With hunting season in full swing, it's time for a few warnings about beavers. The following tips can serve as a reminder to experienced woodsmen, or as a primer to new hunters.
1) Beavers are not your friends!
Despite what you see in the Disney movies or on those hippie nature programs, beavers are NOT cute, friendly, fuzzy woodland creatures. Beavers are vicious killers who will stop at nothing to defend their territory. Do not be caught off gaurd!
2) Beavers have multiple attack modes.
Just because you're aware of the tree-drop trick, doesn't mean you're safe. Beavers are clever. The have multiple methods of dispatching the unwary outdoorsman, and may be developing others at this very moment. Here are the most common, known attack strategies:
a) Direct biting assault: The beaver hides in low brush, in an ambush position along a trail or other area likely to see human traffic. When the unspecting victim walks by, the beaver springs out and goes for the lower legs. Beavers have continuosly-growing, self-sharpening teeth that can make a mess of your shins, leaving you to bleed out in the remote woods, or at least do a number on your new Gore-Tex boots. Fortunately, this method of attack is fairly rare against armed people. Beavers fear men with guns, and will seldom attempt a direct assault on them. Beavers aren't stupid!
b) Tree-drop: Beavers will leave a number of large trees standing in their home area that have been almost completely gnawed through. That way, they need only a few more nibbles to drop a towering tree on an uncareful intruder. A single tree-drop is often used against stationary targets sitting down for a cigarette or Twinkie break. For hunters on the move, beavers will drop a series of trees in a cleverly designed pattern that corrals the poor victims into the intended kill zone where the coup-de-gras is administered. Be alert for partially gnawed trees! If you see them, get out of the area, and NOW!
c) Punji spikes: Beavers will leave small sapling trunks (3-4" in diamter) gnawed off about 18" from the ground. The tips of these stumps are honed to razor sharpness. Usually, these horrible spikes of death are camouflaged by ferns, and are surrounded with cleverly placed horizontal trip logs. To make matters worse, the beaver fiends often smear the tips of these death spikes with fecal matter. If you're unfortunate enough to fall onto one of these spikes, and survive the bodily trauma, a slow death from infection almost surely awaits. Be alert for beaver punji spikes! A slow, careful gait is best. A walking stick can be used for probing the low foliage, or providing an additional balance point if you are tripped.
d) Tidal wave of death: Everyone knows that beavers build dams. Disney would have you believe that the resulting ponds are a tranquil haven in which the beavers can frolic peacefully. Wrong! Beaver build dams for one reason, and one reason only: They are traps! Each dam is carefully constructed with one key log that can quickly be pulled, releasing an unstoppable torrent of water. Woe be to he that finds himself in his vehicle fording a small trickle of water when the beavers open the upstream floodgates! A watery death awaits. Before crossing any water, even a trickle, look upstream for dam traps!
Well, that's a fair amount of typing for me, but if I can save only one life from these flat-tailed fiends, it's worth it. Be safe.
1) Beavers are not your friends!
Despite what you see in the Disney movies or on those hippie nature programs, beavers are NOT cute, friendly, fuzzy woodland creatures. Beavers are vicious killers who will stop at nothing to defend their territory. Do not be caught off gaurd!
2) Beavers have multiple attack modes.
Just because you're aware of the tree-drop trick, doesn't mean you're safe. Beavers are clever. The have multiple methods of dispatching the unwary outdoorsman, and may be developing others at this very moment. Here are the most common, known attack strategies:
a) Direct biting assault: The beaver hides in low brush, in an ambush position along a trail or other area likely to see human traffic. When the unspecting victim walks by, the beaver springs out and goes for the lower legs. Beavers have continuosly-growing, self-sharpening teeth that can make a mess of your shins, leaving you to bleed out in the remote woods, or at least do a number on your new Gore-Tex boots. Fortunately, this method of attack is fairly rare against armed people. Beavers fear men with guns, and will seldom attempt a direct assault on them. Beavers aren't stupid!
b) Tree-drop: Beavers will leave a number of large trees standing in their home area that have been almost completely gnawed through. That way, they need only a few more nibbles to drop a towering tree on an uncareful intruder. A single tree-drop is often used against stationary targets sitting down for a cigarette or Twinkie break. For hunters on the move, beavers will drop a series of trees in a cleverly designed pattern that corrals the poor victims into the intended kill zone where the coup-de-gras is administered. Be alert for partially gnawed trees! If you see them, get out of the area, and NOW!
c) Punji spikes: Beavers will leave small sapling trunks (3-4" in diamter) gnawed off about 18" from the ground. The tips of these stumps are honed to razor sharpness. Usually, these horrible spikes of death are camouflaged by ferns, and are surrounded with cleverly placed horizontal trip logs. To make matters worse, the beaver fiends often smear the tips of these death spikes with fecal matter. If you're unfortunate enough to fall onto one of these spikes, and survive the bodily trauma, a slow death from infection almost surely awaits. Be alert for beaver punji spikes! A slow, careful gait is best. A walking stick can be used for probing the low foliage, or providing an additional balance point if you are tripped.
d) Tidal wave of death: Everyone knows that beavers build dams. Disney would have you believe that the resulting ponds are a tranquil haven in which the beavers can frolic peacefully. Wrong! Beaver build dams for one reason, and one reason only: They are traps! Each dam is carefully constructed with one key log that can quickly be pulled, releasing an unstoppable torrent of water. Woe be to he that finds himself in his vehicle fording a small trickle of water when the beavers open the upstream floodgates! A watery death awaits. Before crossing any water, even a trickle, look upstream for dam traps!
Well, that's a fair amount of typing for me, but if I can save only one life from these flat-tailed fiends, it's worth it. Be safe.
Last edited:
