How to hunt beaver with a gun. Secrets and techniques of beaver hunting: video from the hunt Using scent bait

The beaver, and now remains the desired prey of many hunters, thanks to its fur, tasty meat and beaver stream. They hunt it in different ways, both with a gun and various traps. The disadvantage of the latter is that hunting is not allowed everywhere and not with all types of traps. In addition, an animal caught in a trap or noose, as a result of the struggle for life and subsequent rigor in cold water, the meat, often the skin, deteriorates, and the valuable secretion of its glands disappears. A well-aimed shot from a gun can help avoid all this. During such a hunt, the animal does not suffer and does not lose its primary qualities. In addition, the hunter can choose which specific animal he wants to kill and not shoot young animals.

Deadlines

The beaver hunting season begins on the first of October. By this time, he is gaining the required weight and is already preparing for the winter at full speed. During this period, animals are still actively moving around the reservoir, feeding and storing for the winter. All this allows you to successfully beat the beaver during such movements. Autumn hunting with a gun continues until the freeze-up.

The beaver is more of a nocturnal animal, so it is most active after sunset, although it can move around its territory without problems during the day. Hunting for it is allowed during the day and no later than an hour after sunset.

Preparation

Preparation for a beaver hunt should take into account the characteristics of the hunting location, hunting time, behavioral characteristics and sensitivity of the animal. The beaver does not have very good eyesight, but has excellent sense of smell and hearing. Before the start of the hunting season, it is advisable to go on reconnaissance, decide on a hunting location, study the terrain and habits of the animals, and where they come ashore. It is advisable to decide in advance on the location of the ambush and prepare it. Remove dry wood from the ground so as not to make noise in an ambush. Clear the thickets so as not to interfere with the shot.

Since the hunt will be carried out in a swampy area, plus you will have to remove the animal carcass from the water, you need to take care of waterproof shoes. For hunting at dusk, you will need a flashlight, preferably an under-barrel one, so that it does not occupy your hands. Clothing should be dim, not rustling, and warm enough. You shouldn't have a strong odor; the beaver has a great sense of smell.

Shotgun selection

For autumn beaver hunting, virtually any gun is suitable, but preferably a double-barreled one. This is due to the fact that this usually happens at dusk, and it is advisable to shoot at the beaver from a distance at which it can be quickly taken out of the water, or prevented from rolling into the water if it is on the shore. As a rule, this distance is no more than 20 meters. Although they say that a beaver is strong against a wound, it is far from a wild boar, so you can shoot a beaver from twenty meters with any gun.

Shooting is most often carried out at an animal in the water, so if you miss, it will immediately dive and you will no longer have a chance for the next shot. The second barrel is needed to finish off a stunned animal without allowing it to dive if the first shot did not hit the target.

It can also be added that various three-barreled shotguns, pump-action and semi-automatic carbines are usually heavier than a regular double-barreled shotgun, which creates inconvenience when staying in an ambush for a long time, in full readiness. Another thing is optics, especially coated ones. Even at short distances, a three- to four-fold scope, especially at dusk, will be an excellent help.

Fraction number

Now let's figure out how to shoot a beaver. There is an opinion, confirmed by a large number of cases, that a beaver can be taken with fraction numbers 3–5. This is due to the fact that it was obtained incidentally, while hunting ducks and other water birds, and often illegally, out of season. But in fact, such shot does not work well against beavers, leaving a lot of wounded wounds, which of course no one will talk much about. Yes, from a close distance you can hit this beast with whatever you want, as they say: “you can shut it up with a pitchfork.” But, for example, after a successful shot with number 5, you will have to disassemble the carcass for a long time in order to remove it all.

Let's consider another question - buckshot or bullet. Of course, a bullet has higher damaging properties, any bullet at that. But at such distances, when shooting at the head of a swimming animal, shooting with buckshot will be more practical. It smooths out aiming errors, creating a larger affected area. The same applies to large fractions from two to four zeros.

Therefore, at distances up to 20 meters, especially at dusk, it is better to use buckshot or large shot. In good light, shooting with a telescopic sight, or at long distances, a bullet will be better.

