and then never showed up, so far what you missed is: 19 Muskrat, 7 Beaver and an Otter. No telling how many mink you lost out on too. I just harvested the 7th beaver out of the pond behind the house with my .17 caliber Savage. Eventually, the pond will return to its normal level.
Maybe "harvest" isn't the right term. How about I just relieved the 7th beaver so far this year of his ability to suck air and block the outflow tube. Legally, I cannot and will not do anything with the furs.
At least you're getting rid of them! The beaver fam that moved into my inlaws 14 acre pond had the trickle pipe so stuffed with mud and sticks that it wouldn't drain and they had to hire a large track hoe to come in and completely tear out the old pipe and place a new one last fall ($$$). A lotta of 3" buckshot fed to beavers and conabear traps later they have all been "relieved" from duty and the pond is better than ever. They are such a destructive creature when left to their own devices.
I typically fish with my 12 ga now just in case one shows up. They are rampant in our creek, but we have a good trapper in the family who keeps them thinned out. Good luck staying on em' kill every last one haha!
I really enjoy the savage. I usually have either it or my .22 with hollow points with me fishing in case critters decide to swim by. Although my average shots on the beavers have been between 150 and 200 yards.
