- 1). Contact your state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) office or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) office to see if you need a permit to trap beaver or if you must wait until a designated season to do so. Some states require a license and trapping season; in others, you can trap year-round. A comprehensive list of USFWS and DNR offices can be found online (see Resources).
- 2). Set up a live beaver trap to catch the beaver. Place the open trap near the entrance of the beaver's nest, approximately 10 or 12 inches deep in water. Place a few willow or poplar branches inside the trap to attract the beaver into the trap. Willow or poplar branches are excellent for building beaver homes, and thus most beavers will venture into the trap in hopes of getting the branches. When the beaver enters the trap, it will trip of the trigger, and the trap will close behind it. Check the trap everyday to see if a beaver is inside. When you find one, drive it to another wooded location that is at least 10 miles away and that is on a different water line.
- 3). Use a beaver trap, like a body grip trap, to trap and kill the beaver. Be extremely careful when setting up such a trap so you don't set off the trap and hurt yourself. Set the trap according the directions that come with it and set it on the bank of the water where the beaver has its nest. Another strategy is to run a pole or branch across the waterway if it is narrow enough, such as a stream or brook, and hang the trap in the water from the pole. Set the trap using the safety catches to ensure it doesn't go off while you're handling it and run a rope or cord through each of the springs. Tie the rope or cord around the branch and hang the trap in the water right in front of the entrance into the beaver's nest. The beaver will then have no choice but to go through it and will then be trapped and killed.
- 4). Shoot the beaver with a .22 caliber gun if the beaver is on your own land or if you have written permission from the landowner. The best way to kill a beaver with a gun is a clear shot to the head, which will be the least painful and cause the quickest and most humane death. Use the sights or scope on your .22 to sight in the beaver to get the best aim. Shoot the beaver while it is out of the water so that you can confirm it is dead after you shoot it. If you shoot the beaver while in the water, it could float away injured or take refuge in its lodge while injured and die a slow and painful death. You can then keep the beaver and have it stuffed by a taxidermist or sell the beaver hide to a fellow trapper or trader.
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