Now, as for the caliber, no matter what number of buckshot or buckshot you shoot, the larger the caliber, the more buckshot/pellets there will be in one cartridge. That's why:

12 gauge. It is better to use for shooting with buckshot or large shot. 5.6 and 8 mm buckshot performed well. It is the right size for a fatal hit, and there is quite a lot of it for one cartridge. Bound or matched buckshot works even better. If you need to shoot a bullet over long distances, then the “Trio” bullet, consisting of three connected balls, has proven itself well. But in principle, a hit from any bullet of this caliber will be lethal. Another question is that a bullet or very large buckshot spoils the skin of a beaver, leaving gaps on it, which small buckshot and shot do not have;

16 gauge. It can also be used with both buckshot and a bullet, but the density of the buckshot shot in this case will be less, and this must be taken into account.

How to hunt

When studying the hunting location in advance, it is necessary to find out in advance where the beaver exits its hut or burrow and where it goes ashore. Focusing on them, they set up an ambush.

Exit to the place:

The beaver has very good hearing, including under water, and has a keen sense of smell. You need to approach the ambush site very carefully, since water transmits vibration well and loud steps on the shore will be clearly audible and will alert the animal. For the same reason, beaver hunting from the approach does not work well.

You need to position the ambush so that the wind is from the water from the side of the hut, it’s not as difficult as it seems. Reservoirs inhabited by beavers are usually surrounded by dense trees, which block and deflect the movement of air masses, leading to wind twisting and changing its direction. The wind there blows far from the same as everywhere else, but either along the reservoir or twisting in one direction. Therefore, two ambush sites are prepared in advance, above and below the hut, and with the wind they are determined on the spot and positioned accordingly.

Ambush behavior.

As mentioned earlier, the optimal distance for a shot is up to 20 meters, the closer, the better. At this distance, the beaver will not see you well and will not perceive you if you do not stand out with your movement and clothing. Therefore, you need to move very smoothly in an ambush. The same goes for sounds. The splash of water or the crunch of a branch, due to the lice's awkwardness, will alert the beaver, but will not frighten it, if after that your curses are not heard.

Shooting.

They shoot at the beaver, trying to get it as close as possible. The greater the angle of entry of the bullet into the water, the better. They aim for his head or the spine behind it. It is better to shoot with a lead, smoothly accompanying the head of a swimming animal. If hit by bullets or large buckshot, the beaver will in any case freeze for a few seconds as a result of shock. If after this he begins to move again, he is immediately shot to prevent him from diving.

The beaver carcass does not sink by itself, often even if the lung is punctured. But if, as a result of an unsuccessful shot, the animal dives and gets caught or hides under water, it will be more difficult to catch it. But dead beavers still usually float up after some time, from half an hour to several hours.

If the animal is on the shore, then they shoot again in the head or in the front part of the body in the chest and shoulder blades. They finish shooting to prevent them from going into the water.

Extraction of prey.

The carcass must be taken out immediately, firstly, so that the trophy does not spoil, and secondly, it can be carried away overnight to God knows where even by the weakest current.

Since the beaver is nocturnal, it is very often necessary to shoot it at dusk and darkness. If you hunt alone, it is better to mount the flashlight on your gun, and if you are hunting with a partner, you can use a headlight with a car battery.

A sharply flashing light can frighten a beaver, but if the lantern shines all the time, it will be perceived as something akin to the moon. Therefore, by smoothly bringing a beam of light towards a swimming animal, you will have every chance of a successful shot. After the first shot, you can add light from other available sources, this will help not to lose your prey.

Beaver hunting video

In the end, beaver hunting turns out to be not such an easy task as catching other animals - more often experienced hereditary hunters go for it. Nevertheless, this type of hunting is considered one of the most exciting and exciting.

Habitats

As a rule, beavers settle on the banks of slow rivers and streams, and on lakes. Animals build “huts” - houses from fallen and gnawed trees and branches, which form dams and cause the water level in reservoirs to rise. Whole families of beavers live here.

Officially, beaver hunting opens in mid-October and lasts until the end of frost, like elk fishing, so in the summer hunters have the opportunity to notice the animals’ habitats - while picking berries, for example.

Thus, in the hot months, families of large rodents go to rookeries not far from the shore - such places are represented by small clearings with clearly crushed, disturbed grass cover.

