Hey all,
I lived in NC. A coworker is having beaver troubles on her land. Seems that you can hunt beaver if you have landowner permission with Guns.
Can you hunt beaver with a Bow? Any suggestions on taking beaver with a recurve?
Do you Bait them with Lincon Logs?
Thanks,
Brian Gillispie
Talk to Mike (Mikes Archery Leather-Sponser),he can tell you all you need to know.--Bone
You could try sitting in a treestand at dusk and dawn and you might see them. I'd set up close to a tree they are working on (not THE tree they are working on lol) and you might be able to get a shot when they are on land. If you stick them in the water they'll make for their home and die in it.
If you are gonna bow shoot them, by all means use a big nasty broadhead like the big Snuffer. As mentioned, they are very tough so good shot placement is crucial.... but they are only flesh and blood afterall. :thumbsup:
ive been thinking about this very subject last couple days. I was actually thinking about getting a few traps and set them up. think trapping license here if only a few bucks
they are much easier to hunt at night with a spotlight. I've shot several nuisance beavers with a spotlight. I have also shot two with a bow. You will definately need heavy "deer hunting" type equipment and it would be best to lure them up onto the bank before you shoot.
Check with a trapping supply co. and get some musk lure.
Locate their damn which shouldn't be difficult. Get there about an hour before dark and bust enough so the water level drops at least a foot. More is better. Get ready for some shooting as the first thing ole Mr. Beaver will do is repair his damn.
Border Bob Spot & Stalk
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/vance/07_Border_Beaver_e.JPG)
Nice beaver bd
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
YEP...I wanna shoot some BEAVER with a BOW!!
So I better go get me a RIFLE :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Have taken several beaver with a bow the tricky part is retreiveing them after shooting you must get ahold of beaver and throw out of water before they sink if said beaver still has life in him here is where you could have a fight and yes some beaver are 40 lbs so enjoy your adventure and good luck
I trapped for the state for a two years and the easy way to get a beaver to come to you is what foxbo said. They are big-I had many 0ver 70#-tough animals. Hit em hard and sit back. Use bright fletching as many times they don't completely float to the top. Most times you can take two adults and two kits out of a single den.
Mike has success in finding and taking themn with a bow.
Beaver Huntin.... :bigsmyl:
I'm no expert butt I can give a hint or two....
Out here in the CA we go to the San Joaquin Delta, About a 1000 miles of waterways....
Go at night, Low tide is better, Use a boat.
Out here the lights ya use cannot be more than 9 Volts and hand held only....
Fishing rigs don't work, the beaver will just roll and break the Arrow are turn his head and bite the Arrow in half...
Barbed arrows are not allowed....
Go out in your boat and cruise real slow and keep an eye out they can be anywhere from the Bank to right next to the Boat....
I dealy you catch them on the Bank, Personaly I like them about 10-12 yards out swimming, I like the moving targets....
It the only Hunting I do where you go out and always get action,Beaver Hunting is a blast.
No offense Iron Bull, butt those Mountain beaver you shoot are Babies compared to ones here out in the Delta....
My biggest so far is 61#'s....
Maybe Mr Chuck (Beaver Master) and Bill C. will chim in....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/mykeyg/TrioofTrophes003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/mykeyg/BeaverBow002.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/mykeyg/Beaver9.jpg)
It sure can tune up yer Bow huntin SKILLS :thumbsup:
Lots and Lots of neat stuff can be done with your TROPHYS afterwords also
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/vance/07_BOB_Bevos_e.JPG)
You'll lose moere than you retrieve. Adult blanket beav run 60-70 lbs. a single den can have the 2 adults, last years young which will run in the 25-30lb range(could be as many as 4 or 5, plus this years kits which will bw in thwe range of 12-16 lb and could be 5-8 of those. Most beav I ever took from a single den was 11. JMHO
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g38/trapperDave/Scott%20Wildlife%20Control/60lb.jpg)
Hey Mike, you didn't mention that eighty pounder I always talk about! lol Yes, we've got some big beaver in comparison to mountain beaver. I've seen the mountain beaver in Colorado, Idaho. Not even close in size! And we got a lot of them here, cause the hunting pressure is low.
And it's the most fun you can have with a bow and arrow!
Vance
Why you killing baby beavers? ;)
Pick on some your own size!
