You can hunt a beaver with 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 catch beavers by surprise. These are very cautious animals. They settle in families, the number of individuals in which can reach 10. The territory of the beaver settlement can stretch along the coast of a natural reservoir for at least a kilometer. The trees and shrubs surrounding their dwelling are used to build a platinum.

Beavers build their huts with access to the water. This protects them from predator attacks. Under water, they can stay without floating to the surface 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 animal's body can grow up to 120 cm in length, and they gain weight up to 35 kg.

Where to look for a beaver?

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

Looking for a reservoir for themselves, animals choose for their life those shores that are covered with aspen, alder, birch or willow. When looking for a beaver's hut, hunters pay attention to tree trunks with characteristic traces of animal incisors. They must 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 elsewhere.

The location of animal huts is also determined by the branches that can float on the surface of the reservoir, as well as by the traces of animals on the shore. A sign of their presence may be trodden paths covered with silt and manholes. Experienced hunters know perfectly well what time of day the beaver leaves his hut.

The rodent is nocturnal, so you can only find it after sunset.. Juveniles are the first to emerge from burrows. More cautious adult animals leave their hut some time later. If, during a sortie, they hear a rustle or crackle of branches, they will immediately hide in a hole and can sit there for more than a week.

Hunting with a gun

Beaver hunting firearms are selected according to the weight of a person. It should be 20 times lighter than a hunter. It can be an 18 gauge shotgun or a carbine. Any hunter knows perfectly well how to hunt a beaver. A shot in the form of a shot can ruin the skin of a beaver, 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 let a person get very close to them. You need to try to hit them with the first shot. Unlike a trap, in which it is not known who will fall into it and when, a hunter with a gun can independently choose the specimen he likes to defeat.

When hunting a rodent with a gun, a person should approach him from the leeward side. An ambush is arranged on the opposite bank of the beaver huts. It is not necessary for her to build a hut or any other shelter. Hunters hide behind trees and bushes. They arrive at the place in the evening.

In autumn, a lot of dry leaves and branches accumulate on the ground, which can rustle and crackle. Therefore, the sitting 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 in its composition are such things as:

• gun. It must be well shot;
• waterproof clothing and a boat;
• loot bag;
• car headlight for lighting with battery.

You can replace the battery and headlight with a flashlight with high power. It is better to wear boots made of urethane foam with thermal inserts on your feet. Experienced hunters recommend that beginners go to the beaver 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 to hunt beavers. The weapon that can be used to hit an animal in the eye from 50 meters is considered optimal.

Before hunting, any gun is sighted. To check the penetration 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 in the morning. While waiting for the beaver in the ambush, the hunter may encounter a muskrat. You can't shoot at her. Having heard the shot, the beaver will not leave its hole for very long. 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 hitting, you must immediately rush to the prey and be ready to finish off the beast.

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

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

Autumn beaver trapping

You can replace a hunting rifle with a trap or a trap. Their mechanism must not be defective. A failure in the operation of the trap leads to the injury of the animal, but not to its capture. Before setting a trap or trap, you must carefully select a place for them. The following conditions must be met:

• the place should have signs of the frequent presence of the animal;
• at the installation site of traps and traps, nothing should interfere with their operation.

As a rule, beaver dams, their rookeries, shallow canals, as well as animal trails are chosen as places for installing means of catching animals. Dams are the most frequently visited place for animals. For the hunter, they are the most accessible and convenient for setting traps. Beavers visit dams more often than other places.

Animal trails rodents pave to their feeding areas. Autumn is the peak season for stockpiles. 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 a compressive principle of action. Such traps are often called plate traps. They are powerful enough. For beaver hunting, traps No. 5 and No. 7 are used. In one beaver settlement, no more than 1 trap is set. A beaver with excellent hearing, hearing the sound of a triggered trap, will understand that it is being hunted. It is unlikely that any of the animals will fall into the second trap, therefore, after a successful hunt, it is repeated no earlier than a week later.

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

Traps KP-250 are considered more reliable. Their principle of operation is the same as that of a mousetrap. 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 instructive death. The effectiveness of traps KP-250 is estimated at 100%.

The best option for setting traps is the entrance to the huts and channels leading to the animal feed bases. The main feature of how to hunt a beaver with a trap is the careful preparation of the place. Beginners of this type of hunting are not recommended to set traps on their own.

It is better to look for a habitat for beavers without a dog. The smell of a dog can cause the animals to be very careful or change their habitat.