As the weather gets colder, peeled areas of tree bark, broken branches and young shoots begin to appear near the huts. Beavers are especially attracted to aspen and alder, although other trees are also not ignored. If the tracks are fresh, congratulations, you have found an active beaver trail where animals appear frequently. It is easy to determine the freshness of the marks - the darker the scratches and breaks, the older they are.

The size of the hut also indicates the number of its inhabitants - the larger the dwelling, the more beavers live there, and the more likely your success in the hunt.

Hunting equipment

Despite the fact that tracking and hunting beavers in winter and autumn is quite difficult, there are only two standard methods of catching: hunting with a gun and with traps. The success of the entire event depends on how accurately and correctly you select the equipment.

Guns

The main criteria for choosing a gun can be presented in the form of a short guide:

• Despite the fact that everyone chooses a weapon and ammunition “for themselves,” the caliber of 9 millimeters is considered optimal for shooting beavers. However, beginners can also hunt with small-caliber weapons (small-caliber weapons) of about 6.5 millimeters in caliber.

• A comfortable gun should weigh about 20 times less than the hunter. However, if you are in good physical shape, you can use heavy, large-caliber weapons.

Try to shoot at the target from a distance not exceeding 50 meters from the target. Before hunting, be sure to adjust your sharpness and aim and practice on various targets to understand how the gun behaves. This preparation is especially important if you have never shot before.

Traps

Beaver hunting involves the use of traps, which can be divided into 3 types:

• plate;

• with SIM cards;

• pressing.

Dish-type traps are a flat, wide base with a strip attached to it, to which the opening arcs cling.

Among hunters, it is customary to use plate traps No. 3 and No. 5. However, such designs often work empty, so recently professionals have given preference to beaver traps with SIM cards.

The peculiarity of the design is that it is equipped with sims - a mesh made of strong thread, fishing line or thin wire, which is not so sensitive to movement and requires quite a firm pressure, like a beaver.

Pressure traps are a way out in situations where it is difficult to install regular traps - for example, in narrow spaces. From the name it is clear that the animal must press hard on such a device while moving before it works.

Do not forget that hunting beavers with a gun or with traps requires obtaining a special permit so that you are not mistaken for a poacher.

Hunting with a gun

A sally with a gun is essentially the same beaver hunt in ambush. Such an event takes place in 2 stages: preparation for the hunt and, in fact, the process of tracking and shooting the animal.

Initially, you need to determine the place where animals often stay - this is easy to do based on the signs described above. After this, find a secluded place a short distance from the animal trail (this can be a depression in the ground, a ravine, a hole or a hillock) and hide here until dark. You can even camouflage it slightly, like when hunting ducks. As a rule, beaver hunting is more successful at night - the animals come out to get food.

Choose protective clothing that matches the colors of the surrounding nature, and one that will protect you from cold and getting wet for a long time - sometimes you have to track a beaver for hours. Do not apply mosquito repellent under any circumstances. Animals also hear this smell and are wary of it. But the smoke of the fire does not scare them.

Do not shoot immediately after the animal appears; it is better to watch how it behaves and how fast it moves. Aim carefully - it's best to shoot at the head or stomach.

If the beaver was in the water when you shot, it may drown, so be careful and only shoot if you are confident that you can reach the prey. It is also more convenient to shoot a beaver on land because it moves slower than in a body of water.

Remember: you should not make sudden movements while tracking in ambush or aiming - this can scare away the beaver, which will immediately transmit an alarm signal to its relatives. Frightened animals can stay in the “hut” for more than a week.

Beaver trap - features of hunting

Beaver hunting with traps also requires some preparation, but of a slightly different kind - before going out, be sure to check the mechanisms of the traps for the absence of defects, timeliness and correct operation of the mechanisms.

Before setting a trap, ensure that the selected location meets the following criteria:

• here the beast appears quite often;

• you can calmly and comfortably lay out the trap so that nothing interferes with its triggering mechanism;

• the possibility of shelter in close proximity for you.

The most popular places to set traps are beaver dams, coastal rookeries, tagging areas, animal trails and dug canals.

So, near dams, huts and transitional water trails, it is better to use traps with SIM cards. Plate models are suitable for installation in rookeries, feeding and tagging areas, and pressure structures can be installed in dug narrow channels and near the exits of burrows and huts.

