Rural living: ponds & beavers!!! HELP!!!

[new jersey mike]

We also have a beaver problem, they moved in many years ago when my grandparents owned the property and the dam prevented the local farmer who hayed to be able to get to 3 large fields. This is where I have some of my most heavily overgrown fields and work required for field restoration. We were up this past weekend and my wife and I felt like we were in the amazon with our waders on and hacking through the overgrown swamp willow and trees growing like bushes due to years of feeding. I estimate they have flooded 2 or more acres of land, while maneuvering up the main stream and observing an uncountable number of lateral ditches carved out by the beaver to flood more and more land.

Now our property is in NY state and you just can not go out and molest the beaver they do have rights and not only is the landowners land in jeopardy but their bank account because you can get fined if you do anything to disturb or harm a beaver, dam or den. A nuisance permit is required. Thankfully but sadly now deceased neighbor told us about the permit back in the spring of '09. He had a permit and was keeping the beaver population in check but since his death it's like a bad "B" movie.

I called the local office to get a permit and an officer/state rep visited the property in '09 and said we did not have any beaver!

Then in 2010 I called again for a permit but I was told that beaver trapping season was going to start in a week and he could not issue me a permit

Well I have been trying to play by the rules but that's not working and again I don't have any beaver. So, I am just going to trap or shoot those confused wood chuck.

But since we do not live there I suspect this is going to be a long drawn out battle which I will most likely not win..

[sugarmaple]

I live on a private road, thus Fish and Game will not help - I have contacted them a couple of times with the hope[s] that they might change their minds and their position. They certainly have been super about it and acknowledge my frustration, nonetheless....

I have a couple of friends in law enforcement and they have contacted F&G about their ability to not only take out the dam, but to take out those beavers, and they were given permission to do so especially because of the damage they have created, including but not limited to washing out part of the road so the one neighbor beyond my house was almost unable to get home.

One of my friends/law enforcement guys, in addition to undoing the dam* dam, designed a clever cage-like structure, and constructed it once the dam was undone and so far, dare I say it....'knock on wood' the beavers have not been able to redo it. As well, a large portion of their hut was also undone and I suspect that doing that too has also helped to deter those tenacious creatures.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by sugarmaple

One of my friends/law enforcement guys, in addition to undoing the dam* dam, designed a clever cage-like structure, and constructed it once the dam was undone and so far, dare I say it....'knock on wood' the beavers have not been able to redo it. As well, a large portion of their hut was also undone and I suspect that doing that too has also helped to deter those tenacious creatures.

Until the beavers are GONE, whatever you do will only slow them down. Nothing deters a beaver colony once they make up their pea brains that "this" is where home should be.