Hey Gang....
Wish me luck, tonight I'm meeting a friend in a nearby town about 30 miles away and where going to go Beaver Huntin....No not that kind, the 4 legged kind....
Should be a good night for it nice and clear and about 36 deg tonight....
Chuck said If we get a Beaver quick, then we will go to spot for Racoons, and of course there might be Muskrat and Oppssum too....
Oh and Chuck told me not to bring any Arrows I didn't want to lose....
So think of us out on the SanJoaquin Delta in a small boat looking for Fury mammals to Arrow....
I'm ready....Is it Dark yet....!!
Beaver hunting? Hadn't heard of that one before. What do yo use, a fish arrow?
Sounds like an adventure, that's for sure!
My friend said no fish arrow, thats why you don't bring any arrows ya dont want to lose....
I think the strategy will be to try and get them on the bank and shoot them....
Truthfuly I'm guessing, I'll find out tonight....
Good Luck on Your :notworthy: "Beaver & Other Critter Hunt"!! :archer:
Beavers can be destructive little buggers. :mad:
Beaver Pelts Are Just Plain Cool!!! Good Luck!!!
just make sure they are dead when ya arrow them...I hear there teeth are so sharp you could chop down a tree with them :D :saywhat: :thumbsup: ..have fun guys
Mike,
Keep us posted. That sounds like lots of fun!
Mike, I wish you good luck!
F-Manny
Could a Hill be getting a new beaver tail wrap soon? I hope so! Have a blast.
Good Luck Mike.... We'll be waiting for pictures.... Terry
Best of Luck to You Mike... :thumbsup:
This could be EXCITING.....OR :scared: :scared:
Take NO Prisoners Mike
Sounds like fun to me. Must be a little tough to shoot at night, do you use any kind of filter on the lights. Like when you fox hunt a red lens cover is preferred spooks less game than a white light. Let us know how it goes.
I'm back....
It's 2 am and I'm home....
Story in the Morning....
Looking forward to it Mike...hope you had a good time
It's past morning on my watch...stupid european time! :knothead:
Looking forward to it as well! :thumbsup:
Good morning....
Wheres my :coffee: ....
Well I met my friend Chuck at 8pm at his place.
We loaded up the bows and such into his boat one of those nice Aluminum Tracker boats....
I brought along "Just Passable" my Hill bow it's 68" long and 52# @ 28"....My arrows where 2016's with 125grn Snuffers....
"Note to self need more Arrows"
Chuck only lives a couple miles from the launch ramp, For those not familiar with my area, I live close to what is called the San Joaquin Delta (think of Mekon Delta) and ya get the idea....There is approximetly 1000 miles of waterways, Sacramento River and 100's of what we call sloughs, small rivers....
We launch the Boat and where only about 10 minutes out and we see the first Beaver....My first shot I missed just over his head....Now keep in mind that almost all shots the Beaver are swimming, not fast butt they are moving and the boat is moving and the Boat and the Beaver are not always moving in the same direction....
OK good thing is Aluminum Arrows float, So after the missed shot I retrieved my Arrow....
I started this nite with 9 Arrows I have 2 good ones and a bent one left over....
Some tid bits to think about....
1) Beavers are tought sum of a guns
2) Beavers bite thru Aluminum Arrows like a match stick....
3) Beavers are tough suns a guns....
4) Beavers sink when they die....
5) These Beavers are not the cute little Beavers (more on this later).
Ok I missed the first one remember this is the Instinktive Archery at it's best it's dark out there on the river....
I want to explain something befor I finish the story....
Beavers out on the Delta are a pest, they are just a big rat, they dig up the leveys and cause floods....So please don't chastise me....
I'll explain the game plan with Beavers, you Arrow one and then hope he will head for the shore because he's a mammal and fears drowning....
Did mention these thing are tough and have a strong will to live, they do not give up the ghost easally....
Ok where were we....Ok I missed the first one it was'nt long befor we spotted the second one I think he was swimming just ahead of the boat and a little to the right maybe 5-6 yds away I shot this one just below the head and the Broadhead makes a sound like hitting wood our meatal there skulls are like a Bears very thick...I think this one somehow Bit off the Arrow....And I think I put another one in him butt he got away in some Tullies (cattails)
A little later was no. 3 we saw....It's hard to keep them all straight they kinda blend in after awhile....I remeber a couple of them, that after I arrowed them we got close enough for me the grab my Arrow, I remember once thinking about grabbing the Beaver, Butt I decided that I like all the fingers that I have....
Note to self....We need a gaff hook.
Ok... we decided that the next one that I Arrow we will just follow it close and hope that it will head for the shore....
We saw another one and Chuck manuvers the boat close to the Beaver and then the Beaver turns back and comes towards us and passes the right side of the Boat at this point I have been shooting them to high, Just below the head our maybe the head because of the angle of the shots....So on this one I think a little further back and as he swam buy I released and got a good hit, a nice body hit sound. the Beaver takes off butt not fast, we turn the boat around and follow close and watch....The Beaver is not useing his hind legs I think I hit his spine and he crawls up on the bank useing his front legs and lays there and gives it up....
