuals. The weight of such pouches in an adult is up to 260 g.

So this beaver stream can be used to lure beavers to traps. The smell of the stream is not lost even in dead beavers that have died from old age. When cutting up such a corpse, care should be taken to avoid injury, and there is no need to separate the paired bags. The bait is prepared as follows. Dry the bags indoors, hanging them with the untied “holes” facing up. Removed after four months. By this time they dry out and become hard and dark. You can leave the bags outside for the entire fall and winter - for six months. The result is the same. The bags turn to stone. Before cooking, this bait is grated or otherwise, 250 g of vodka is poured in and left to infuse for more than a day. You can also mix the crushed bait with pharmaceutical petroleum jelly or boric petroleum jelly. One bag is mixed with 250 g of Vaseline. This bait is enough for several hunting seasons, and it maintains its quality. If the bait is mixed 1:1 with the secretions of the fatty glands, then its effectiveness (strength of smell) increases by about 15%.

On sorties

A beaver family lives on its own property, which is approximately one square kilometer in area. They live and live, they cut down trees, muddy the water and crawl out onto the shore. The places where the beaver climbs onto the shore are called forays. Near such a climb there are clean areas, free of grass and trees, where the beaver cleans itself up, scratches itself, preens, or even just rests, thinking about its difficult fate.

A beaver on such a platform of soil or mud with its front paws rakes up a small mound of earth, no more than 7 cm high, and rubs its butt against it, releasing a stream. He can leave the same stream on a lump of grass. Marked tubercles are more often found along the outskirts of the family plot and sometimes near the home itself. Marks are updated daily by adults, and especially males.

The hunter’s task is to find such a hillock marked by the beaver and place a trap 15-20 cm from it. With your bait, a few drops, the hunter himself can mark the bark or branch of an aspen tree in a place convenient for him. A trap is placed at a distance of 15-20 cm from the bait. You can use another method. Dip one end of an aspen branch into a jar of bait, stick it in a shallow place into the bottom so that the smeared tip sticks out above the water.

A trap is placed under the stick, and the leash from the trap is attached to a nearby growing bush. Mostly males fall for such baits. Near the huts, the percentage of caught females increases. The beaver family is very familiar with its scents. They are interested in them, but not as much as the smells of other beavers from another family. The marks of other beavers are more interesting and attractive for this family. To “create” the mark of someone else’s beaver, hunters add a few drops of cognac to an existing bait. The smell changes - beavers on new bait they go more willingly.

The last word on beavers

That's probably all I managed to find out about beavers. Not so much, but not so little either. The most important thing seems to be captured! It remains to say a few words about the beaver skin. She is very strong and thick. It’s difficult to remove, and if you succeed with the “pipe”, then honor and praise to you! It is much easier and more convenient to remove with a layer (“carpet”)! But when cutting, a large layer of fat always remains on it, which in itself creates some difficulties in preparing the skin for a hat. Beaver stream has qualities that are widely used in folk medicine. The stream is diluted with water and can be used both internally and externally. Helps with cardiovascular diseases, sexual disorders, and nervous ailments.

It can be used for skin suppurations, against infections due to wounds and injuries. A beaver stream used to cost several times more than a beaver skin. As for meat, it is even tastier than beef. I think that a good hunter, and especially one who reads what I have written, will definitely try such meat!

Sultry and daring libertines

For many decades, it was very common due to the great value of this animal for humans, since it has beautiful fur, delicious and nutritious meat and the famous beaver stream.

Many hunters sought to hunt more and more beavers, not only for their own consumption, but also for sale, because they paid good money.

Beavers became fewer and fewer and this led to a ban on hunting them. For breaking the law there was such a severe punishment that even the bravest poachers tried not to carry out beaver hunting in autumn.

In our modern times, the situation has changed and every hunter can legally go on this hunt without fear of being punished if he receives all the necessary permits.

Where does beaver hunting take place in the fall?

