Weapon for Shooting Beaver at Night

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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My son and myself, along with some friends, have leased some duck property that is a bit of a restoration project. First order of business after the season is getting the water off the land. Beavers dammed it up probably 15 years ago and killed every tree except tupelos. Aquatic vegetation is out of control thanks to the beavers and the bottom is littered with sunken tree trunks and limbs. Part of the beaver control program will be night shooting, in addition to trapping. I need a good .22 rifle and night vision scope. Any recommendations, particularly the scope?
 
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Eric,
Depending on your states trapping seasons or nuisance permitting, a good trapper can do the job. During our Michigan season, trappers won't charge, since the pelt costs make it worth their time. Another tactic I've heard to help with retained water is running pipe under the dam to keep the water moving downstream. I have shot a few nuisance beavers in my day, usually at dusk with a shotgun and adequate pellet size.
It will be an ongoing issue over time I have found. We have removed them on our inland lake, and years later they return.
Good luck on the restoration project.
Steve
 
The ATN digital scopes are pretty good, for reasonable coin. Especially since you are looking at limited use.

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I would not use a thermal scope because I'm not sure the rodents have much heat signature, after all they can't lose a lot of heat and stay alive in cold water. And they literally cost 10x the digital scope.

I don't know what your state regs permit, but I'd use a .222 or .223 on them if you can. A .22 isn't much of a match for a 40-60 lb beaver, absent a clean headshot. They can get big, pretty much the same size as a decent coyote.

As others mentioned, trapping is an option. I think we discussed this years ago regarding your property? It can be fun to do yourself.
 
Capt Rich Geminski said:
A good trapper is worth getting. If there are enough beaver to trap.
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All

Night hunting is but one tool we will use.

Pelt value is so low most trappers around here charge for their time. We have a trapper in the lease group and he will lend a hand, but he's stationed three hours away so that means his time is limited. I've dealt with beavers on the other properties I've managed and know the ins and outs of beaver eradication. Yes, a good trapper is vital. The best one I know has too much work close to his house. I don't think he will drive 45 minutes to work this property. We will seek outside help. We are going to bust the dams after duck season. Thomas works for Caterpillar in sales, leasing and rental so we will get equipment on site to do a lot of the heavy work. But the beavers have to go. They destroyed a pristine bottomland forest.
 
Break the dam in the afternoon, shoot the beavers as they try to build back that night. Those suckers will bury a recorded sound of running water in an attempt to make it stop. Worlds best engineers.

I'd use a Q beam and a shotgun with 00 buckshot.
 
Alabama is of course very different from Maine, but up here if there are other beavers nearby and if the site remains suitable for beavers to dam, the site will be recolonized pretty quickly unless you can sustain a lot of removal effort. Check out designs for a device that is known locally here as a "beaver deceiver". Supposedly invented by a wildlife biologist who spent most of his career working for the Penobscot Indian Nation in Maine. No advice on night scopes, but my little Savage Mark II .22 is a tack driver at appropriate ranges with a cheap scope--and I think still retails for under $300. There are prettier rifles, but it's a fun plinker and good medicine on woodchucks. For beaver and for longer ranges you might want a higher velocity round.
 
If you have to stick with a rimfire go with either a .22 mag or .17 hmr, beavers are tough and those give you a little more leeway.
I almost never hear bad things about the Savage rimfires.
It's too bad beaver trappers are tough to come by down there. That's the most sure way to get rid of them.
 
I know from firsthand experience that smoked beaver hams are delicious, and depending on the time of year you can harvest some great fat from the tail. Don't pass up the chance to try out the mountain man's favorite dinner if you do end up shooting a few!
 
I'm familiar with beaver deceiver, Clemson leveler, etc.. Those don't drain beaver ponds, rather they maintain levels below some point. We need to get all the water off the land, if possible. If we can't accomplish that then something like those might be called into action. But our first thought is to dry it out and start dealing with the unwanted vegetation. I think you guys in the north may not be familiar with thick matted impenetrable weed problems we deal with here. It can spell the end of a swamp with biomass accumulation so heavy trees grow over it. This lease is only a few days old and we are still exploring it for levee possibilities and other water control means. Right now all I can say is we are hunting it, as is, but after the season are starting with beaver control and drying it ASAP.
 
