Good Method For Beaver Hunting

[Double Naught Spy]

I have now used this tactic several times with the same results. It is really quite easy. If you wish to hunt beaver instead of trapping them, the beaver can be brought in to a specific location, partially or totally out of the water, and stationary or nearly stationary for the shot. You simply break open a shallow portion of the beaver's dam earlier in the day and return that evening when the beaver will be most active. The beaver will go to the damaged portion of the dam to either inspect it or to actually try to repair it. At that time, the beaver may be partially or totally above the water and its motion greatly slowed. That becomes the opportune time to shoot. For my situation, I like to break open a part of the dam near the opposite bank of the creek so that I will have a good backstop in case it should happen to skip off the water.

Here is a video of this being put into practice from last evening...
[ame]https://youtu.be/H0I1Ry2P6qo[/ame]

Note, this is a completely legal tactic for depredating beavers in Texas. Check local laws before applying.

 

[Tnwhip]

You have pretty much got it down. I have been shooting and trapping beavers over 40 years. Been doing the same thing except we can't hunt them at night. So I just go before day light and wait till it is light enough to shoot or about and hour before dark and hope they come out before it gets too dark to shoot. I have shot them with 22 lr, 22 mag my favorite, 22 hornet, 223, 220 swifts,22-250 and 12g with buckshot. I wish Tn. would let us hunt them at night. Thermal is the way to go. If they would let us, I couldn't afford one just for shooting beavers but it sure would be nice to have a Thermal sight. The only thing we can hunt at night is coons and possums. Under special conditions landowners can hunt hogs at night over bait after regular hunting season if you get a permit.

 

[HARPERC]

Never shot one that way (or other), just opened the dam up for the entertainment of watching them fix it.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

You have pretty much got it down. I have been shooting and trapping beavers over 40 years. Been doing the same thing except we can't hunt them at night. So I just go before day light and wait till it is light enough to shoot or about and hour before dark and hope they come out before it gets too dark to shoot. I have shot them with 22 lr, 22 mag my favorite, 22 hornet, 223, 220 swifts,22-250 and 12g with buckshot. I wish Tn. would let us hunt them at night. Thermal is the way to go. If they would let us, I couldn't afford one just for shooting beavers but it sure would be nice to have a Thermal sight. The only thing we can hunt at night is coons and possums. Under special conditions landowners can hunt hogs at night over bait after regular hunting season if you get a permit.

Thanks. From you and others, I understand that this is a fairly tried and true method, but one I sort of had to figure out. I thought maybe other folks like me who only have sporadic problems may not have figured it out yet either, hence the demo video. It really does expedite the process and even works on trap-shy beaver. They are going to fix the leak. I think they may be biologically compelled to do so.