To catch a beaver in the 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 placing them on flat ground and fixing on it.

Features of autumn hunting

In autumn, beavers prepare their forage 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 hunting. It greatly complicates the installation of traps. Setting traps in the rain is quite difficult. It is no less unpleasant to watch the beast at their huts in the downpour. Traps set on beavers in autumn must be fixed to the ground. Otherwise, the animals will throw them off.

Hunting license

The existing procedure for hunting beavers in the Russian Federation involves obtaining a special license. It can be of two types. Legal entities issue a one-time administrative 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 on the basis of an application, a passport, a hunting license and a receipt confirming the payment of the state fee. The document contains information about the owner of the license and its validity period. It also contains information about the age of the animal allowed for fishing. Issuance of licenses begins in early October. Until that time, you can only explore the habitats of beavers and determine their numbers.

The beaver, and now remains a desirable prey for many hunters, thanks to its fur, tasty meat and beaver stream. They hunt him in different ways, both with a gun and with various traps. The disadvantage of the latter is that far from everywhere and not all types of traps are allowed to hunt. In addition, in an animal that has fallen into a trap or noose, as a result of the struggle for life and subsequent rigor mortis cold water the meat, often the skin, deteriorates, the valuable secret of his glands disappears. All this helps to avoid a well-aimed shot from a gun. With such a hunt, the animal does not suffer and does not lose its primary qualities. In addition, the hunter can choose which particular animal he wants to get, and not shoot the young.

Timing

The beaver hunting season starts on the first of October. By this time, he is gaining the desired weight and is already preparing for wintering at full speed. During this period, the animals are still actively moving around the reservoir, feeding and stocking up 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.

Training

Preparation for hunting a beaver should take into account the peculiarities of the place of hunting, the time of hunting, the characteristics of the behavior and sensitivity of the animal. Beaver doesn't have much good vision but excellent sense of smell and hearing. Before the start of the hunting season, it is advisable to go on reconnaissance, decide on a hunting place, study the terrain and the habits of animals, their places of landfall. It is advisable to decide in advance on the ambush site 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 get the carcass of the animal out of the water, you need to take care of waterproof shoes. For hunting at dusk, you will need a flashlight, preferably an underbarrel, so that it does not take up your hands. Clothing should be chosen soft, not rustling, warm enough. You should not smell sharply from you, the beaver smells great.

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 a beaver from a distance at which it can be quickly removed from the water, or prevent it from rolling into the water if it is on the shore. As a rule, this distance is not more than 20 meters. Although they say that a beaver is strong on a wound, it is far from a wild boar, so you can shoot a beaver from twenty meters from any gun.

Shooting is most often carried out at an animal in the water, so in case of a 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 the stunned beast without letting it dive, if the first shot was not to knock down.

It can also be added that various triple-barreled, pump-action and semi-automatic carbines are usually heavier than a conventional double-barreled shotgun, which creates inconvenience during a long stay in an ambush, in full readiness. Another thing is optics, especially enlightened ones. Even at short distances, three or four times the scope, especially at dusk, will be of great 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 a fraction of 3 - 5 numbers. This is due to the fact that it was obtained along the way, when hunting duck and other water birds, and often illegally, out of season. But in fact, such a fraction does not work well for a beaver, leaving a lot of wounded animals, which, of course, no one will talk much about. Yes, at close range, this beast can be beaten with anything you want, as they say: “you can also plug it with a pitchfork.” But, for example, after a successful shot number 5, you will have to disassemble the carcass for a long time in order to extract it all.

Consider another question - buckshot or bullet. The bullet, of course, has higher striking properties, and any one. But at such distances, when shooting at the head of a swimming animal, shooting with buckshot will be more practical. It smooths out aiming flaws, creating a large area of ​​​​destruction. 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 shots or buckshot you shoot, but the larger the caliber, the more shots / shots will be in one cartridge. That's why:

12 gauge. It is better to use for shooting with buckshot or large shot. The buckshot of 5.6 and 8 mm showed itself well. It's the right size for a fatal hit, and there's plenty of it for one round. Linked or coordinated buckshot works even better. If you need to shoot a bullet at long distances, then the Trio bullet, consisting of three connected balls, showed itself well. But in principle, a hit with any bullet of this caliber will be lethal. Another question is that a bullet or a very large buckshot spoil the skin of a beaver, leaving gaps on it, which is not the case with small buckshot and shot;

16 gauge. It can also be used both with buckshot and with 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

Studying the place of hunting in advance, it is necessary to find out in advance the place of the beaver's exit from their hut or hole and the place of its exit to the shore. Focusing on them and have an ambush.

