Controlling beaver damage in Georgia

GA

!J1.00.G,.2

I'll

Controlling

2000

84 Beaver Damage

in Georgia
~~-
,\....-,~ . j.-,.........~

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division 2070 U.S. Hwy 278, S.E. Social Circle, Georgia 30279

Beaver were once virtually eliminated from Georgia, as well as most of their range, because of unregulated trapping and habitat loss. Restoration efforts began in the 1930s and continued in some states until the 1950s. During the restoration period, there were few surveys on beaver population growth because they were illegal to trap. Prices reeeived for beaver pelts peaked in the 1940s and early 1950s but the market declined rapidly and has remained relatively low. Consequently, trapping has not been a significant factor limiting population levels in recent years.
Beaver are locally abundant throughout Georgia wherever suitable habitat exists, including streams, lakes, farm ponds, wetlands, and low lying lands or swamps along flood-prone creck and river bottoms. Beaver occasionally are found in roadside ditches, drainage ditches, sewage disposal ponds, or other areas with a year-round water source.
Upon colonizing an area, beaver quickly modify the environment. They cut down or girdle surrounding trees. Subsequent flooding causes living trees to die. However, aquatic vegetation becomes established in flooded areas and willow, alder, sweetgum, and buttonbush begin growing along the banks adding to the available food supply. Beaver prefer to eat yellow poplar, willow, sweetgum, and blackgum. However, they will eat most species of woody plants and a variety of herbaceous and aquatic plants. Beaver can threaten crops by traveling 100 yards or more from water to get to com, soybeans, or other growing crops. They cut the plant ofT at the ground and drag the entire plant back to the water to use as food and construction material.
Beaver are active from late afternoon throughout the night until shortly after daybreak. However, it is not uncommon to see beaver during daylight hours, particularly in large reservoirs.

Beaver become sexually mature at two years of age and have three to four kittens each spring. A colony usually consists of a family group of four to eight beaver who are territorial and resist outsiders. Young beaver are usually displaced shortly after sexual maturity and often move to another area to form a new pond and colony.
IdentifYing beaver damage is easy. Dammed culverts, bridges, or drain pipes may flood land, timber, and roads. Beaver cut or girdle trees and cultivated plants.
Beaver do provide benefits for landowners. Beaver ponds provide excellent waterfowl habitat, hunting and fishing opportunities, and wetland habitat for many plants and animals. Beaver ponds are also useful for irrigation, flood control and they help maintain water tables during droughts. Beaver ponds also act as a natural filtration system, removing silt and other impurities from our water. These benefits, as well as identified problems, should be judged when considering the control methods described in this brochure.
Drains Drains are structural devices used to maintain water levels where beaver are present. Maintaining the water level occasionally will cause beaver to abandon a pond. However, once beaver are abundant in surrounding areas, periodic reinvasion of the original site can be expected. Using drains to maintain water levels can also be very effective for waterfowl management.
Three log drain To construct this drain, fasten together three logs approximately 6-9
inches in diameter and 12-16 feet long should be fastened together (2 side-byside with I on top) with nails and short pieces of wood as braces. Break out a piece of the dam along the top ridge to create a large groove. A piece of light gauge sheet metal (or old roofing tin) should be placed in the groove in the break in the dam. Place the three logs in the groove with the upstream end of the logs at least one foot lower than the downstream end. Another piece of sheet metal should be wrapped across the top of the logs and nailed to the bottom two logs. It is recommended to punch several holes in the top piece of metal with an axe.
This design has been successfully used by substituting 3 lengths of PVC sewer pipe for the 3 logs. Use perforated PVC (upstream ends) connected to solid PVC (downstream ends). No sheet metal should be needed. Cap the upstream ends or cover them with wire to keep debris from clogging pipes. Install following the guidelines outlined for a three-log drain above.

