Beware the Ides of March!

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TheIceman

TheIceman

Member
Dec 1, 2017
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Fayetteville, NC, United States
If you're a beaver, that is. A friend had some more beavers move in recently and start flooding the back yard along the creek. This happens a couple of times a year, as the creek is full of beavers along its entire length. Late winter/early spring is the time many beavers and recently evicted yearlings spread out looking for a new home. After three unsuccessful hunts, I finally realized these two beavers were not lodged upstream of the dam, but downstream. I think they were actually building an upstream secondary dam on my friend's property. Anyways, I relocated my blind looking downstream of the dam, and on March 15 the Ides of March ended as badly for these two beavers as it did for old Julius Caesar. Both were taken before dark, but I noticed during the first shot that there was no color in the viewscreen, so I switched to night vision mode for better detail on the second shot. I was able to recover both of them, and I harvested the fur and the meat. Two hams are currently in a honey brine, then will go in a sous vide cooker followed by a short stint in the smoker. I will be eating good in the neighborhood this coming Thursday!

Edit: Huben K1 slinging JSB Exact King Heavy MKIIs at around 900 FPS, filmed with ATN X Sight 4K 3-12 scope.





https://youtu.be/wxm9Nfp_ceE







Shoot straight, tell the truth, and be good to one another!

James
 
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Great video and great shooting. I watched a video of a guy cooking beaver and he didn’t like it. What would you compare the taste to?
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Thanks! I think it is better than the best beef steak I have ever had, and I've had some good ones. The meat is a darker red than beef, and the grain of the meat is tighter. Two things are key: Clean them as soon as practical, and when cleaning them make sure you steer clear of the castor glands. The glands are on the belly side, between the back legs and just in front of the tail. They are huge, so you won't have any problems finding them. If you see any goo oozing out of the vent before you start skinning, just rinse it off good with a hose. I like the backstraps the best, followed closely by the hams.

James
 
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@TheIceman That second shot was great!! Good shooting on both. I’m curious about how you prepare the meat. Recently I was talking about trying some. Are there any parts that aren’t good for eating? I’ve heard of folks barbecuing the meat. Smoked beaver sounds good too.
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Thank you! I put a second shot into the first beaver because it was upright, and I didn't know if that was just coincidence, or meant it was swimming intentionally. Post mortem exam revealed the first shot went through the lower portion of the brain cage before exiting the back of the head. Exit wound was almost half an inch. So, the second shot was unnecessary, but I wasn't sure at the time. Since I switched from the Hatsan Bullboss 25 to the Huben K1 25, I have been impressed with the increased power. the Bullboss slung Exact Kings at 900 FPS, but the Huben is doing the same speed with the heavier Exact King Heavy MKIIs. The lighter Exact Kings had no trouble penetrating, but the beavers just seem to die differently with the heavier pellets. Quicker, and not as much spastic muscle movement. The big advantage of the Huben, as evidenced by the video, is the ability to fire more shots without losing the sight picture from racking a cocking lever back and forth. Beavers don't give you a lot of time to get the shot in. As to what parts are good or not for eating, I've found the backstraps are best, and I mean best, meat I've ever eaten. The hams are a close second. The shoulders are just a lot of work for not much meat. If I ever get one on a weekend, I will take the time to debone it thoroughly, and make some summer sausage with it.

James
 
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@TheIceman When you skin them what sort of precautions are necessary to take once you get below the belly towards the castor glands to avoid puncturing them? I’m speaking of skinning using a skinning knife without a gut hook.
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I stop using the gut hook as I approach the vent anyways. A sharp blade held perpendicular to the skin as you cut the skin around the vent and towards the tail works well. Be sure to only push the knife in just enough to cut the skin only. It's very easy when you know the glands are there. It's not so much that you have to be careful, as it is that you don't want to be careless. Next time I get one I will try to make a video showing the castor glands and how to avoid them.