Exit to the place:

The beaver has very good hearing, including underwater, and has a subtle sense of smell. You need to approach the ambush site very carefully, because the water transmits vibration well and loud footsteps on the shore will be perfectly audible and alert the beast. 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, causing the wind to twist and change its direction. The wind there blows far from the same as everywhere, 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 already determined on the spot and become 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 not perceive you if you do not stand out in movement and clothing. Therefore, you need to move in an ambush very smoothly. The same goes for sounds. The splash of water or the crunch of a branch, due to lice awkwardness, the beaver will be alerted, but not frightened, if after that your curses are not heard.

Shooting.

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

Beaver slaughter places

The carcass of a beaver does not sink by itself, often, even if a lung is pierced. But if, as a result of an unsuccessful shot, the animal dived and caught or hid under water, it will be more difficult to get it. But dead beavers still usually surface after a while, 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 area of ​​​​the chest and shoulder blades. They shoot 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 deteriorate, and secondly, it can be carried away in a night to no one knows where even by the weakest current.

Since the beaver is nocturnal, it is very common to shoot him at dusk and in the dark. If you hunt alone, it is better to mount the flashlight on a gun, and if you are hunting with a partner, then you can use a headlight with a car battery.

A sudden flash of light may frighten a beaver, but if the lantern shines all the time, it will be perceived as something akin to the moon. Therefore, smoothly bringing a beam of light to a floating animal, you will get every chance for a successful shot. After the first shot, you can add light from other available sources, this will help not to lose prey.

Beaver hunting video

We met with Yuri Nikishkin at the office of the Berezovskaya Regional Regional Public Organization of the RGOO "BOOR", he specially came to talk with a journalist from "Wild Nature" when I was visiting the regional organizational structure. This meeting would not have taken place without the mediation of Alexander Lisenkov, director of the Berezovskaya Regional Department of the Russian State Public Organization "BOOR", for which many thanks to him.

Let's introduce our today's hero in more detail. Such people are called naturalists. A naturalist is an amateur zoologist, without an academic education, but with a great love for nature, with keen observation and a tendency to systematize and record the material obtained. Notes, drawings, observations, and in recent times and video filming - and it's all about the beaver! Yuri was introduced to me as a person who knows everything (or almost everything) about the beaver and hunting for it.

What does Yuri do when he is not hunting? He is the director of a car service, although this has nothing to do with our topic.

I also came to Bereza to hunt beaver, but I’ll say right away that during my only evening raid on the grounds, I didn’t even manage to see the beast - only traces of its violent activity and farewell circles on the water.

We talked with Yuri for quite a long time, and, of course, I asked him why the "light wedge" converged precisely on the beaver. To which he replied: “This hunt seems to be specially designed for a busy person. It requires minimal preparation and takes literally one and a half to two evening hours. And it takes place in long-explored places. For a city dweller wrapped up at work, this is just what you need. In addition, this is a very gambling activity and literally a bottomless source for observations, photos and videos.”

Yuriy hunts both with the help of traps and with a gun. When he sent me on a hunt, he gave me some tips for beaver hunting with guns. And then he told about the hunting of the beast with the help of traps, about the preparation of beaver meat and about the beaver stream. The information for those who hunt or are going to “hunt” this animal is very interesting. However, judge for yourself.

With a gun

Do not be noisy! This is the main advice. The main mistake of those who go hunting for beavers is to make their way to the sitting place along the shore of a reservoir, most often an reclamation canal. Remember that the banks of the canal are pitted with beaver holes, and, making your way along the shore, you literally walk "over the heads" of animals. Having heard you still underground, they will never appear on the surface.

You need to approach the place of the sit-in not parallel, but perpendicular to the shore - directly to the ambush, as quietly as possible and immediately sit down in a pre-prepared disguised place. It is better to spend an extra 10 minutes and approach the hunting place very carefully than to “make some noise” and force the animal to hide in a hole for the next three hours.

- I served in the Urals, and hunters from the Khanty people showed me a very good way to approach a cautious beast, if there is no other way not to make noise, - says Yuri. - Everything is extremely simple. You go together, not hiding at all - be sure, the beast hears you, but does not see you, - pass by the reservoir, while one hunter remains in ambush, and the other still, slowly, leaves. The beast has the complete impression that a person came, trampled and left.