Clemson Beaver Pond Leveler This device has proven effective in controlling water levels in beaver
impoundments and in keeping blocked culverts open at the same time. Make a cylinder approximately 4' in diameter using 96" sections of2' X 4W galvanized hog wire supported with rings of heavy gauge wire. Encase 10" schedule 40 perforated PVC pipe in the cylinder. Cap the end of the pert"orated pipe. Cover the end of the wire cylinder with wire and taper the downstream end so it can be attached firmly to the pipe. This portion of the device should be anchored with pieces of steel reinforcement bars upstream of the dam in the main channel or deepest part of the stream. Connect the perforated section to solid 8" schedule 40 PVC that is extended several feet below the dam. All of the materials needed for this drain can be found at a hardware or home supplies store. To manipulate the water level of the pond, attach an elbow 10 the downstream end with a pipe extending up to the desired water level. The Clemson beaver pond leveler works best in relatively flat terrain where water is shallow.
Wire Mesh Culvert A culvert is a drain that runs under an embankment. The wire mesh culvert
is constructed from 6-gauge concrete reinforced mesh panels (10' X 5'). To create a double layer, fasten galvanized welded wire mesh, (14-gauge with 1" X 2" spaces and 5' in width and cut in 9W lengths using #1 hog rings.) Roll the layers length wise until the sides are connected to form a cylinder. Make three of these cylinders and connect them to form the culvert. Inlets must be covered with wire mesh 10 exclude beaver. Cut a nolch in the top ridge of the dam and place the culvert so the outlet end is at the desired water level, and extended 6' beyond the downstream side of the dam. Support the upstream end of the culvert with metal posts or 2" pipe. The inlet end should be kept slightly lower than the outlet end to insure rapid flow. Wire culverts must be maintenanced to keep them operating properly by removing debris and replacing the wire mesh opening when necessary.

Other Several other types of materials have been used for drains with varying
degrees of success. These include, but are not limited to, commercial culvert pipe, perforated PVC sewer pipe, and solid.PVC pipe. Installation of these materials should closely follow the recommendations for the three-log drain and wire mesh culvert. The openings should be covered to minimize blockage and the pond end of the pipe should be slightly lower than the downstream end. Regular maintenance should be performed in order to maximize the drain's effectiveness.
Removing Dams and Lodges
Beaver are highly industrious. Therefore, removing dams and lodges has linle impact because they usually repair the dam. Consequently, dam removal is not effective unless you remove the beaver. Tearing out dams and removing dam construction materials daily will sometimes, depending on availability of construction materials, cause beaver to move to another site. However, they may be even more troublesome at the new location.
Fencing
Fencing culverts, drain pipes, or other structures with 2"X4" welded wire or chain-link fence material works, but occasionally beaver will build a dam against the fencing material. Therefore, fences should be checked monthly. A fence of2" X 4" welded wire around valuable trees also is successful. For individual tree protection, W' mesh hardware cloth or metal sheeting wrapped around the trunk up to]' high can be effective. Overlap the hardware cloth and secure it with springs to allow for tree growth. A small orchard or other valuable crops may be protected by constructing a fence of chicken wire around the perimeter.
Repellents
Using repellents to alleviate beaver damage is practical only on a small scale. Individual trees or small areas of high value crops can be treated with repellents to keep beaver from gnawing. There are very few repellents which are practical, effective. registered for beaver, and environmentally safe. The most effective beaver repellents are commercial deer repellents like Hinder, Magic Circle, and Ropel. These repellents can be beneficial when applied directly to tree trunks or crops. Applying Ropel or Magic Circle 10 tree trunks with a spray boule or brush, spraying or pouring Hinder directly on lodges or hanging in jugs directly above the dam has proven effective.