Underwater traps are installed in two ways: at a depth of 1-2 centimeters if they are designed for the front paws of a beaver, and at 5-10 centimeters if they are designed for the hind paws.

You can learn more about the features of beaver hunting in the following video.

You can hunt beavers using a trap or a gun. Most hunters choose the second method of hunting, considering it more humane and interesting. Beaver hunting begins in October and continues until the end of February.

It is extremely difficult to take beavers by surprise. These are very careful animals. They settle in families, the number of individuals in which can reach 10. The territory of a beaver settlement can stretch along the shore of a natural reservoir for no less than a kilometer. The trees and shrubs surrounding their home are used to build the platinum.

Beavers build their huts with access to the water. This protects them from attacks by predators. They can remain underwater without surfacing for up to 20 minutes. Beavers have powerful incisors. From them you can determine the age of the animal. In adults they grow up to 9 cm, and in young ones their length does not exceed 3 cm. The body of the animal can grow up to 120 cm in length, and they gain weight up to 35 kg.

Where to look for beaver?

When searching for an animal, you need to pay attention to the strength of the current in the reservoir. They choose quiet rivers or lakes (swamps, irrigation canals) with standing water to build their huts. The fast current is a big problem for them. They can't handle it.

When looking for a body of water, animals choose for their lives those shores that are covered with aspen, alder, birch or willow. When searching for a beaver's lodge, hunters pay attention to tree trunks with characteristic marks of the animals' incisors. They should be fresh and white in color. Black spots on the sections indicate that the tracks are old and you need to look for the beaver in another place.

The location of animal huts is also determined by branches that can float on the surface of the reservoir, as well as by the tracks of animals on the shore. Signs of their presence may include well-trodden paths covered with silt and holes. Experienced hunters know very well what time of day a beaver leaves its hut.

The rodent is nocturnal, so it can only be discovered after sunset. Young individuals are the first to emerge from their burrows. More cautious adult animals leave their hut some time later. If during a sally they hear rustling or cracking of branches, they will immediately hide in a hole and can sit there for more than a week.

Hunting with a gun

Firearms for beaver hunting are selected according to the person’s weight. It should be 20 times lighter than a hunter. This could be an 18 gauge shotgun or a carbine. Any hunter knows perfectly well how to properly hunt a beaver. A charge in the form of shot can ruin a beaver's skin, so they go at it with bullets.

The choice of weapon depends on the distance required for the shot. As a rule, cautious beavers do not allow humans to get very close to them. You must try to hit them with the first shot. Unlike a trap, in which it is unknown who will fall into it and when, a hunter with a gun can independently choose the specimen he likes to kill.

When hunting a rodent with a gun, a person must approach it from the leeward side. The hiding place is set up on the bank opposite the beaver huts. It is not necessary to build a hut or any other shelter for her. Hunters hide behind trees and bushes. They arrive at the place in the late afternoon.

In autumn, a lot of dry leaves and branches accumulate on the ground, which can make rustling and crackling noises. Therefore, the hiding place is cleared of them. Any noise and even a splash of water can alert the animal. For hunting, when a person has to patiently wait for prey for several hours, equipment is required. Mandatory items include the following:

• gun. It must be well targeted;
• waterproof clothing and boat;
• loot bag;
• car headlight for illumination with battery.

You can replace the battery and headlight with a high-power flashlight. It is better to wear boots made of urethane foam with thermal inserts on your feet. Experienced hunters recommend that beginners go beaver hunting in the fall with a gun loaded with 6.5 mm buckshot. Such a charge can provide the necessary accuracy of fire. The average distance for such charges is 25 meters.

Most often, in Russia, guns of the brands IZH-18, IZH-2, Saiga-12, as well as MTs-20 and MTs-21 are used for hunting beavers. The optimal weapon is one that can be used to hit an animal in the eye from 50 meters away.

Before hunting, any gun is sighted. To test the penetrating power of the charge, a board with a thickness of 30 to 40 cm is used.

Rodents leave their huts at dusk and work until 6-7 o’clock in the morning. While waiting for a beaver in a blind, a hunter may encounter a muskrat. You can't shoot at her. Having heard a shot, a beaver will not come out of its hole for a very long time. You can’t rush to shoot even when he appears on the surface. It is necessary to hit the animal with the first shot. After a hit, you must immediately rush to the prey and be ready to finish off the animal.