The wind, if it exists, must necessarily blow from the beast to you, it is worse if it blows along the reservoir, and by no means should the wind blow from you to the beast - in this case, hunting will not work, the beaver has excellent sense of smell and hearing. And more about the weather - if it's raining, even if it's light, drizzling, don't expect a beaver. It's not that he's afraid of the rain. It's just that the beast does not come out because of the noise of the rain, which limits its acute hearing, and because of the falling drops, which interfere with the spread of odors.

Remember that the hunting time is sunset, so you need to choose a sit-in place in advance so that you sit facing west. In the light of the sunset, which is also reflected from the water, the beast is easy to spot, and the rear sight and front sight of the gun are visible very well.

You have to shoot, as a rule, at a floating animal. The shorter the shot distance, the better. It is useless to shoot at a swimming animal from 25 meters.

The ideal option is to shoot a beaver that has made landfall, but such luck is rare. To attract a beaver to land, they use a scented bait based on a jet. How to do this, read below.

The rules allow shooting at a beaver only with a bullet and buckshot with a diameter of at least 6.2 mm. It is best to aim at the head of the beast, and from a minimum distance. If you sit quietly in the ambush, then the beaver can be allowed up to 8 meters.

But sometimes a beaten beast drowns. To search for it and extract it from the reclamation canal, Yuri uses a simple device - a telescopic rod with the upper knee removed and the largest fishing hook, the “tee”, fixed on the remaining part. With the help of such a device, it is easy to find and extract a captured beaver if the hunt takes place in the reclamation canal.

With traps

The animal is caught in traps to keep its skin. But, unfortunately, beaver skins are not listed in our country today. And this is despite the fact that beaver breeding on fur farms is problematic. In Canada, for example, a hunter, having handed over a beaver skin to a state procurement office, receives $ 30 in his hands: not God knows what, but gasoline, ammunition and traps “beat off” such prices. Yuri told me this too - as I wrote above: he knows everything about beavers.

A few words about the modernization of traps. It is best to tie the installed trap not with a cable, as is most often done, but with a thin chain. The chain is very compact, it can literally be assembled in a handful, and therefore traps equipped with chains are much easier to transport, carry and install than those equipped with cables.

The best places to set plate traps

It is best to install plate traps on a beaver in the following places:

1. At the crossings over the beaver dam. In these places, a beaver trail is sometimes clearly visible, and sometimes less noticeable. In addition, crossings are often arranged by beavers in the narrowest places of the dam. One way or another, the place of transition can always be found with careful consideration. The location of the trap is chosen not on the trail.
2. Good way setting a trap - with the help of partial destruction of the dam. However, “destruction” is a strong word. It is necessary to disassemble the dam a little from above in order to arrange a small leak - a stream. Such a leak induces beavers to vigorous activity to eliminate it. In this case, the trap is not set in the stream itself, but nearby. When installed on the leak itself, there is a high probability that it will become clogged with rubbish brought by the current, or with those branches that the animals will bring to repair the dam.
3. An excellent place to set the trap is on the feed table. Beavers are neat, "solid" animals that prefer an orderly life. Therefore, they eat in the same places, which for some reason seem convenient to them. They are called "feed tables". Usually they are easy to identify by gnawed branches and the entrance path.
4. If you are hunting on an reclamation canal, then an excellent place to set a trap is at the point of its narrowing. Such an installation provides a high probability of an animal getting into it and depriving it of the opportunity to drown.
5. A good place to set up a trap is on the exit trail, the place that beavers use to enter a canal or lake and exit the water. There can be a couple of dozen such trails, you won’t get enough traps. How to induce the beast to go exactly to the “charged” path? The smell bait will help us with this. It is made on the basis of a beaver stream. More on this below.

–Traps set on Friday I check on Sunday; if I’m not sure that I can check them on Sunday, then I don’t put out traps- says Yuri.

A beaver caught even by the paw and in a place where it is impossible to drown, unable to move and hide in a hole, dies quite quickly from the cold, so you need to check the traps in a day, a maximum of two after they are installed.

If the trap is set in water - and in most cases this is how it happens - they put it shallow, five centimeters, no more, but no less!

