Beavers, muskrats, and a shrew

This afternoon I wandered over to check the beaver trap and the creek. The beaver dam was repaired and the trap was not triggered. The trap had some grass and sticks in and around it but it was still set. I got a stick, and from the shore - trying not to get my feet wet or fall in - I poked and pushed and pulled and opened a spot in the dam next to the trap. That way when Daryl comes to move the trap the water will be lower.

This evening while I watered my garden Daryl and his wife came to check the beaver traps. The opening I had made was already repaired with mud, sticks, and grass. He got into the creek and re-opened the spot I had made earlier. Then, standing against the current, he pulled stuff away from the dam and away from and out of the trap. The trap got covered in material and went off. So much stuff was now clogging it the closing of the trap was slow.

Daryl handed the trap to me and I worked at removing the grass, mud, and sticks from the trap and its springs. Daryl enlarged the breach in the dam.

After we reset the trap I suggested he place it just upstream of the dam and not on the dam. I wanted to make it so that the beaver would have to go through the trap to reach the dam. I also suggested he place material on the dam to have the opening only be as large as the trap. We'll see if this works.

He checked the second trap that was in front of the path between the creek and the trees. Nothing. The sticks he had placed near and around the trap to camouflage it were gone. Material used by the beavers to repair the dam. Then Daryl noticed that the hooks holding the two springs tight were still set even though he had set the key/tine trigger. No wonder the trap never caught anything.

Daryl mentioned he has caught three muskrats now. It appears the beavers are getting the muskrats to check things out. Pssst! Why don't you check out that square metal object in the creek?

Daryl, his wife, and I stood around chatting until we heard a beaver tail slap the water. I was twilight so we couldn't see anything in the water. We stopped talking to stand and watch. Nothing. Finally we left so the beavers would come to check things out. Tomorrow...? We'll see!

Tonight I caught what appears to be a shrew in my mousetrap. It is small, grey with a white underbelly. Kinda cute. It had almost licked all the peanut butter off my trap. Fortunately I have chuncky peanut butter and I jam a peanut chunk inside the curl of the trigger. That's what got the shrew as the rest of the trigger had been licked clean.

I took the shrew out to dispose of in the northeast pasture. In the dark I could see the black shapes of my cattle as they sat in the hayfield near the patio and the house. Such happy cattle.