You need to shoot at the animal's head or its front part. It is very important to cause as little damage to the animal’s skin as possible. Beaver fur is used for clothing and is in quite high demand. The wounded beaver continues to swim, so without a boat and a lantern it is impossible to find and get it. Autumn beaver meat tastes like salmon.

The advantage of hunting with a gun is that a person always sees his prey.

Autumn catching beaver with traps

You can replace a gun for hunting with a trap or trap. Their mechanism should not have defects. A malfunction of the trap leads to injury to the animal, but not to its capture. Before installing a trap or trap, you must carefully select a place for it. The following conditions must be met:

• the place must have signs of frequent presence of the animal;
• At the site where traps and traps are installed, nothing should interfere with their operation.

As a rule, beaver dams, their rookeries, small canals, and animal trails are chosen as places to install animal catching equipment. The most frequently visited places by the animal are dams. For a hunter, they are the most accessible and convenient for setting traps. Beavers visit dams more often than other places.

Rodents make animal trails to their feeding areas.. Autumn is the peak time for stockpiling. These trails are the second most likely to catch prey. Hunters prefer to set traps on feeding trails not only in autumn, but also in winter. They are laid by animals in the form of channels. It is best to install walk-through traps in them.

Manufacturers produce traps of various types. The most common of them are devices of the compressive operating principle. Such traps are often called plate traps. They are quite powerful. For beaver hunting, traps No. 5 and No. 7 are used. No more than 1 trap should be installed in one beaver settlement. A beaver with excellent hearing, hearing the sound of a triggered trap, will understand that he is being hunted. It is unlikely that any of the animals will fall into the second trap, so after a successful hunt it is repeated no earlier than a week later.

Such devices are not without drawbacks. They are difficult to disguise and do not always work. Dish traps are designed to capture only the animal's paw. This does not guarantee 100% capture of the animal. Very often, an animal caught in a trap gnaws off its own paw in order to free itself.

KP-250 traps are considered more reliable. Their principle of operation is the same as that of mousetraps. The mechanism of the device is configured to capture the animal's neck, not its paws. In such traps, the prey dies very quickly, which saves it from a long and painful death. The effectiveness of KP-250 traps is estimated at 100%.

The optimal option for installing traps is considered to be the entrance to huts and channels leading to animal food supplies. The main feature of how to hunt beaver with a trap is careful preparation of the site. Beginners to this type of hunting are not recommended to set traps themselves.

It is better to search for beaver habitats without a dog. The smell of a dog can cause animals to be very careful or change their habitat.

To catch beavers in water, traps are set at different depths. If they are placed to fix the front paws of animals, then the installation depth should be 1-2 cm, for the hind limbs - from 5 to 10 cm. A feature of the autumn installation of traps is the importance of their placement on level ground and fixation on it.

Features of autumn hunting

In autumn, beavers prepare food for the winter. During this period of time, animals behave very actively. Autumn hunting for them is very productive. Only bad weather can interfere with the hunt. It greatly complicates the installation of traps. Setting traps in the rain is quite difficult. It is no less unpleasant to watch for animals near their huts in a rainstorm. Traps placed for beavers in the fall must be secured to the ground. Otherwise, the animals will throw them off.

Hunting permit

The existing procedure for beaver hunting in the Russian Federation requires obtaining a special license. It can be of two types. Legal entities issue a one-time management license for hunting. Such a document can also be obtained by single hunters. The second type of document is a long-term license.

Documents are issued based on an application, passport, hunting license and a receipt confirming payment of the state fee. The document contains information about the license holder and its validity period. It also contains information about the age of the animal allowed for hunting. Issuance of licenses begins in early October. Until this time, you can only conduct exploration of beaver habitats and determine their numbers.

This bait is one of the top 5 beaver baits in North America - Dobbin's Back Breaker is an extra-class beaver bait. With this tool, you can easily force the beaver to come exactly to the place you want. Very effectively used in combination s. Best used for castor mounds.

It is capable of attracting an animal to the place where the trap is installed in one day with an almost 100% guarantee. The bait works all year round, but is most effective in late spring.

• Weight: 90 gr.
• Volume: 30 ml.