Castoreum

The beaver stream is a pair of beaver musk glands located at the base of the tail. This substance is called differently: castroleum, beaver musk, beaver stream, beaver stream. This material, produced by the secretory glands of the beaver, is characterized by a brownish color and a strong musky odor. The jet has long been used by people in official and traditional medicine.

Based on his experience, Yuri advises the following. Immediately after the extraction of the beast, we separate the jet from the carcass. If you want the meat to remain of high quality, then we forget about all the tips for separating the jet that are described in the books. We do it as follows: with the left hand we grab the skin under the tail of the beast along with the testicles and the easily palpable paired gland - the actual jet. With a sharp knife we ​​cut off all this together with the skin. Further cut off part along with the knife with which you did all this, set aside. Take another knife and we are already skinning them and gutting the carcass. If you use the same knife with which you cut off the gland, then the beaver meat will indeed have an unpleasant odor.

But what about the skin, you ask? Yes, there will be a small, not fundamental flaw, but our goal is to preserve the meat.

The jet is removed from the cut off part and dried, preferably on fresh air And definitely in the shade. You can not protect it from flies, they do not sit on it. Any manipulations with the jet are not made in the apartment, and even preferably not on the balcony.

O useful properties jet, we will not spread much. We only recall that its main effect on the body is immunostimulating. We warn those who buy jet infusion for big money: it's not viagra, whose properties the jet does not have.

A properly dried stream is very hard. Even with a knife it is difficult to cut it, but it is perfectly cut with metal scissors or garden pruners.

Above, we wrote about the scent bait, in which the tincture of the jet is used. To prepare it, we pour one half of the steam gland into a half-liter bottle (hunters say “one egg”) and fill it with ethyl alcohol with a strength of at least 50 and not more than 70 percent. Pervach vodka with 56% alcohol content is excellent for these purposes.

The finished tincture has the color of strongly brewed tea, and when you look at the bottle in the light, it gives off a cherry tint. This tincture, in addition to medical use, is also used as a scent bait.

Using scent bait

Let's go back to the moment when we need to ensure that the beaver goes exactly on the path where we set the trap, and not on any other. This is done simply - on the path, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe samolov installation, a few spoons of the jet tincture are sprayed. You can also use the “thickness”, which will remain with us after we filter the finished tincture. It is useful to add a spoonful of tincture to the water if it happens in the lake.

Smell bait is also used in rifle hunting, when you need to lure a beaver ashore. Usually they do this when they hunt on lakes, in this case, shooting an animal on the water is fraught with the fact that the carcass will simply drown.

- When you apply the bait, you can see - says Yuri , - like a beaver floating serenely on the water suddenly seems to stumble upon an invisible wall, stops, raises its head, and then hurries to the shore to find out what kind of impudent man has come to his land.

The point is that the beaver – This is a strictly territorial beast. The beaver family occupies a certain water area of ​​the reservoir and the adjacent part of the coast, and no other beaver is allowed to appear here. Violation of this border - according to the "beaver laws", a challenge on the verge of a crime. And people use it to their advantage.

Meat

Beaver meat is the product that you need to be able to get, save and cook. We have already described the methods of extraction and partly preservation. But let's take a closer look at the nuances.

There is an opinion that beaver liver is inedible due to bitterness. Bitterness may indeed be present, but only if the liver, along with gallbladder broken by a shot if the carcass has lain in the water for a long time and has begun to deteriorate, or if the carcass has been handled indelicately. A captured beaver may not be thrown into the trunk or on the ground. Handle the carcass with care - and get a delicious liver and meat of acceptable quality.

If the liver is a delicacy, then the meat must be able to cook. So, the recipe for cooking beaver meat from Yuri Nikishkin:

Beaver cutlets

Ingredients: 1 kg of beaver meat, separated from the bones; 0.5 kg of onions; 0.5 kg of lard, salt, garlic, ground black pepper and other spices to taste.

Cut the meat into pieces and soak for a day in water with a little vinegar. Then pass it through a meat grinder with a large grate. Add finely chopped onion and lard to the minced meat. Then add salt, garlic and spices.

From the minced meat, form medium-sized cutlets and fry them well in a pan on both sides. Then put the cutlets in a saucepan, pour tomato paste diluted in water to the consistency of tomato juice, and simmer over low heat until tender.

