Tearing down a beaver dam

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Beavers are some of the most industrious animals that you will find. They will take tree branches, logs, and other wood and materials that they find in an area and build some of the most elaborate looking structures that you can possibly imagine. The fact that they are built with a good portion of it under the water, shows you how truly creative these critters can be. They not only have the ability to swim and build without an issue, while also giving themselves a watery access point that denies the vast majority of other animals access into their homes. They are pretty ingenious.



However, you may personally find that dam to be something that creates a big issue for you. Beaver dams are known to block creek beds, and can create a rather unappealing structure on your lake or pond area. You simply want this out-of-the-way, but need to know how to tear down a beaver dam. Here are some steps for you.

First of all, understand that this is going to be a very labor-intensive job. What that means is that it is not going to be easy. You are going to have to work hard to be successful. You will also need to get some tools to assist you in this project. One of the best have at your disposal is a backhoe, which you can either purchase or rent. This will really help you to reduce down the amount of labor that you need to devote from yourself. You also need a shovel and a pick.

When you are sure that the beaver is a way, begin by removing the smaller branches that you will find usually on the lower side of the dam itself. Take these downstream so that they will not wash back into the dam. Once you have removed the loose sticks it will be time to begin to try to get the much tougher ones out. If you are going to do this by hand, then you should start by trying to crush away at the branches using the pick. If you have a backhoe available to you, then use it to attach to some of the branches and have it pull out large sections of the dam at a time.

As you are breaking apart large sections, you want to reduce them down into smaller branch pieces and take them downstream to release. Once again, you do not want to allow the branches to flow right back into your dam, so make sure you are downstream. Also, make sure that you release a little bit of branches at a time. If you throw all of it into the stream at the same time, you may give the beaver the opportunity to gather the branches and rebuild the dam. Even if it is in a different location. Be smart about how you get rid of these branches and you will quickly discover that you are able to tear down the dam in an hour or two.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.
Animals in the attic - read about the common species.
Noises in the attic - how to identify critters by their sounds.