Beavers and bear bait

[Odonata]

Anyone use beavers for bear bait? Have heard they need the meat protein(?). Removing the bones of course, anyone use beaver? (no jokes please:)

[PerchJerker]

I've hunted with outfitters that used beavers --- they trapped them in the winter, skinned them and sold the pelts right away, and froze the carcasses for the spring bear season. It got pretty rancid at times but it sure seemed to work good. You need a lot of them though.

[Boar]

I have some castors an a frozen beaver I plan on using here soon, gonna remove the castors from the frozen one, cut them up an smear the glands all over a tree an hang the pelt, the glands are unbelevably potent. Boar

[CANOPY SAM]

I don't know why, but it just occured to me. Wouldn't the "bones" in a beaver carcass be considered illegal? Bones in a bait pile are a no no, aren't they?

I have a buddy in Grand Rapids that got a large bull Buffalo head from a taxidermist friend of his. He wanted to "clean" the skull and dry it for something to hang on the wall. He took the head, wrapped a chain around it tightly, and chained it to a tree far back on his property.

We checked it about a week later, and it was gone. Chain and all! I bet that Buffalo head weighed 50 lbs.!

[mrklean]

I don't know why, but it just occured to me. Wouldn't the "bones" in a beaver carcass be considered illegal? Bones in a bait pile are a no no, aren't they?

Thats why he said he was going to remove them first

[CANOPY SAM]

Easy there Tex. Not questioning any one person's methods. Just asking a question in general.

I've heard of people using beaver carcasses as well, but thinking now, I wonder if it's legal considering there are bones still intact.

[lichen fox]

Definitions: “Bait” is any material placed for the purpose of attracting or attempting to attract

bears. A bear “bait station” is any location where bait is placed for the purpose of hunting.

Materials that are at all times attended by the hunter are not considered a bait station.

The following materials may not be used as baits for bear.

• A carcass from a mammal containing more than 25 percent of the intact carcass.

• Meat from mammals that contains bones.

• Bones of mammals.

• Solid waste containing bottles, cans, plastic, paper, or metal.

• Materials that are not readily biodegradable.

• Any part of a swine, except cured pork.

[lichen fox]

So, I would take it as you can use a whole carcass and/or bones....as long as you take all that out with you when you leave...then it is not considered bait....but that would really be a big pain IMO

[CANOPY SAM]

Thanks for posting the regs. I don't have a copy.

I suppose that's right Lichen Fox. Either that, or one has to remove 75% of the original carcass. Does that make sense?

I think then one could use just the portions of a beaver that contain the tarsal glands.

I've heard beaver tarsal glands are bear magnets. Weird huh?

[lichen fox]

• A carcass from a mammal containing more than 25 percent of the intact carcass.

• Meat from mammals that contains bones.

These two lines are a bit confusing...if you "can use" 25 percent or less of an "intact" carcass...wouldn't it have "bones" in it? or, do you have to remove the bones, because "you can't use and meat from mammals with bones", as it states in line 2 ????

Any CO's out there that care to give us thier "interpetation?

[Boar]

Hard to judge percentage of a carcass but my intentions are to again remove the castors, an skin the beaver an hang just the pelt, I'm considering that the pelt will acount for about 25 % of the intire carcass, the oil from the castors are what the beaver uses all over his pelt for water proofing, although bear are glutons for beaver meat i wanna stay away from rotting flesh smells, the hide will of course rot but I'm guessing not to the point where it would over run the oily smell I'm after, like a rotton meat smell would. The castors will be used in other ways for scent. Anyway. boar

[cherokee]

Any animal that has meat has bones. So what they are saying is no meat can be used.

• Meat from mammals that contains bones.

I thought this was confusing when I read the regs earlier this summer.

[Odonata]

I would assume I may attrack wolves with meat being out? Any experience with that while using beavers?

[Odonata]

spoke directly to the CO - stated to use the meat only, fleshed away from the carcass. Hide was fine, just reminded me to remove bones.

[Muthagoose]

I had a decent sized sow run 3 wolves off my bait.Pretty cool to watch and no its not just meat drawing them in I didn't have any at my bait site.. I think like Yotes they like sweeties and or use the site to huntaround like a good boar would.

Along with being boned I beleive only a % of the carcass can be used at one time.

[propster]

Beaver is one of the best bear baits there is. They love it

[jkcmj]

A few years back I had a large coon hitting the bear bait hard and cleaning it out before bears could get there. I finally had enough when he came in opening day of bear season and let him have it. He was so rancid looking, rotted teeth, matted hair, and no tail, that I left the carcass laying where it fell and nothing touched it overnight, although the logs were moved and bait was all eaten. The next day I skinned it and hung it in the tree near the bait. Something took it immediatley that night, and bait was not hit again during the week we were up there. Not sure what took it, but obviously didn't like it while it was wearing hair!

[Boar]

Holy smokes, I had a self taught lesson in removing the castor glands last night, boy dose that require practice. an rubber gloves. I skun the hide off an froze the castors, then I'll grind up the castors a rub them in to the hide so the fur absorbs the oil then hang it at the site. See what happens. Boar

[Odonata]

Boar,

Keep us posted. Have had good luck so far, nothing I want to take though.

[HooknHorns]

I think you guys should get a high five for keeping this post out of the gutters. Im just sitting here waiting to loose it but it hasn't happened yet. I read an article in a bear hunting magazine and they talked about the use of beaver meat at the sanctuary. Apparently the DNR had an issuse trying to get the bears to eat the drug they use for tracing, Tetracyline or something. Anyways the bears had a great buffet already and wouldn't even eat the drug wrapped in bacon. They switched to beaver meat and perfered that over everything. Id use it if I had it.

[Boar]

Will do Odonata, Just waiting till the acorns to get eatin up an the corn is hard, then I'll hang my rug out an see what comes in. That was for you double H, take that anyway ya want, belive me, It's killin me to refrain form all the possible inuendos on this topic cause when I see an opening I just gotta go thru it, See what I mean. Boar

[jkcmj]

Keep us posted on how that works out. With the coon they wouldn't even touch it with hide on, so I figured it must have been just the meat they would be interested in. Maybe the beaver hide will be different.

[CANOPY SAM]

I think, by now, the corn is pretty hard. What's so funny?

jkcmj. The inuendos that could be made from your last post have virtually got me rolling, but I know better than to go there. You have to admit though, it's pretty funny stuff! Boar nailed it.

[Boar]

I will, the meat is what a bear loves but the oil in the fur is what attracts the bear, so cant wait to see what happens, the population over here is lower so things can take a little longer at times. Boar

[HooknHorns]

Boy its tough to be clean on this topic. I feel like I have a church congregation reading this. Plus I dont want the post locked up. Down in my part of the state we dont have as many beavers plus ive never been close enough to smell them. I have seen plenty muskrats, do they smell similar? How did you acquire the carcasses? I know they were trapped but isnt there a season and special regs or, did you keep them from a last years trapline? Just getting more info for next years hunt.