Using bait in a mound installation.

• 1) make an artificial climb (preferably a new one)
• 2) 2 handfuls of dirt
• 3) a couple of twigs nibbled by a beaver (for better visualization)
• 3) dip the stick into a tube with bait and place or place it on this mound
• 4) in case of installing a Passage Trap, we make a “fence” so that it does not go around from the side
• 5) in the case of installing a loop, this is not actually required, except perhaps a couple to maintain the direction.
• That’s it, we come to pick up the trophy, usually if they are nearby it’s the next day :)))

Cash payment:

Cash payment is available for residents of St. Petersburg. You can pay for your order in cash to the courier upon receipt of the goods, or at the company’s office.

According to a receipt at a bank branch:

After the manager processes the order, a completed receipt is sent to you by email for payment at the bank. You just need to print the receipt and pay. Once the money has been deposited into our account, you will receive your order.

Transfer from card to card:

Transferring from card to card significantly speeds up the order processing time and you save on bank commissions. To make a transfer you need to have a Sberbank of Russia card. The account number and amount to be transferred are sent to you by email.

Yandex money:

When you choose this payment method, 3% of the total amount will be added to your order amount. After processing the order, the manager sends you the wallet number and the amount to pay. You can pay for Yandex with money in any Euroset terminal without commissions or from your own wallet in the Yandex system.

By plastic card in the office:

You can also pay for any purchase with a plastic card in our office.

Beaver hunting is always popular because the whole process is filled with excitement. In Russia, beaver hunting dates officially begin at the end of October and last until the end of February.

Experienced hunters have always had their professional secrets for successfully catching animals. Such secrets are usually passed down from generation to generation, and they do not leave a certain hunting family. But we will share some useful information on how to hunt beaver in this article.

Useful information about beavers

The beaver is an animal that is always on the alert. It lives in places where there are shallow rivers, swamps and creeks. Also, in the places where these animals live, there should be a lot of trees and bushes, from which they will build their dams.

One family, consisting of up to 10 individuals, occupies a kilometer-long stretch of the river bank. This is noticeable in the construction of huts, the entrance to which is always located under water. This is done in order to protect your home from predators.

The beaver is a fairly large rodent; its body grows up to 120 cm in length and weighs up to 35 kg. Females are always larger than males.

The body is covered with fur, only the tail is covered with horny plates. With its help, he maneuvers quite deftly in the water. Swimming underwater, it may not come to the surface for a breath of oxygen for up to 20 minutes.

How to determine the age of a beaver? This is easy to do by looking at his teeth. The width of the teeth of an adult animal is 9 cm, in young animals it is only 3 cm. The upper incisors are more developed than the lower teeth.

Selecting a location

To find the beaver family, you need to pay attention to the location of the dam and vegetation along the shore where it is built. There you will notice paths and holes that rodents often use. Experienced hunters make their ambushes near such trails.

It is better to go hunting with a gun, since if you catch using traps, the fur will be damaged. But after the hunt, keeping the meat for yourself, whole skins can be sold to a furrier.

Weapons and equipment

To be successful in beaver hunting with a gun, you need to choose the right gun and equipment.

Gun

For such a hunt you need to have with you:

• a well-aimed gun;
• boat;
• car headlight with battery;
• waterproof clothing for hunting;
• bag for killed rodents.

The gun is selected according to the hunter's weight. The stronger the hunter, the heavier the weapon you can choose. Or, in other words, the gun or carbine must be 20 times lighter than the hunter's weight. Otherwise, hunting will be difficult and ineffective. But hunting for a large rodent suggests that you will need to opt for an 18-gauge shotgun.

Since shot will probably ruin the appearance of the skin, it is better to take bullets with you for such a hunt.

The gun is selected based on the distance from which the shots will be fired - either “full choke” or “half choke”.

The gun can also be:

• single-barreled;
• double-barreled;
• multi-charged.

You can go beaver hunting with small fish. But with all this, we must remember that this is a very cautious animal that does not let anyone get close to itself. Therefore, you need to hit and kill the animal with one, maximum two shots.

Beaver hunting with a crossbow can also be very exciting and exciting. In Russia this is considered a rather exotic entertainment, but its popularity is growing every year.