James
 
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Wonderful shooting and video on both of those! Moving targets are not easy to get a precise shot off but you certainly can much better than me!
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Thanks, but I have my bad days, too. The video recordings I make when hunting and shooting allow me to go back and review my shots to see where I can improve next time. In this case, I reviewed both shots and could tell they were both good kills, so I put away my gear and started looking for them in the water. They sink when dead, and can be difficult to locate underwater in the dark. A very bright red LED light helps greatly.

James
 
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Wonderful shooting and video on both of those! Moving targets are not easy to get a precise shot off but you certainly can much better than me!
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I have my bad days, too. The video recordings I make when hunting and shooting allow me to go back and review my shots to see where I can improve next time. In this case, I reviewed both shots and could tell they were both good kills, so I put away my gear and started looking for them in the water. They sink when dead, and can be difficult to locate underwater in the dark. A very bright red LED light helps greatly.

James
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You're welcome! Your "bad" days of hitting moving targets is so much better than my good days (I have a tough time shooting static targets off my bench somedays)! LOL! And, yes, video lets us know what we are doing right or wrong! Keep up the great shooting and video.
 
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@TheIceman When you skin them what sort of precautions are necessary to take once you get below the belly towards the castor glands to avoid puncturing them? I’m speaking of skinning using a skinning knife without a gut hook.
Click to expand...

I stop using the gut hook as I approach the vent anyways. A sharp blade held perpendicular to the skin as you cut the skin around the vent and towards the tail works well. Be sure to only push the knife in just enough to cut the skin only. It's very easy when you know the glands are there. It's not so much that you have to be careful, as it is that you don't want to be careless. Next time I get one I will try to make a video showing the castor glands and how to avoid them.

James
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@TheIceman Thank you. That would be very helpful. Do you intend to add it to this thread or will you start another? If you add it to this one, I’ll subscribe to it. 
 
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@TheIceman When you skin them what sort of precautions are necessary to take once you get below the belly towards the castor glands to avoid puncturing them? I’m speaking of skinning using a skinning knife without a gut hook.
Click to expand...

I stop using the gut hook as I approach the vent anyways. A sharp blade held perpendicular to the skin as you cut the skin around the vent and towards the tail works well. Be sure to only push the knife in just enough to cut the skin only. It's very easy when you know the glands are there. It's not so much that you have to be careful, as it is that you don't want to be careless. Next time I get one I will try to make a video showing the castor glands and how to avoid them.

James
Click to expand...

@TheIceman Thank you. That would be very helpful. Do you intend to add it to this thread or will you start another? If you add it to this one, I’ll subscribe to it.
Click to expand...

I will start another thread, but I will try to remember to post a link here as well, to make it easier on anybody following this thread.

James
 
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@TheIceman That first one was probably the best beaver shooting video I've seen. Nicely done! What was the distance and which ATN scope are you running?

We're not allowed to shoot beaver in Washington even while doing ADC work. (ADC = animal damage control)





Great video and great shooting. I watched a video of a guy cooking beaver and he didn’t like it. What would you compare the taste to?
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@crittahitta I think it tastes like roast beef. It is really good table fare. I'm a crock pot with carrots & potatoes kind of guy. 

It's easy to remove the castor before you process the rest of the beaver. Note that castor has value if the glands have any size. 

Castor removal- http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/beaver_castor_removal.html


 
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@TheIceman That first one was probably the best beaver shooting video I've seen. Nicely done! What was the distance and which ATN scope are you running?

We're not allowed to shoot beaver in Washington even while doing ADC work. (ADC = animal damage control)



Range was about 20 to 25 yards. It's a very small creek surrounded by woods. Thanks for the compliment. I use the ATN X Sight 4K Day/Night Scope in 3-12X. The King Heavy MkIIs are definitely carrying more punch to the party. First time I've seen exit wounds on beaver heads. Beaver season here is year round, and they are considered a nuisance animal more than a game animal. However, the regulations don't allow hunting them at night. If you shoot them at night, it has to be for damage control purposes only. I shot these with about 15 minutes of legal hunting light left.

James
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