The beaver is a member of the rodent order. The body length of a beaver reaches 75-120 cm, in the largest representatives - up to 130 cm. The usual body weight is 16-18 kg. There are specimens weighing up to 30 kg. The weight and size of beavers depends on the area where they live, the conditions of their nutrition and existence. Males and females do not differ much in size and weight.
The beaver has a cylindrical body shape and streamlined contours, which is the most convenient for moving in the water. The beaver swims and dives superbly.
The fur of this animal is very hard. The color is dark brown. Tail ( salient feature beaver) is devoid of hair, flattened in a horizontal direction and covered with peculiar scales (they have nothing to do with fish scales). His ears are very small. The eyes are also small. Despite the latter circumstance, the vision of beavers is quite sharp.
A few words about habitats. In Russia, beavers are common in almost all large rivers, as well as rivers and streams. They live mostly in stagnant or slowly flowing water bodies. As already mentioned, the strength of the rodent is not enough to overcome the fast current.
This is one of the factors that determines the construction of dams by beavers. This barrier allows you to make an excellent stagnant pond out of a fast river.
Beavers lead an active crepuscular or nocturnal lifestyle.
Beavers are monogamous: a couple is created for life, but they most often live in family groups.
Beavers have two types of dwellings: . A burrow is dug in a steep river bank. This dwelling is easier to build, and besides, which river does not have a steep bank. However, if this does happen, animals build a complex technical structure -. This is a whole engineering structure, although outwardly it resembles a pile of branches brought by a flood. The hut is built from tree branches and soil. The most massive branches are laid at the base in such a way as to withstand the weight of one or more animals inside. Further on, above this raft, which, although it has a foundation in the form of creases of reeds, reeds or cattails, is for the most part floating, a roof is being built. Thus, a living chamber is obtained, in which the animal hides. There are usually several passages leading to this chamber. As mentioned above, they are all under water.
The main food of beavers in summer is the green parts of plants, the bark of young trees and other plant foods. In winter, when the green parts of plants die off, beavers feed on the bark of stored tree branches. Favorite trees of beavers: white poplars, aspens and willows.
Beaver teeth, like other rodents, grow throughout their lives. Despite their strength, they wear down during operation. In addition, they are constantly sharpened.

Castoreum

It is worth telling a little more about this organ, since the whole tragic history of the beaver tribe is connected not only with the indefatigable prey of this animal because of the most valuable fur, but also with no less, and sometimes many times more expensive part of the beaver's body - the beaver stream.
The beaver stream is a pair of pear-shaped sacs that have long been considered the musky glands of the beaver. Studies have shown that these organs do not have a glandular structure, but are strongly wrinkled connective tissue formations of epithelial origin. The physiological function of the beaver stream is not fully understood. It is known, however, that it is involved in calcium metabolism.
Urine that enters these sacs is fermented and used later to mark the territory. The beaver stream is present in both males and females, and although chemical composition it differs slightly, it is possible that it is associated with sexual activity (tagging to attract individuals of the opposite sex, mutual sniffing of males and females). There is some difference in properties: for example, when drying, the contents of the sacs of females lose weight from 5 to 15%, and in adult males - up to 30%.
The weight of the beaver stream of an adult animal is 170-200 g, in young beavers it is less. There is no significant difference between males and females in terms of pouch weight. The beaver stream of Canadian beavers is smaller in weight and differs in composition compared to European beavers. In the Middle Ages, the Russian, or Siberian, beaver stream was especially valued by healers.
The chemical composition and properties of the jet are quite complex and insufficiently studied. It is known that the contents of the stream are dissolved and extracted in alcohol and ether. It is poorly soluble in water, it does not dissolve in acetone and gasoline. The composition of the contents of the beaver stream includes essential oils, giving a characteristic smell of soaked willow bark, resinous substances, castorine, cholesterol, ammonium carbonate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, phenol and other substances.
In medicine, the beaver stream has been used since ancient times. For a long time, it was considered almost a panacea for all diseases. It is mentioned in their works by Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna, Marius and others. The beaver stream was especially valued in the East. In medieval medical books, castorium (the main active principle of the beaver stream) was recommended for use in gynecological diseases, amenorrhea, and especially in various nervous diseases as an anticonvulsant and sedative.
Some northern peoples practically did not use beaver skins, but they had a beaver stream at a great price, which they used in various rituals and religious worship.

