DuckSouth.com

Hey Benny!

Ever thought about going to Minnesota to trap beavers?

DU has a large scale beaver trapping program going on there....

http://www.ducks.org/media/magazine/sto ... b_2004.asp

I was talkin' to a fur dealer the other day who said a beaver pelt was bringing 8 - 10 bucks.

When you skin a beaver you gotta cut every inch, won't pull like coons or cats. Lotta manhours but those northern beavers are big and make fine "blankets" not sure what they get for the hair nowadays not like it was in days past before faux fur, PETA, and USSR went bust. Sounds like only money is what you get for the furs, DU ain't paying nuttin for removal? Proraly good for some of the locals snowed in most of the winter. Catch'em through the ice and work the skins by the fire. Amazing to think North America was explored and settled in pusuit of the beaver hair for the Euopean felt hats of the time. Like Benny said you gonna have to EARN it with those critters.

Beavers create good duck habitat in my opinion. The Corps almost kicked me out of their office one day last year when I told them I was gonna' make some beavers do some flooding for me. They said thata' kill the trees. I said. "after that they'll leave and go somewhere else and the trees will grow back. In the meantime you got a wetland." They said they like oak forests. I said, "yea I never thought of that" I'm glad you pointed that out" "I'm glad I came today." "yada yada ...................... thanks for the permit!!!"

Benny, the reason DU is going after the beavers up there is because they are devistating the wild rice beds that DU is restoring.

Unlike regular predators that DU can control through habitat improvement, I don't know any other way to stop the beavers other than live trap them and put um on a bus to Mississippi?

I think DU is paying the trappers, but by doing it during winter when pelts are at their prime, they make skinning them worthwhile.

Da Benny wrote:AQ the beavers aren't devastating the rice beds, the water is.

Yes, I know......I didn't spell it out because I knew YOU knew that....but I should have for others that might get the wrong impression that beavers were eating the rice.

I'm sure with all that DU has learned about water levels, etc., that trapping the beavers wasn't the only thing they thought about, but at least they have never shy about using trapping if there's not a better way.

But I see a real need for them to benefit from your lifelong experience if you can show them a better way.

Sounds like you're their man...

I'll see if they can send a van down to pick you up.

Oh, and bring a coat.

Know what you mean….

I'd rather put a lot of thought and planning into something where I can (hopefully) do it right the first time so that it works from then on with little or no maintenance rather than doing what appears to the be the easy way, and have to do it over and over every year from now on.

Dang...At first I thought you fellas was talking about them Ole Miss beavers.....but from what I hear....sure nuff beavers are as rare as hens teeth among these young uns...

LOL.....Im an old dude, so I only know what I hear !

danf Benny..You've got the Beaver covered...

Growing up in the delta and going to school at ole miss I thought I knew alot about beaver but bennys got me beat.