Each animal has its own habitat, so this will be no exception for the beaver. He has his own popular and desirable territories where he spends his life.

Small rivers, forest streams, as well as small reservoirs that are surrounded by willow, alder, aspen and birch most attract beavers to build a home there.

A clear sign of the presence of beavers in a particular place is the presence of huts, fresh gnaws on trees, well-trodden paths along the banks of a river or other body of water.

On the water you can see specific channels with muddy water, along which beavers move from feeding places to their huts. It happens that the top of the canal is covered with branches. This happens if the water level in a reservoir drops.

The animal tries to hide its movements through the water from prying eyes, because the depth does not allow for safe swimming, and the branches act as camouflage.

In addition, dams on rivers and streams are another sign of the presence of beavers in the area. They are erected by beavers to not only increase the depth, but also reduce the speed of water flow.

Beavers cannot stay in a fast current, so they try to slow it down by building a dam. If you come across a dam, then the huts should be located a little higher than it, so this is where you should hunt for beaver.

I hope that it has already become clear to you where this hunt is carried out and the beaver lives. Now let's look at several hunting methods in the fall that are used to catch beaver.

Beaver hunting methods in autumn

There is beaver hunting with traps, which has its advantages and disadvantages compared to other methods. Everything happens quite simply here.

It is enough to select the desired trap and install it in the most suitable place so that the beaver does not have the opportunity to escape from the trap.

You can read more about choosing a beaver trap and its installation in another article on the site. I just want to draw your attention to the fact that after purchasing a trap, it should be washed in gasoline and then rinsed well with water.

This method of hunting cannot be called humane, since the animal does not die immediately, but suffers from pain for a long time. In addition, completely different age groups can fall into the trap, which has a negative impact on the population.

Hunting a beaver with a gun is already much better in terms of humanity, since you can shoot a beaver instantly with one precise shot.

As a rule, the gun is used on ambushes, which are made near trails in order to shoot at an object when it begins to move along the ground.

Some hunters shoot a beaver on the water, but there is a high probability that after the shot it will dive under the water, and then get entangled somewhere in snags and not emerge.

When beavers swim, only the head and a small part of the body are visible on the surface of the water, so it is not so easy to hit it, since the target is small.

To solve this problem, hunters try to make ambush on a hill. This way you can hit not only the head, but also the body of the beaver.

You have to hunt at dusk, so having a flashlight is a must. If after the shot a beaver dives, then you need to remember this place and put a plastic bottle with a weight there so that you can start looking for the trophy in the morning.

The use of boats when hunting beaver in the fall cannot be called something very effective, since this method of hunting is not as effective as others.

If you use a rubber boat, it has poor stability, but a metal one makes sounds that scare beavers.

They are quite valuable and will be useful in any household. Only the animal must be obtained unharmed, so hunters began to use different methods of catching beavers at different times of the year. Only in this matter not everything is so simple, this animal is so strong and intelligent - the beaver. How to catch, how not to be outlawed, what fishing methods are better - you can read about this in this article.

Weapons - pros and cons

Probably the most common way to obtain a dead animal is to use a gun. But this method does not always bring only advantages.

Pros:

Quick killing of an animal. The hunter saw the beaver, shot, and got the killed animal. No need to fuss with anything.

Bullet range. Is the animal far away? A well-aimed shot will allow you to hit the target and not miss the prey.

Simplicity and ease of use. The weapon is not that heavy and does not require additional knowledge, so it is quite easy to handle.

Minuses:

Dead animal. Sometimes it is necessary to get the animal alive.

Skin damage. If you need to get a whole skin, then a gun will not work, because a bullet or shot will destroy its integrity.

Trap

If we are talking about how to catch a beaver, then you should immediately pay attention to trap hunting. Of course, this matter has its own difficulties, so you need to be prepared for them right away.

Selecting a trap

The beaver is a strong and fast animal. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a good trap. The seventh trap with rounded arcs will be the most the best option. Of course, you can look at other options for this type of beaver fishing, but do not forget about the physical characteristics of the rodent.

