If Beaver Photos Are Your Thing...

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TheIceman

TheIceman

Member
Dec 1, 2017
476
49
Fayetteville, NC, United States
Once again I was tasked with removing some beavers that were flooding a friend's property. The farmer next door wasn't too happy either, when he saw his equipment in a foot of standing water. Stopped by yesterday to break apart the dam and get the water draining. Late this afternoon I ripped out the overnight repair work they'd done, and saw the water had dropped enough for me to get into a good shooting position. Turned out to be a pair of beavers. Took about two hours after settling in for them to show up. Got the male first, crossing from right to left. You can see the entry wound just behind his eye. No exit wound, and the top of his skull felt like a sack of loose gravel. JSB King Heavies do the job well on that hard head. As you can see, he was about 3 1/2 feet long. Didn't weigh him.

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Fished him out of the edge of the creek, then settled back in to see if any more were around. Half an hour of watching swirls in the water, then the female got tired of holding her breath and gave me a shot crossing from left to right and quartering slightly away. Caught her right below the ear. Instant lights out, just like the male. She was a bit smaller, but still a decent size.

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Looks like I will be having some grilled beaver backstrap this week! I get to eat good, two property owners are happy, and the creek is flowing again. I used my Huben K1 in 25 caliber, with an ATN X-Sight II 3 - 14 scope, shooting JSB King Heavies. I didn't need the quick followup shots tonight, but the Huben K1 allows me to keep my sight picture if I ever do. Thanks for reading! Shoot straight, tell the truth, and be kind to one another.

James
 
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Good job and patience on those beavers. And you using the meat is really neat. What do you do with the pelts?
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Thanks. Until I started hunting them, I had no idea what was in store. Long spells of waiting and scanning, then when you see one you have to shift instantly into high-speed target acquisition and termination mode. Sometimes, it is less than three seconds from seeing the beaver's head to pulling the trigger. Hunting a wide open pond would be much easier, but I was hunting a narrow creek in thick woods and undergrowth. Maybe 10 yards from left limit to right limit at the edge of the creek, which is 25 to 30 yards away. The pelts are going to become Russian style hats, if I do my part correctly.

James
 
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Fantastic Shooting! I'd love to be able to help a neighbor like that :)
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It's a great opportunity to help people see airguns as a valuable tool in wildlife management. The property owners weren't worried about being startled awake late at night by the crack of a powder burner rifle, and they didn't have to pay me to handle their problem. We all came out winners.

James
 
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Good shot placement, 👍
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Thanks! When they are swimming, the head is the only choice! I'd still go for the thinker even if they were out of the water. Skinning and dressing a brain-shot critter is always easier and less messy. Hunting beaver has been a crash course in faster aiming and trigger technique. One thing I forgot to mention about why I like the Huben is that because it is so short, it is very easy to balance on a shooting stick, which reduces the wear on my shoulder and arm muscles. You have to stay in the scope at night in order to see, and that means a very sore neck and shoulder the next day. Anything I can do to reduce that is a winner in my book.

James
 
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