Boat

Boats are inflatable and iron. The iron one is preferable, because it is more stable, and it will not be pierced by branches from the dam if the hunter is carried towards it by the current. You can also put the rest of your equipment in the iron one and attach a lantern to the side.

Although an inflatable boat has its advantages:

• it is light;
• silent when moving through water;
• You can bring it with you in the trunk of your car.

Rules for hunting with a gun

While waiting for prey to appear, you need to sit quietly, without making any extraneous sounds. Under your feet, you need to clear the soil of broken dry twigs that produce cracking noises, and remove dry rustling leaves. As soon as the rodent is within shooting range, you must slowly remove the gun, take aim and fire.

There is one peculiarity of this animal - when a serious danger is detected, they huddle in a hut, where they can sit for seven days until they are completely sure that the threat has passed.

Preparation

Actually, proper preparation for hunting is already 50% of success. Therefore, clothing should be warm and waterproof, not brightly colored and not make clanking sounds. Waterproof shoes are required.

Prey always appears unexpectedly, although the hunter spends a long time waiting for the animal. The gun must be ready to fire at any moment.

It is good to cover your face with a mosquito net. This will hide the white oval of the face at dusk and save you from midges.

Tactics

The best moment to hit an animal is when it just comes ashore from the water. You need to hit it with one shot, because an animal, even a seriously wounded one, can go under water and there it will either get to its hut and be able to survive, or survive under water. But, dying under water, it no longer floats up, and the trophy will be lost forever.

Safety precautions

First of all, you need to beware of a wounded animal, since, in defending itself, it can use its sharp teeth and seriously injure the hunter.

You also need to follow the general rules of hunting:

1. Don't shoot at the bushes.
2. Shoot only at an animal that is clearly visible and within shooting range.
3. Do not kill pregnant females and cubs.
4. Transport weapons unloaded and disassembled into parts.

Types of spring and autumn hunting

To catch this cunning and large rodent, the hunter must have the following skills:

• resourcefulness;
• attention;
• dexterity;
• the ability to imitate the sounds of a beaver, luring it closer to you;
• respect for nature.

To start beaver hunting in the fall, you must have not only a gun and other equipment, but also a special permit so that the hunter is not mistaken for a poacher.

In the evening from ambush

If you find a hut, you need to make a stand nearby on a hill. Why on a hill? Because this rodent has no enemies attacking it from above, and it almost never looks up.

When going hunting, you should not use cologne or other fragrances, and you should not smoke in ambush, since the animal has an excellent sense of smell. As soon as you see the prey, you need to fire a shot. The optimal distance is 11 m.

From the approach

This type of beaver hunt in the spring takes place at dawn, when the whole family returns after a hearty dinner. You need to shoot as soon as the male appears on the shore. Because on land these animals move very slowly.

From the boat

If you have a boat and want to hunt from it, this will require a lot of patience. When approaching dams and huts, the boat's engine should be turned off and the boat should glide silently through the water.

This method is used when they go hunting at night, and the presence of two people will be necessary. One will shine a powerful headlight, and the other will have to fire an accurate shot.

During a hunt, you need to communicate using signs, without uttering a word.

Features of winter hunting

This type of hunting has its own characteristics:

1. Rodents sit in burrows and rarely leave them, as accumulated fat allows them to survive the cold.
2. In February, when severe frosts set in, beavers begin to come out even during the day.

Since in winter you may not notice beaver lodges covered with snow, you need to look for them in advance, while the snow cover is not yet too abundant.

How to cut a carcass

The rodent has very tasty meat that can be prepared in any way. Hunters say that fried beaver meat tastes like elk meat. It is believed that beaver tail has a special taste.

To properly remove a beaver skin, you need to have a sharp knife with you:

1. Remove the skin in a layer in a circle, cutting off the legs around. To do this, the animal is placed on its back and an incision is made with a sharp knife under its hind legs.
2. Next, an incision is made along the light line on the rodent's tail, connecting it with the transverse lower incision.
3. Then the skin is pulled back and its removal from the carcass begins.
4. It is important not to take in a lot of fat and do everything slowly.

Hunting a beaver is quite an exciting pastime, and even though the hunter will be left without a trophy, a walk along the river bank and the excitement of the hunt itself will not be forgotten for a long time.

Video

You will find out from our video.