Installation location

Before setting a trap, you need to carefully inspect the area and find the most favorable place where the beaver often appears. How to catch someone in a trap after good reconnaissance will remain a matter of time. During observation, it is worth paying attention to the places where the animal comes onto land, where there is a place to obtain food and other materials for its life.

Direct installation

At first glance, it may seem that setting a trap is quite simple. But in reality everything is different. If we talk about how to catch a beaver in a trap, it is also worth mentioning the hunter’s utmost caution. In addition, we must not forget about our own safety.

In most cases, this hunting tool is installed in water, so it is necessary to mount it in such a way that the animal does not see the danger, but at the same time, so that the mechanism works in time. At shallow depths, you can put a trap on the bottom, and if it is installed in a place where it is quite deep, then you should resort to using wooden stakes and a cable so that the rodent cannot go ashore.

For camouflage, you can use special objects, as well as natural conditions. You can simply agitate the water to cover the trap with sand and other small debris.

Beaver catching in winter

Probably many people believe that the beaver sleeps in winter. Only in reality this does not happen, beavers simply reduce their activity, so it is worth raising the question of how to catch a beaver in winter.

It’s worth saying right away that winter hunting is not an easy task and requires a lot of effort, especially physically.

Preparing the hunting site

Directly winter fishing rodent growth begins in the fall. When ice has not yet appeared in the reservoir, it is necessary to find the most deep place, where the beaver settlement is located. And mark it. This is necessary so that in winter you can easily find a place for future installation of the trap.

When the ice is of normal thickness to support the weight of a person, you can start hunting. In the marked place you need to make a hole measuring 50x50 cm. You need to find a small tree trunk of the appropriate length. One end of the prepared tree is stuck into the bottom of the reservoir so that the trunk stands at an angle of 35-45%, and the other should stick out above the ice.

Installing a trap

The answer to how to catch a beaver in winter involves using a trap. Accordingly, after preparing the ice hole, it is necessary to proceed with its installation. But first of all, it’s worth preparing a special strong platform so that the mechanism stands firmly. A small block of wood can be an excellent assistant in making it.

You also need to prepare a broom from aspen branches (beaver bait). You can, of course, use another tree, but it is best to take aspen, the branches of which should not exceed a length of more than 1 meter.

After all the necessary preparations, you can install the trap. The platform with the trap is placed in the middle of the ice hole, then a broom is lowered at a distance of about 50 cm. After that, all that remains is to wait for the beast.

Other ways to catch beaver

Trap is the most effective and common option. There are also other ways to catch a beaver. Before the advent of the above mechanism, hunters caught it with the help of dogs. They drove the animal out of their house, and the dogs drove it to the desired location, where a trap or noose was set.

On this moment we can talk about how to catch a beaver with a noose. Only this method of catching an animal is illegal, and the complexity is much greater than catching using the previously mentioned mechanism.

Beaver hunting period

In order not to come under the close attention of law enforcement agencies, you need to remember the period of this hunt. Basically, in all regions it is allowed in the cold season, namely from autumn to spring.

