What will a Berger 140 VLD do to a beaver?

[Al in SC]

Got plenty of these loaded up for hunting but am thinking I would do better with the 12 gauge and some, maybe, coyote loads for the beaver. Will likely have to shoot them while swimming ....... thinking it will be very unlikely to catch them sitting still for the 260 rifle. I know I could develop a better rifle load but it is hardly worth the effort. They attempted to invade some 12 or so years ago. We killed 2 of them and had not seen them again until now. They are building a "home" in the 3.5 acre pond and a log dam across the stream a ways down below the pond dam. The beaver dam has potential to flood a good size bottom that we have better uses for, other than a beaver pond.

I will take the rifle and shot gun and wait for them late in the afternoon. What shell would you get for the shot gun, size shot etc, and do you think the Berger 140 VLD hunting bullet will just penetrate without expanding? How would you approach this pest elimination project.

 

[mcseal2]

I'd expect the VLD not to expand to dramatically unless you get an angle where it has a lot of penetrating to do. Really though most shots you will only see their head unless they come out of the water so it won't matter. The best way to eliminate them is traps, but if you knock a hole in their dam and sit really patiently and quietly they will eventually notice the drop in water level and come to fix it. Then you can get a good shot. If you have a pop up deer blind I'd set it up ASAP and let them get used to it, they you can sit comfortably while you wait and have a good steady rest prepared inside with your chair.

If you will take shots at their heads in the water the shotgun will be the best choice, followed by a rifle with a real fragile bullet. The VLD is to likely to skip off the water and hit an unintended target unless the area is real remote.

 

[salmonchaser]

Well the 140 is more than enough gun, in any cartridge. Head shoot them and you'll still have a good pelt. Short of buck shot I'm not sure how effective a shot gun would be for a humane kill, still ruminating on that.
We have quite a few Beaver, they can cause a lot of problems, erosion of river bank, that kind of thing. We trap quite a few every year, don't think we're going to ever be rid of them.


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[Thebear_78]

3" #4 buckshot for the shotgun.

For the 260 aim low, they are like an iceberg, mostly under water


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[JD338]

A pop up deer blind is a great idea.
If you can set up under 50 yards, the 12 ga 3" 4 Buck load through a turkey choke would do it.
I think a 140 gr PT would be good as hitting the water will start the expansion. The PT will penetrate deeper that the VLD, ensuring that you get the bullet into the body cavity.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

I run Winchester Supreme 00 Buck from my SX3 with a Buckkicker choke. It has taken a few deer out at the 50 yard mark. At 50 yards it'll get 12-13 pellets in a 15" circle. Deadly stuff at 1450 FPS. The 260 should be fine for headshots. If you can catch them out of the water I think it'd be lights out with just about any decent bullet.

 

[Anonymous]

If you need to get rid of problem beavers, a #330 Conibear will do the trick without destroying the pelt... and without requiring you to sit around waiting on a beaver to go for a swim. A Conibear and a green stick with some castor on it and you can clean a couple up in just a day or two.

Beavers also tend to sink like a rock when you shoot them, complicating recovery.

 

[Blkram]

Using a rifle on beavers while in the water can be extremely dangerous, regardless if they are centre fire or rim fire. If you are shooting them in the water and miss the small portion of the animal that is exposed from a low vantage point and hit water first, it is very likely that your bullet will skip off of the water, and not touch the varmint. These ricochets will be dangerous for several miles. Shooting down at them from a high vantage point will help eliminate this safety concern. Even a belt of trees on the other side of the pond or stream will not catch all of these errant projectiles! You will be surprised at how many bullets will make it quite a ways up into those trees!

Please be cognizant of what is beyond the pond or stream before shooting at beaver in the water.

A shotgun will also be a safer solution, but be aware that those pellets can skip too, from low angles off of the water.

Hodgeman's advice on their sinking like rocks is very true. Recovery from the water can be very problematic. And since their is usually a lot of branches in their waters, recovery can be even trickier with a hook/grapple and line. A pike pole will work better, if within reach.

The other methods suggested for catching beaver out of the water will work, with patience.

If you like still hunting, a slow walk into the breeze in the evening, along a stream, focusing on food sources and their series of dams will also provide plenty of opportunities to catch them out of the water. Here your 260 will work just fine! As our 250 Savage did for us on the farm. (If you are not worried about pelt damage)

For saving pelts, the 17's and 22 rimfires work great at close to medium distances for beaver (25-100 yards).

A friend has stated that the Sierra 90 gr hollow point fired out of a 270 Wby will absolutely "mist-ify" a beaver at 100 yards. There was no pelt recovery for Pete! Just good crow and coyote food...err...scraps!

 

[Thankful Otter]

Using a rifle on beavers while in the water can be extremely dangerous, regardless if they are centre fire or rim fire. If you are shooting them in the water and miss the small portion of the animal that is exposed from a low vantage point and hit water first, it is very likely that your bullet will skip off of the water, and not touch the varmint. These ricochets will be dangerous for several miles. Shooting down at them from a high vantage point will help eliminate this safety concern. Even a belt of trees on the other side of the pond or stream will not catch all of these errant projectiles! You will be surprised at how many bullets will make it quite a ways up into those trees!