Slavic peoples also used the beaver stream to treat throat diseases, chest diseases, etc. Unfortunately, many recipes traditional medicine lost. It is known that the contents of the bags contribute to the rapid healing of wounds, and a solution in alcohol cures abscesses and boils in a few days. The bactericidal properties of the jet are also evidenced by the fact that the bags of the beaver jet themselves can be stored for years without undergoing any changes, without being affected by decay bacteria, mold fungi and even mites.
At present and modern medicine does not deny medicinal properties beaver stream. Salicylic acid, which is the basis of many modern preparations, was originally isolated from willow bark, and, as we know, it is the main component of beaver nutrition. But due to the high cost of preparations from natural beaver stream and possible counterfeiting on the black market, it is still more reliable to use industrial medicines.
At present, the beaver stream has a wider application in the perfume industry as a fixative of the smells of the most expensive perfumes and gives them a peculiar "animal" smell. Started in 1963, the organized beaver fishing then back in the USSR made it possible to abandon the import of the beaver stream and provided the domestic perfume industry with its own raw materials.

Beaver hunting with a trap

One of the most lucrative ways to hunt a beaver is to hunt a beaver with traps. Many hunters are wondering how to catch a beaver?

When to catch a beaver with a trap?

The beaver hunting season in Russia is set from October 1 to February 28. Although each region may differ. The best time for beaver hunting is autumn before freezing on the paths laid by beavers on the shore. In winter, it is better to catch beavers with traps on warm days; in frosts, beavers are not active. A very catchy time for beaver hunting is in February during thaws, when a polynya appears near the shore or near the beaver dam.

What trap to put on a beaver?

To catch a beaver with a trap, the heaviest and most powerful traps No. 5, 6, 7 are required, because beavers are very strong animals. If the trap is placed under water, you need to use a frame trap with a net.

How to set a trap for a beaver?

A trap that is placed on land must be treated by removing any smell from it; if the trap is new, grease is removed from it; if the trap has already been used, rust is removed from it. You can wipe the trap with needles. If the trap is set in water, then this is not necessary.

The trap must be tied with a chain or cable to a log that can be placed on the ice or on the shore.

In order to better mask a trap set in water, shake the water around it, after the silt and sand have settled on it, it will be reliably masked.

Where to put a trap for a beaver?

Traps for beavers are placed in places that are most often visited by them.

As a rule, this is:

• the place where beavers come out of the water onto land, to the place of feeding
• path made by beavers from one body of water to another
• at a specially made scour in the dam, which the beavers will definitely come to repair
• at stumps, snags, bumps, on which beavers put their odorous marks to mark their territory

A beaver caught in a trap on the shore usually behaves calmly, but it is still advisable to set the trap so that the beaver that has been caught can remain in the water.

Beaver hunting with a gun

There are two main methods of hunting beaver with a gun, ambush at dusk or at night on the shore and hunting beaver at night from a boat.

Ambush on a beaver

You need to approach the ambush site long before dark, while the beavers are inactive, and you should always approach the reservoir and ambush from the side of the windward shore. No smell should come from the hunter, otherwise a small breath of breeze is enough - and the beast will be alert, begin to sniff and detect your presence.

How to choose a place to hunt beaver with a gun?

It may be near the surface of the water or be somewhat elevated above it. The first turns out to be quite advantageous if you shoot at animals located on the shore, the second - if the intended victim is in the water. Sometimes it can be useful on such a hunt, with the help of it it is convenient to observe beavers that are at a considerable distance from the hunter.

Although the beaver is a crepuscular animal, if disturbed frequently, it may well become purely nocturnal. In such a situation, you will have to use a flashlight.

Beaver hunting with a gun from a boat

This method of hunting consists in the fact that the hunter silently sails on a boat along a river or channel and shoots beavers. So, from the equipment you need a boat, a gun, a car headlight and a battery. It is better to hunt in this way together: one directs the headlight at the animal, the other shoots. The most important thing when hunting in this way is absolute silence and stillness.
In floating animals better at night do not shoot. This is just extra noise, in most cases not bringing trophies, but frightening the beavers living downstream. Collection of trophies is best done in the morning or during the secondary passage along the channel.

Beaver hunting rifle

Any gun can be used to hunt beavers. It is best to shoot at a beaver with a bullet. The usual distance of a shot on such a hunt is 25-30 meters.

V.Sugrobov

How to fool a beaver

The habitat of beavers is distinguished not only by fallen trees, but also by the marks of the beavers themselves, who believe that they are the only sovereign owners here. These marks are a kind of way of communication between members of their family and a way of transmitting information to other animals.