The beaver is a representative of the rodent order. The beaver's body length reaches 75-120 cm, with the largest representatives up to 130 cm. The usual body weight is 16-18 kg. There are specimens weighing up to 30 kg. The weight and size of beavers depends on the area where they live, their feeding conditions and existence. Females and males are practically the same in weight and size.
The beaver has a cylindrical body shape and streamlined contours, which is most convenient for moving in water. The beaver is an excellent swimmer and diver.
The fur of this animal is very hard. The color is dark brown. Tail ( characteristic feature beaver) is devoid of hair, flattened horizontally and covered with peculiar scales (they have nothing in common with fish scales). His ears are very small. The eyes are also small. Despite the latter circumstance, beavers' vision is quite sharp.
A few words about habitats. In Russia, beavers are common in almost all large rivers, as well as rivers and rivulets. They live mostly in stagnant or slow-flowing bodies of water. As already mentioned, the strength of a rodent is not enough to overcome a fast current.
This is one of the factors determining the construction of dams by beavers. This barrier allows you to make an excellent standing pond from a fast river.
Beavers lead an active crepuscular or nocturnal lifestyle.
Beavers are monogamous: a pair is created for life, but they most often live in family groups.
Beavers have two types of homes: . A hole is dug in a steep river bank. This dwelling is easier to build, and no river has a steep bank. However, if this does happen, the animals build a complex technical structure -. It's a whole engineering structure, although it looks like a pile of branches brought by a flood. The hut is built from tree branches and soil. The most massive branches are laid at the base in such a way as to support the weight of one or several animals inside. Next, a roof is built above this raft, which, although it has a base in the form of folds of reeds, reeds or cattails, is mostly floating. Thus, a living chamber is obtained in which the animal hides. There are usually several passages leading into this chamber. As mentioned above, they are all underwater.
The main food of beavers in summer consists of green parts of plants, the bark of young trees and other plant foods. In winter, when the green parts of plants die off, beavers feed on the bark of stored tree branches. Beavers' favorite trees are white poplars, aspens and willows.
Beavers' teeth, like other rodents, grow throughout their lives. Despite their strength, they wear down during operation. In addition, they are constantly becoming sharper.

Castoreum

It’s worth talking about this organ in a little more detail, since all tragic story of the beaver tribe is associated not only with the indefatigable prey of this animal for its most valuable fur, but also with an equally, and sometimes many times more expensive, part of the beaver’s body - the beaver stream.
The beaver stream is a pair of pear-shaped sacs that have long been considered the musk glands of the beaver. As studies have shown, these organs do not have a glandular structure, but are highly wrinkled connective tissue formations of epithelial origin. The physiological function of the beaver stream has not been fully studied. It is known, however, that it is involved in calcium metabolism.
The urine that gets into these bags undergoes fermentation and is subsequently used to mark the territory. Both males and females have a beaver stream, and although it differs slightly in chemical composition, it is possible that it is associated with sexual activity (marking to attract individuals of the opposite sex, mutual sniffing of males and females). There is some difference in properties: for example, when dried, the contents of females’ sacs lose weight from 5 to 15%, and in adult males - up to 30%.
The weight of the beaver stream of an adult animal is 170-200 g, less for young beavers. There is no significant difference between males and females in the weight of the pouches. The beaver stream of Canadian beavers is lighter in weight and differs in composition compared to European beavers. In the Middle Ages, Russian, or Siberian, beaver stream was especially valued by healers.
The chemical composition and properties of the jet are quite complex and have not been sufficiently studied. It is known that the contents of the stream are dissolved and extracted in alcohol and ether. It is poorly soluble in water and insoluble in acetone and gasoline. The contents of the beaver stream include essential oils, which give the characteristic smell of soaked willow bark, resinous substances, castorin, cholesterol, ammonium carbonate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, phenol and other substances.
Beaver stream has been used in medicine since ancient times. For a long time it was considered almost a panacea for all diseases. It is mentioned in their works by Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna, Marius and others. Beaver stream was especially valued in the East. In medieval medical books, castorium (the main active principle of beaver stream) was recommended for use in gynecological diseases, amenorrhea, and especially in various nervous diseases as an anticonvulsant and sedative.
Some northern peoples practically did not use beaver skins, but they had a high price for beaver stream, which they used in various rituals and religious practices.