Cause baby Beavers taste so good.
i lived in NC a few years back and found a good beaver population on one of the local lakes. my buddy and i did some research and realized that in NC you could shoot beaver any time something else was legal to shoot, which pretty much meant 24/7. i rigged up my bow fishing set with 600# gator line and made barbed broad heads from old bear 2 blades and a bent nail. we only went twice, we would walk the shore in the very early morning and shoot at them while spotting with a big mag light. we never hit one but it was a lot of fun. knowing what i now know about beavers, it is probably good we never hit one! when you do get one, the tails make great leather for your long bow grip!
You guys know the slogan up here in lumber country....... Save a tree eat a beaver.
Makes sense to me, always ready to help out the enviroment.
Regards, Bert. :scared: :scared:
Mitch...It was unintended :scared: :scared:
I dont see how you guys are retieving these. Now I've thought of bowfishing for one, but I'm a little afraid it will charge me if it gets a chance. Those teeth are a little too big for comfort.
Here in CA you can't use a Barbed Broadhead on Mamals....
And from my experience a Fishing set up with a line is useless, they bite arrows intwo so a line would'nt help much....
As for retrieval, ya reach into the water and grab them by the front leg and lift them into the Boat and hand them to Bill, Sometimes there still squirming....
Typicaly ya make a good hit on one and they will go to shore to die and then ya go get im....
On are last trip I arowed one and it disapears, ya come back later and spot your fletching sticking up near shore and then ya go get im....
What do you get for the hides down there? Nice looking skulls. Beavers in non-hypothermic water....what a concept. :campfire:
I don't know the pirce for the hides. I just give them away....
Beaver is one of the best tasting meats, but they are a pain to skin...as most water critters are. You have to cut every inch of hide off then just cut the chunks of meat of the bone....a bit of flour and pepper...skillet fry and then you can even make gravy when done... :thumbsup: it tastes like the best, most tender deer you ever ateBob
As you can see I've gone through and edited out references to firearms and traps where they appeared as an "answer" to the original question.
This is a "TRADITIONAL BOWHUNTING" website and the answer to "BOWHUNTING" questions is NEVER firearms or traps.
Sorry if anyone is offended by my attitude. I was offended by the attitude as well.
All you guys know I love ya! :thumbsup:
Mike, those beaver skulls are about the meanest looking thing I've ever seen...too cool!
Straight from the NC Hunting Regs.
BEAVER
There is an open season for taking beaver with firearms during any open season for the taking of wild animals, provided that permission has been obtained from the owner or lessee of the land on which the beaver is being taken.
Note the Only allowable weapon.
There is no such stipulation for Nutria.
Plus, any artificial light is prohibited. Can't hunt from a powered vessel either.
Hey all,
Thanks for all the great info guys and gals. I called the wildlife managment folks and seems Gun and traping is the only allowed method.
BUT, the topic is up for discusion with the wildlife commison this year. So, head out and attend the public meetings and support Open season on Beaver with arrows.
Brian Gillispie
Grab them while they are still wiggling? Mike do you still have all your fingers LOL? Frank
Hi Brian you may want to make sure and go to the comm meeting (and bring friends).Here in Washington,they have ban trapping completely for anything and everything.You can not even trap a ghopher in your own yard with a steel trap.As for arrowing the beaver we cant hunt them at all without a nusice permeit (and hard to get a permit).No Trapping no Bear baiting and no hound hunting in our state.Go to the meeting so things like that do not happen in your state. bd PS I just wanted to add they also took it apone them selves to ban the use of machanical opening broadheads,the same year.
Good news! I just got this of the NCBA forums.....
Now, you can take beaver legally with a bow and arrow after October 1, 2007.
The NCBA asks that this law be changed and it has been changed.
The change was a statutory law, not a NCWRC regulation. The change came at such a time it was not published in the current regulations digest.
The current NCWRC Regs states this.
QUOTE the NCWRC Regs:
BEAVER
There is an open season for taking beaver with firearms during any
open season for the taking of wild animals, provided that permission
has been obtained from the owner or lessee of the land on which the
beaver is being taken.
END QUOTE
What we have now, thanks to the NCBA, is this.
You can harvest beavers with a bow and arrow after October 1, 2007 and continue to as long as trapping season is open for beaver on private lands. The same rules apply for getting permission on private lands.
The new law also provides that you can harvest beaver with a bow and arrow on NCWRC game lands so long as there is an open season for other game animals.
Here again, the 2007-2008 NCWRC Regulations Digest does not show the changes. Next year's digest will contain the new wording.
I will, when time allows, find the new change to the NC General Statutes and post it.
Hope that helps,
Pinky
beaver backstrap taste really pretty good. i trp for the state of texas and my job description is "beaver specialist". be sure to be pretty close when you shoot them.