Shooting
Shooting beaver is one of the most effective methods of control. Beaver are not prolccted in Georgia and may be hunted year-round. Beaver are most active al night, therefore the best times to anempt hunting are dawn and dusk. Tearing a hole in the dam will attract beaver, making them easier to hunt. Remember thai there is a danger of ricochet when shooting around water so take proper precautions to avoid damage to people or property.
Trapping
In most situations. trapping is the most effective, practical, and environmentally safe method of beaver control. Success depends on the trapper's knowledge of beaver habits, use of the proper trap to fit the situation, and trap placement. Beaver may be trapped or snared year-round.
Snares Snares can be easily and
effectively set in the water or on beaver trails at or near the water's edge. The snare should be made from 4' - 5' of 3/32" or 5/32" cable and a small piece of angle iron which allows the snare to tighten but not loosen. Set the snare with the bonom on the ground or with the bottom I" above the ground. Personal experience will help determine the best set for your snares. Use a l4gauge support wire long enough to run from a stake to the snare itself to keep the beaver from leaving with the snare. Constructing an 8" 10" loop for the snare should allow smaller animals such as an ouer to pass through the snare uncaught. Snares can be easily made at home or purchased commercially. Georgia law requires that snares be used in water or within 10 feet of water.
Live Traps Bailey and Hancock livetraps are expensive, bulky, and hard to conceal.
They have powerful springs which can injure people ifhandled improperly. Livetrapping beaver is difficult and often unsuccessful. It also requires acceptable release sites, and few people are willing to have beaver released on their property. Beaver will not remain where they are released unless there is suitable habitat. They also may disperse because of competition with established beaver populations.

Conibear

One of the most effective traps for beaver is the 330 size Conibear. This

trap kills a beaver almost instantly by

breaking the spine. Georgia law re-

quires that this trap be used in water

or within 10 feet of water. Designed

for water use, this trap is not likely to

"S

capture non-target animals such as dogs and cats. II is effective in deep and shallow water. Generally one or two traps

per site is sufficient. When setting the

Coni bear type trap, many people use a pair

of "setting tongs" while others use rope or

only their hands. Because this trap

exerts tremendous pressure and

impact when tripped, appropriate care

must be exercised when using it to

keep from injuring hands or arms.

The Coni bear trap works well when placed

on top of or just below a dam at an active crossing or in runways. The trap

should be positioned with the top 2-3" above the water surface or just below the

surface with a dive stick at the surface that will attract the beaver causing it to

dive into the trap. It is sometimes difficult to trap beaver in lake or pond

situations. In these areas, beaver can be baited inlO an area suitable for trap

placement using shelled com.

Leg-Hold Traps A steel leg-hold trap is a spring-released lrap that ensnares the leg and
holds the beaver under water until drowned. A #3 or #4 leg-hold trap is usually best Remember thai Georgia law prohibits the use of number 3 or 4 leghold traps in land sets.
To prevent the beaver from escaping a leg-hold trap, some method of drowning must be employed. The most common drowning technique is to use a "slide wire" with one end anchored on the bank and the other end underneath the water. The trap chain is connecled to the "slide wire" with a small piece of I" angle iron. This trap will slide freely down the wire, but it will not slide up the wire, holding the beaver underwater. Steel traps set in this fashion are most effective when set where the beaver enters and leaves the water or at the dam.

For further advice, please contact your local Department of Natural Resources or County Extension office. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Damage Control can be contracted with 10 provide on site assistance with beaver or other nuisance animal problems.

Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division offices:

Region I 2592 Floyd Springs Road Armuchee, Georgia 30105 (706)295-6041

Region V 2024 Newton Road Albany, Georgia 31708 (912)430-4254

Region II 2 t 50 Dawsonville Highway Gainesville, Georgia 30501 (770)535-5700

Region VI 1773-A Bowen's Mill Highway Fitzgerald, Georgia 31750 (912)423-2988

Region III 142 Bob Kirk Road Thomson, Georgia 30824 (706)595-4222

Region VII One Conservation Way Brunswick, Georgia 31523 (912)262-3173

Region IV Route 3, Box 75 Fort Valley, Georgia 31030 (912)825-6354
USDA Animal Damage Control School of Forest Resources University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602 (706)546-2020