Beavers in CO - change of status?

[COEngineer]

While I was out elk hunting in a southern CO Wilderness area a few weeks ago, I came across an old beaver pond. It was obvious there had not been any beavers living there for at least a few years (not much water in the pond, grass growing on the old dam, etc). I got to wondering why there were no beavers...which led me to thinking about the last time I had even seen a beaver or an active beaver pond.

I started looking into it and found out that beavers have a season (Oct-Apr), but no limits on take (daily and possession are unlimited). So, I'm assuming we have very few beavers because farmers/ranchers don't like them damming culverts and irrigation ditches. Are my perceptions skewed? Are there lots of beavers and I just don't recreate in areas where they are common? If not, has anyone heard of a re-introduction effort in CO? What are the reasons for/against re-introducing them where they haven't returned on their own?

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

There are plenty of beavers... also people hunt them. I’ve killed a couple.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

I’ve seen quite a few out while hunting.

 

[TOGIE]

i know a couple of places to certainly go find them. i often run across healthy dams on backpacking trips. i have a feeling you just found an odd spot where they've disappeared

cpw is cognizant of private land owner issues and works to address them, but i doubt they'd let them (the beavers) go down a path of extirpation

 

[denverteacher]

My family’s place has plenty of beavers, they do make a mess of things for the ranchers down stream. Father-in-law had one try to chase him out of a beaver pond on Grand Mesa. He ended up smacking the thing across the head with his fly rod

 

[COEngineer]

My family’s place has plenty of beavers, they do make a mess of things for the ranchers down stream. Father-in-law had one try to chase him out of a beaver pond on Grand Mesa. He ended up smacking the thing across the head with his fly rod

That's a whole 'nother topic! I had one act aggressive once and I thought I was crazy until I found out that they do attack people and those people are often fishermen.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

That's a whole 'nother topic! I had one act aggressive once and I thought I was crazy until I found out that they do attack people and those people are often fishermen.

One of the beavers I killed was after a little dust up.

Made a great pillow case and a tasty pot roast.

 

[.270]

I saw a couple last year in CO. I didnt know there was a season for them until I got back and checked. Otherwise I might have shot one.

 

[F250]

I shot sixteen of them out of one marsh last spring for a farmer that was getting flood damage. Permission was obtained from F&W. Beavers are wonderful and persistent engineers. The wildlife habitat they create is so important for so many species. However, like all wildlife, their numbers need to be managed and balanced with the land.

 

[LuketheDog]

There's a spot I'll be checking out this weekend where I hope to shoot a few. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of them from what I've seen, seems like they'll move out of old spots that get silted in and populate new spots though. There's an overgrown creek in our neighborhood that could use a few, I'd love to catch a couple and drop them in there.

 

[COEngineer]

I'd love to catch a couple and drop them in there.

That is specifically forbidden by CPW. Just FYI.

 

[LuketheDog]

That is specifically forbidden by CPW. Just FYI.

Actually, you can relocate with a permit, and/or you can relocate to private land...

 

[Oak]

There have been some busy (and photogenic) beavers in Waterton recently.

 

[K2WJ]

My family’s place has plenty of beavers, they do make a mess of things for the ranchers down stream. Father-in-law had one try to chase him out of a beaver pond on Grand Mesa. He ended up smacking the thing across the head with his fly rod

I talked to a guy who works for the water district out there and he has to go around destroying the dams to keep the water moving. They use the winch on the ATV sometimes to pull the bigger logs.

I have also not seen any beavers in our hunting area in years. We got one 10 years ago, but we must not have cooked it right as it was not good eating.

 

[TransplantHunter]

Slightly off topic but still beaver oriented...

One time I was hiking San Luis Peak in south central Colorado. The day before I was heading down that way, I had seen several reports of a bear near the trail by a couple of different groups. Since I like to start hiking way before sunrise (to avoid the afternoon thunderstorm danger) we were hiking in the dark for most of the time below tree line. Maybe half a mile from the trailhead, my partner and I see eyes glowing in our headlamps from pretty far off. We start yelling "hey bear" and generally got pretty nervous because the trail was heading in the direction of the glowing eyes. After 15 minutes of standing there and yelling we decided to bushwack around the area and join up with the trail a little while later.

After we successfully summited and were heading back down the mountain, we came to the point in the trail where we saw the bear. We heard a loud THWACK and looked... beaver in his pond.

So yes, I can attest, that there are beavers in the state....

 

[squirrel]

I see very few up on top of the ridges I have no idea why but they are plentiful at the lowest point between two ridges. It is very odd.