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Beaver dam

iowabucks

iowabucks

Member
I have a question of ethics and really not even sure if i should be asking it.

I have a couple private farms i hunt but none of them produce constantly. I did have a stand on some public land nearby here that was always fun to hunt even though you had to walk a mile back. It was easy to find your way back, just follow the fence. I really have been wanting to get back there again for the last couple years. It would be nice to have a backup place to hunt. Seen some real nice deer back there over the years.

Problem is that it is Cedar River bottom land and a beaver dam has the slough backed up making it impossible to cross the creek that i used to, and reach this honeyhole. This land never gets hunted very much until the rut. Even then i was so far back i very seldom ever saw anyone. But this damn beaver dam is keeping me out. The only way to walk around it would put you WAY out of the way, disturbing deer and making it next to impossible to find your way back to the parking lot in the dark.

I don't know if i should just give up on the idea or what. It has been there for the last 2 years. About 20 yards long and 2/3 of it mud by now. 3 or 4 feet tall. I have had the urge to break it open, but probably better not. More wildlife use that water than me. I wouldn't feel good about myself doing it anyway.

What would you do?
 
I was in your same situation last year. I hunted a gravel pit last year and they had a creek run off that divided the prop. At first I could just walk across the creek then come late oct into nov a beaver built two dams making impossible to walk across. I wasnt going to put the hours into destroying it so I just built a bridge across it. But the dam eventually was messing up the gravel pit level so they took a batco back there opened it up. That was my case. Is a bridge a possibility for you?
 
You can either get a fur bearing license and go to town on em........or call the DNR to see if they might be able to help with the problem.
The owner of some land that I hunt/fisn on, had the DNR come out and trap a pond, cause the beavers kept clogging up the overflow.
 
Yup, unless you get rid of the beavers, they're gonna work a lot longer hours fixing it then you could ever dream of spending tearing it down...
 
Removing a beaver dam by hand is alot of work and pointless if you don't remove the beavers first. I took a small one out for my neighbors after trapping the beaver several years ago. It took 2 hours with an axe and spade and gave me a whole new respect for the creatures.

Is it possible to wade through the marsh in hip waders? That might be easier
 
Is it passable with chest waders?.....pick up a cheap pair and stash them next to where you want to cross. Don't take much to slip em on and off.....

Pretty tough to beat a beaver.....
 
I have had the same issue before on some public ground on cedar river bottom ground. It's a mile walk back and there is only one little 10 yard swath you can get through with knee highs on. There is a slough that goes all the way around this place making it impossible to cross. Some years the beaver's make it impossible to get back there but its worth trying. The deer hunting is great. Its pointless to try to break the damn. A lot of times I just walk over the damn but other times the water is low and I can cross just below the damn. There is also a couple brush piles you can snake your way accross but its not fun. I haven't hunted there in a few years but hoping to someday again when I am back in the area. Goodluck.

I have tried removing beaver dams before at my uncles and you simply can't unless you kill the beavers.
 
Same with these guys.. You will need to trap the beavers first then decide on what to do with the dam. We have tore down a few dams when we were younger just for the fun of it. We would tear it down enough to drain their pond. Then created an access route to an area where would later come in there and shoot them while they were working with our 22s.. Little did we know of the laws when we were 12.
 
Why isn't walking across the dam possible? I access many of my spots by crossing beaver dams. Is it a possibility?
 
The beavers have altered the deers routes as well as yours. A beaver dam often = funnel. Around here anyway. And in the big bush country them areas can be hot for activity of cruising bucks.
 
I agree get rid of the beavers. I take out 5 to 10 dams a year with an excavator and unless they're gone they rebuild. The first big flood will take it out. If they're gone their will be no critters to repair it. I would also check your county engineers office to see if theres a bounty. Here we can take them to the court house get a $25 bounty then sell the hide after.
 
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SaskGuy said:
Why isn't walking across the dam possible? I access many of my spots by crossing beaver dams. Is it a possibility?
Click to expand...

Not possible. Too narrow to walk with too many branches sticking up. The dam is 400 yards up from where i cross. It brings the water up so much that i have a 4 foot creek and 100 yards of swampy grass to cross.

Even if i could cross the dam i would have to walk through prime territory and probably never find my way back to the truck after dark through a mile of timber.

Waders may be the way to go. Just a little tight on money right now. Still haven't worked for a year because of a labor dispute. What little money i do have has been going to getting my video equipment ready.
 
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