I just got my first Beaver and he is a whopper....We put a rope around his chest just behind his front legs and tye him alongside of the Boat....
It's anout Midnite now and we have been at it for 4 hrs, and for us CA guys it's cold, just above freezing....
I arrowed 3 Beavers and recoverd 1 not a bad percentage....Chuck told me some times they recover very little of them and sometimes they recover a lot of them it's the luck of the draw, So I did well with the 1 in 3....
Things to remember is when you spot them all you see is the top of there head, unless there on the bank when ya see them.
This is instinktive shootin at it's best and it's hard when ya supposed to shoot at what ya see, butt you actualy want to shoot what ya don't see....I must of loosed 10 Arrows are more and I only had one clean miss....
Beavers are a hoot to hunt, we never went to long without seeing one, Once you do see one the fun begins, they swim on the surface for awile and then dive and then who knows where they will resurface, and like I said befor there moving the boat is moving sometimes in the opposite direction....
Things that I learned, need more Arrows, Beavers are one tough animal with a lot of stamina....We need a gaff hook, with a gaff hook I might of recoverd 3 instead of 1....
Maybe some waders will be good also....
Beaver season is from Nov. to March.
And I will definetly go again, it's a blast hunting them....
I want to tell you Guys and Gals how gracious my friend Chuck was...All he did last nite was run the boat, He never took a shot, he wanted to make sure I had a good time....
And I did....Thanks Chuck
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/mykeyg/Beaver002.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/mykeyg/Beaver001.jpg)
Man looks like you had a blast. I have only taken one with my bob lee. I have taken several with a c-c-c-c-compound while bowfishing and one with an old bear take down recurve bowfishing rig. However, when we really need to get some beavers out of our duck holes, we use a .22 or a .17. In most cases, if you want to recover them, you had better go for the body shot. They will instantly swim to shore and die or give you another shot. They look like a submarine swimming under the water with only the arrow sticking up! Very tough and destructive rascals they are.
kyle
That is toooo cool! I wish we had more of them critters here, But the nutria may be in for serious trouble. I may not hit any but they will sure know they got shot at!!lol
Nice beaver :bigsmyl:
John
Way ta go Mike, nice shootin.
I know what everyone is thinking....
How much did it weigh....
We weighed it at Chucks house and it came in at 61#'s
Mike, I'm a river rat (grew up in Isleton in the middle of the Delta). It's sure nice to hear a story about it! And a great end to a great hunt.
A little backstory: I hear that beavers and muskrats were introduced to the Central Valley in California for the fur trade, and are not native animals. And they are tough! My Dad's uncle used to noodle for catfish in Oklahoma, and got ahold of a beaver one day. Had to strangle it. He died of a heart attack one week later.
JStark....
I know where Iselton is.
I used to drive truck for Landi out of RioVista.
I'm going to Hunt them again in a week or two.
looks like alot of beaver balls there! (no pun intended)
Mike,
Do you need a special permit?
I was so interested in the story I forgot to say WAY TO GO!!!!
What a cool adventure.
All ya need is a Basic Huntin license...
Season is from Nov. tru March
Good story, Good kill way to go Mike.
Beaver on a stick with a little soy
what do you think Naa.
Uncle David.
Mike sounds like you had a blast, they won't let us shoot them in NY trapping only. They are quite a pest, in some places they are good to have but in most cases they become a big problem. Were there any other people shooting them when you went or did you have the place mostly to yourself?
Interesting, the opposite is true here in California, Stone Knife. We can hunt them but can't trap 'em!
Mike, that's great about you working in Rio Vista. I went to high school there. Did you haul fruit? I worked thirteen years in the pear orchards.
Good luck on your next hunt, too. Maybe this summer we'll get out and try some bowfishing!
Jstark....
When I drove for Gottili trucking out of Stockton on Sundays I used to go to the little town of Hood and haul a load of pears to the JanJose Ice house.
Stoneknife....
We where out from about 8 to Midnite and we only saw a couple of boats and a couple of people fishing off the Bank....
And that was on the Main channel, once your into the little sloughs your pretty much alone....
Very cool, I live in Placerville, and was thinking of bowfishing in the delta but never thought of beaver hunting. Congrats!
Mark
UUUhhh wow!
Mike, sounds like you had a great time. And at 61# that is one big animal! So what are you going to make with the fur?
Rooseelk....
I'm thinking of having this first one Tanned out to make a little throw to put on my Display table at shoots....
TTT
for Frank V.
Mike, great hunt, Thanks for sharing with us. I bet you did have a great time. Are you going to have a rug made out of it? I'll bet a Beaver rug would look really neat & you could hang it most anywhere. I have read beaver tails were a delicacy in the fur trapping era. Great story & pictures, thanks for sharing with us. Frank
I've eaten beaver before.... :) It was good.
I've got several recipies. I can scan them and email to anyone interested.
Charles....
I'll take a look at your recipies....
And Thanks
Fantastic story Mike! Really enjoyed it. We used to hunt Nutra Rats down in Louisiana when I lived there in the '90s. Didn't use bows but, they are some tough suns a guns as you say. Keep us posted on your next hunt. Shoot straight and stay safe....TW