All protruding objects are marked. For beavers, their marks are so familiar and natural that even the same traps and traps that smell like a beaver stream do not cause fear among beavers, and each beaver considers it his duty to visit the “mail box” and leave his new message there. The beaver marks objects not only with urine, but also with fatty (anal, sebaceous) glands. Beaver urine, getting into the musky sacs, acquires a different smell, but remains the same liquid as before.

Hunters call it liquid beaver musk. Beavers excrete it constantly, but more actively in spring and autumn. One beaver releases up to 20 cm of such liquid per day.

Those glands that secrete musk are called "beaver stream" and are paired pear-shaped sacs. They are located under the skin at the base of the tail, from below. The size of the pouches in an adult beaver is 95 mm long and 63 mm wide. They are filled with a yellowish-green substance with a strong odor, somewhat reminiscent of phenol. This smell is formed due to stagnant urine and rejected cells of the mucous membrane of the sacs. This substance contains about 40 components. Both males and females have such pouches, only the latter have a smaller size. They are absent in young individuals. The weight of such bags in an adult is up to 260 g.

So this beaver jet can be used to lure beavers to traps. The smell of the jet is not lost even in dead beavers who have fallen from old age. When butchering such a corpse, care should be taken not to get hurt, and the paired sacs do not need to be divided among themselves. The bait is prepared as follows. Dry the bags in the room, hanging them with loose "holes" up. Removed after four months. By this time, they dry out and become hard and dark. You can leave the bags outside for the whole autumn and winter - for six months. The result is the same. The pouches turn to stone. Before cooking, this bait is ground on a grater or something else, 250 g of vodka is poured and insisted for more than a day. You can also mix the crushed bait with pharmacy vaseline or boric vaseline. One bag is mixed with 250 g of vaseline. This bait is enough for several hunting seasons and it retains its quality. If the bait is mixed 1:1 with the secretions of the fatty glands, then its effectiveness (smell strength) increases by about 15%.

On the climbs

The family of beavers lives on their plot, the area of ​​​​which is about a square kilometer. They live and live, they fell trees, muddy the water and crawl out onto the shore. The places where the beaver comes ashore are called outcrops. Near such a climb there are clean areas, free from grass, from trees, where the beaver cleans up, scratches, preens, or even just rests, thinking about its difficult fate.

A beaver on such a platform of soil or mud with its front paws rakes a small earthen tubercle, no more than 7 cm high, and rubs against it with its fifth point, emitting a stream. He can leave the same stream on a clod of grass. Marked tubercles are more common along the outskirts of the family plot and sometimes near the dwelling itself. Marks are updated daily by adults, and especially by males.

The hunter's task is to find such a hillock marked by a beaver and set a trap 15-20 cm from it. You can use your bait, a few drops, for the hunter himself to mark a bark or an aspen branch in a place convenient for him. A trap is placed at a distance of 15-20 cm from the bait. You can use another method. An aspen twig is dipped at one end into a jar of bait, stuck in a shallow place into the bottom so that the smeared tip sticks out above the water.

A trap is set under the stick, and the leash from the trap is fixed on a nearby growing bush. Basically, males come across such baits. Near the huts, the percentage of females caught increases. The beaver family is very familiar with their scents. They are interested in them, but not in the same way as the smells of other beavers from another family. The marks of other beavers are more interesting and attractive for this family. In order to “create” a mark of an alien beaver, hunters add a few drops of cognac to the already existing bait. The smell changes - beavers are more willing to take a new bait.

The last word on beavers

That, probably, is all that I managed to find out about beavers. Not so much, but not so little either. The most important thing seems to be captured! It remains to say a few words about the beaver skin. She is very strong and thick. It is difficult to shoot, and if you succeed with a “pipe”, then you are honored and praised! It is much easier and more convenient to remove the layer ("carpet")! But when butchering, a large layer of fat always remains on it, which in itself creates some difficulties for preparing the skin for a hat. The beaver stream has qualities that are widely used in folk medicine. The stream is diluted with water, and it can be used both internally and externally. Helps with cardiovascular diseases, with sexual disorders, nervous ailments.

It can be used for skin suppuration, against infections in wounds, injuries. A beaver stream used to cost several times more than a beaver skin. As for the meat, it is even tastier than beef. I think that a good hunter, and especially one who reads what I wrote, will definitely try such meat!

Sultry and daring harlots