Eric,
I've experienced some of this trying to help a family member keep beavers from flooding crop land. The local CO had tried multiple times to get rid of them, finally told us to "keep our mouths shut and shoot'em". We shot multiple adults but didn't change things very much... until he agreed to come out with us and literally blow up the lodge. THEN there was some shootin to do. What we didn't get I guess left. We didn't have too many problems after that, just had to be vigilant and get the new ones when they started new dams. Not sure if you can talk you CO into that.

George
 
a timely discussion. One of my friends is responsible for removing the critters from a farm where we hunt and recreate, and he set a trap on Sunday Dec 31 for this fella, who had dammed up a drainage ditch. I am amazed at the size of these animals. He will preserve the pelt, and he eats the meat. (I don't think I care to try it.) They can really stop up a farm's drainage system. Prior to 9/11 we had access to dynamite and I helped blow up a few dams, which was kind of exciting, really. Good luck on controlling them.
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Joe

When I was a young you could drive across the state line into Tennessee and buy dynamite at the hardware store. Imagine that today. Uh uh, not happening. Some laws are there for good reason.
 
George

The trapper in our group uses a similar tactic. He sets the lodge on fire and shoots the escaping beaver. Carnage.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Tod

Your love of Beaver can't be topped. 🦫
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I spent some time reading about shooting beavers today and it seems like .22s and shotguns are recommended given the ricochet issue with centerfires.

As a start a cheap .22 with a scope and a light on it would be my starting place, rather than the expense of a fancy optic. A shotgun with buck is supposed to work well too. Don't know what you have as far as legal options as far as night shooting, since some states get picky about guns and loads that can be used for poaching.

I'd think the .22 would get you a lot of mileage, but I hear that some beavers need a heck of a pounding....
 
Eric Patterson said:
I'm familiar with beaver deceiver, Clemson leveler, etc.. Those don't drain beaver ponds, rather they maintain levels below some point. We need to get all the water off the land, if possible. If we can't accomplish that then something like those might be called into action. But our first thought is to dry it out and start dealing with the unwanted vegetation. I think you guys in the north may not be familiar with thick matted impenetrable weed problems we deal with here. It can spell the end of a swamp with biomass accumulation so heavy trees grow over it. This lease is only a few days old and we are still exploring it for levee possibilities and other water control means. Right now all I can say is we are hunting it, as is, but after the season are starting with beaver control and drying it ASA
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tod osier said:
I spent some time reading about shooting beavers today and it seems like .22s and shotguns are recommended given the ricochet issue with centerfires.

As a start a cheap .22 with a scope and a light on it would be my starting place, rather than the expense of a fancy optic. A shotgun with buck is supposed to work well too. Don't know what you have as far as legal options as far as night shooting, since some states get picky about guns and loads that can be used for poaching.

I'd think the .22 would get you a lot of mileage, but I hear that some beavers need a heck of a pounding....
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My woodchuck experience--a smaller but similar animal--is that only head shots with .22 CCI Stingers are a sure kill before they dive back in the hole. In Maine, beavers can only be trapped during the regulated trapping season. Only state officials and licensed animal control officers can trap, shoot, or relocate nuisance beavers. We had a dust up at the statehouse a few years back about letting towns and private landowners remove nuisance beavers by hunting outside the normal trapping season, but it did not get a lot of legislative support and the bill did not pass.
 
I don't know the permissible weapon laws, yet. I will need a permit for night shooting but don't see that as a problem. I don't see ricochet as an issue since the place is remote, surrounded by dense trees, and I'll be shooting down from a stand. Buckshot would be the cheapest since I already have several shotguns. I think I'm going to hold off a purchase until the need is upon us to give me more time to see how we are going to go after them. Thanks.
 
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