Slavic peoples also used beaver stream to treat throat diseases, chest diseases, etc. Unfortunately, many traditional medicine recipes have been lost. It is known that the contents of the bags promote rapid healing of wounds, and a solution in alcohol cures abscesses and boils in a few days. The bactericidal properties of the stream are also evidenced by the fact that the beaver stream bags themselves can be stored for years without undergoing any changes, without being affected by rotting bacteria, mold fungi and even mites.
At present, modern medicine does not deny medicinal properties beaver stream. Salicylic acid, which is the basis of many modern drugs, was originally isolated from willow bark, and, as we know, it is the main component of beaver nutrition. But due to the high cost of preparations made from natural beaver stream and possible counterfeiting on the black market, it is still safer to use industrial medicines.
Currently, beaver stream is more widely used in the perfume industry as a fixative for the odors of the most expensive perfumes and gives them a peculiar “animal” smell. The organized beaver fishery that was then still in the USSR, which began in 1963, made it possible to abandon the import of beaver stream and provided the domestic perfume industry with its own raw materials.

Beaver hunting with a trap

One of the most productive methods of beaver hunting is beaver hunting with traps. Many hunters wonder how to catch a beaver?

When to catch a beaver with a trap?

The beaver hunting season in Russia is set from October 1 to February 28. Although they may differ in each region. Best time for beaver hunting in autumn until freeze-up on the paths laid by beavers on the shore. In winter, it is better to catch beavers with traps on warm days; beavers are not active on cold days. A very catchy time for beaver hunting is in February during thaws, when an opening appears near the shore or at a beaver dam.

What trap to set for a beaver?

To catch a beaver with a trap, the heaviest and most powerful traps No. 5, 6, 7 are required, because beavers are very strong animals. If the trap is placed under water, you need to use a frame trap with a mesh.

How to set a trap for a beaver?

A trap that is placed on land must be treated, removing any smell from it; if the trap is new, the grease is removed from it; if the trap has already been used, the rust is removed from it. You can wipe the trap with pine needles. If the trap is installed in water, then this is not necessary.

The trap must be tied with a chain or cable to a log, which can be placed on the ice or on the shore.

In order to better camouflage a trap installed in water, shake the water around it; after the silt and sand settle on it, it will be reliably camouflaged.

Where to place a trap for a beaver?

Beaver traps are placed in places that are most often visited by them.

Typically this is:

• the place where beavers emerge from the water onto land, to the feeding area
• a path made by beavers from one body of water to another
• at a specially made gulley in the dam, which beavers will definitely come to repair
• near stumps, snags, hummocks, on which beavers place their scent marks to mark their territory

A beaver caught in a trap on the shore usually behaves calmly, but it is still advisable to set the trap so that the caught beaver can remain in the water.

Beaver hunting with a gun

There are two main methods of hunting beaver with a gun: ambush at dusk or at night on the shore and hunting beaver at night from a boat.

Beaver sighting

You need to approach the ambush site long before dark, while the beavers are inactive, and you should always approach the reservoir and set up an ambush from the windward shore. There should be no odor coming from the hunter, otherwise a small breeze is enough - and the animal will become alert, begin to sniff and detect your presence.

How to choose a place to hunt beaver with a gun?

It may be located near the surface of the water or be slightly elevated above it. The first turns out to be quite advantageous if you shoot at animals located on the shore, the second - if the intended victim is in the water. Sometimes on such a hunt it can be useful; with its help it is convenient to observe beavers located at a considerable distance from the hunter.

Although the beaver is a crepuscular animal, if it is often disturbed, it may well switch to a purely nocturnal lifestyle. In such a situation, you will have to use a flashlight.

Beaver hunting with a gun from a boat

This method of hunting involves the hunter silently sailing a boat along a river or stream and shooting beavers. So, the equipment you need is a boat, a gun, a car headlight and a battery. It is better to hunt in this way with two people: one aims the headlight at the animal, the other shoots. The most important thing when hunting this way is absolute silence and immobility.
It is better not to shoot at swimming animals at night. This is just extra noise, which in most cases does not bring trophies, but frightens the beavers living downstream. Collecting trophies is best done in the morning or during a second passage along the channel.

Beaver hunting rifle

Any gun can be used to hunt beavers. The best way to shoot a beaver is with a bullet. The usual shooting distance for such a hunt is 25-30 meters.