Prevention and Control
To help minimize the negative aspects of beaver-caused damage, follow these guidelines:
- Assess the beaver population fairly. Are beaver really causing damage that presents a problem for you? Often people perceive the mere existence of beaver as a problem when in fact the beaver are not causing harm.
- Determine the nature of the damage. Does this damage require the removal of beaver or can the impact of their activities be reduced or eliminated? Is the damage continual or seasonal? If you are experiencing this problem for the first time, try to determine how long the beaver have been in that area. If the problem is on a river or other major stream, getting rid of the beaver may be very difficult. The colony may be trapped out reasonably easily, but the habitat will remain well-suited and the likelihood of other beaver moving in is good.
- Finally will the efforts to control the damage be worth the cost?
Generally, the beaver population at a problem area has been ignored for years and then, suddenly, in the mind of the person experiencing the damage, a problem occurs that requires immediate attention. Inadequate harvest is often the real problem. Before the population builds to the problem level, encourage an adquate cropping of the population at the appropriate time of year for optimal utilization. That means trapping during the legal open season.