Please be cognizant of what is beyond the pond or stream before shooting at beaver in the water.

A shotgun will also be a safer solution, but be aware that those pellets can skip too, from low angles off of the water.

Hodgeman's advice on their sinking like rocks is very true. Recovery from the water can be very problematic. And since their is usually a lot of branches in their waters, recovery can be even trickier with a hook/grapple and line. A pike pole will work better, if within reach.

The other methods suggested for catching beaver out of the water will work, with patience.

If you like still hunting, a slow walk into the breeze in the evening, along a stream, focusing on food sources and their series of dams will also provide plenty of opportunities to catch them out of the water. Here your 260 will work just fine! As our 250 Savage did for us on the farm. (If you are not worried about pelt damage)

For saving pelts, the 17's and 22 rimfires work great at close to medium distances for beaver (25-100 yards).

A friend has stated that the Sierra 90 gr hollow point fired out of a 270 Wby will absolutely "mist-ify" a beaver at 100 yards. There was no pelt recovery for Pete! Just good crow and coyote food...err...scraps!

+ 100, excellent information

 

[Al in SC]

Boy there are some excellent suggestions here. I will be beaver hunting now. Wish me luck.
Will report my progress later. Thanks.

 

[mcseal2]

Good advice from everyone. I didn't specify but definitely agree with the 3" #4 buckshot. That's what I use in the coyote shotgun. It is well worth patterning the shotgun though, I patterned a few with different brand coyote branded chokes meant for buckshot. I found that most combinations shot very high at 40yds, the center of the pattern up to 2ft high. I ended up buying a 20" Rem choke barrel for my 870 with adjustable sights on it from Midway. That let me set the sights to match the 3" Federal Premium #4 buckshot that patterned the best. I had to adjust the sights both down and left, but I ended up with it shooting awesome at 40yds, good at 45yds, and ok at 50yds. I'd trust it on a coyote at 50 but definitely no further. A beaver head is small and the pattern will need to be tight and able to be aimed well. My gun would be capable at 40 but not further.

I won a Tristar 12 gauge semi-auto at a 4-H shooting sports banquet I'm thinking of painting up and using for coyotes. It's a cheaper Turkish made copy of a Benelli that has been reliable but that I don't see myself using for anything else. With a home-made camo job and a good choke it might be a good choice for yotes. The 26" barrel might pattern better at distance and some spots 2 shotguns might be better for the team than an AR and shotgun.

 

[mcseal2]

Oh and good luck, forgot that!

 

[Al in SC]

Thanks msseal2.

Does the eyes of a beaver reflect light like a deer or coyote?

 

[Polaris]

Beaver are very dense and fatty. They also have a relatively thin skull and bone structure, but heavy hide. I've offed several of them with #BB steel goose load (also my favorite for close-in coyote). Patterns tight and does the job well, and usually what I have in my coat when I cross paths with them.

As for rifles, I have done some damage control work using my AR and the Hornady 75 bthp when I had a high bank opposite the water to catch any riccochet. Should have similar expansion charachteristics to your 140 VLD...that is violent. You will lose a lot of pelt, and as above, they do sink. This was strictly elimination of nuisance critters out of fur season with permit, pelt usage was not a concern.

It is illegal in my state to shoot beaver outside of a damage control permit. Check your local regs. I prefer a #280 or 330 connibear in a run, funnel or weir set. Use some sticks or brush to choke off a run where they are moving to shore to harvest timber or work on their construction. Choke it off to where your trap will cover the entire swimmable width. Anchor firmly with a pole through each spring and be sure to block the underside or they will dive under the trap. Top of trap should be about 2" above the surface or you can completely submerge it under a plunge pole if there are a lot of waterfowl around.

 

[IdahoCTD]

It's not a beaver but I mystified a muskrat at close range with my Benelli using 3" #4 steel. It literally blew it into pieces but it was only about 5yds. I'm sure #4 buck would reek some havoc on a Beaver. We shot some pigs at 40yds and under with OO and #4 buck. It was pretty devastating.

 

[mcseal2]

Yes they reflect light but maybe not from as many angles as a yote or deer. Maybe their eyes don't protrude quite as much or something. We see them regularly when catfishing the creeks and rivers at night.

 

[Al in SC]

Thanks very much fellas. Going to try them for the next few days. report back some time next week.

 

[Al in SC]

I spent a bit of time looking for the beaver over the week end but no luck. Will try next time down. If any luck I will give a report.

 

[DrMike]

My warped sense of humour urges me each time I read the title of this thread. "What will a Berger 140 VLD do to a beaver?" I want to answer, "Depends on how hard it strikes the beaver!" Seriously, beavers can be genuine pests, and the 140 Berger VLD will do a number of a beaver. If killing the beast is the reason for the shot, that will assuredly do the trick. If saving the pelt is in order, then a trap (as suggested by several) is the way to go. Too bad you didn't find a beaver this weekend.

 

[jimbires]

I've never shot a beaver with a 140 hunting VLD , but I've left the air out of a few groundhogs . they are not pretty .