With the heavy rains we've had the last two days and the incessant work of the beavers, the pond flooded at Hurricane levels over the weekend. So last night schedules finally aligned and three friends came over for a few house of beaver hunting.
I can shoot a rifle, but I'm not the best shot. I can hold a flashlight, but I can't shoot a rifle AND hold a flashlight. So our plan was to have two shooters and two lights. I took Bobby's rifle to the pond, but gladly ended up being a light shiner.
Normally after a shot is fired, I know I missed because there is a loud tail slap nearby. Last night after the 2nd and 3rd shots were fired by my friends across the pond, I heard no slaps at all. And here's where the difference between a real hunter and me comes in focus. After shooting and waiting for a little bit for any sightings, I would have then returned to the house to try and warm up. But after firing shots and waiting, they returned to the pier where me and my young sidekick were waiting with our flashlights, and we all trecked through the flooded yard into the woods to search for any signs of the beavers as well as their homes. We did hear one slide into the water, but never spotted it nor saw anything else. So after waiting and watching, we went back to the pier and waited there for a while before claiming and hoping it was truly a victory.
And this morning...the only stoppage of the drain was leaves and straw that had sucked around the grates. It was still draining at a decent pace, and I had it flowing within a few scrapes with the hoe. No mud/clay/pinecone/stick/straw mixture packed into it, no new rebuilding of the fortress around the drain, and the water level is now back to where it would be after a heavy rain. I am so relived. This is the first time since last March that I have not had to spend a bit of time either attempting to find the drain or cleaning off the top and sides of it.
I am now more than optimistic that the Momma and Poppa beavers are gone. If by the end of this week I can finally get to the drain and clean everything out around it we will be able to dig out and make a drain cover like the pond people suggested that will hopefully prevent future problems. And my friends gave me some advice on how to blow up the lodge and dam.
I'll go out this afternoon into the wooded area with the binoculars to see if I can spot a carcass. A forum I was reading in last night made it sound like a good number of beavers will submerge themselves under a log or in their lodge after being hit and they won't resurface. Personally, I'm okay with that. So far it looks like we've accomplished what needed to be done. I'm relieved.
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