Busting a Beaver Dam and Draining the Pond
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- We have many beaver ponds on our property but this recently built one is threatening our septic system and this particular pond needs to go or at least be reduced. I break the dam and reduce the water level then install three pipes to keep the water level down. The pipes are 4" diameter PVC 20' long. I hammered metal posts into the bottom of the pond and wired the pipes to the posts so they stay in place.
Over the winter we had a couple of beavers removed but there is at least one left (probably more - it is a big lodge). The beavers will continue to repair the dam after it is broken but the pipes seem to trick them. They try and clog the pipes but they are off the bottom of the pond and staggered and their attempts aren’t effective. The pipes are also perforated which is an added puzzle for the beavers.
We are happy with this reduced water level. The remaining beavers are welcome to stay or go.
Be careful when breaking a beaver dam. Depending on your jurisdiction you are likely liable for any flood damage you cause. In our case the water just dumps into the forest and there are numerous beaver ponds to absorb the flow of water before anything important (like the highway).
This isn't my usual theme of video but perhaps this will help someone else in this situation.
My Amazon Stores
USA www.amazon.com...
Canada www.amazon.ca/...
Where you can find lots of the gear that I use.
Follow Me…
Facebook: / kevinoutdoors1
Instagram: www.instagram....
Any opinions expressed in this video are mine and mine alone and are not related to my employer or any other organization or individual. I have not been paid to make this video or to endorse a product. If I am ever paid for an endorsement or provided other compensation I will state it clearly in the video. Any advice or demonstration I provide is just advice. The viewer should take responsibility for their own actions, follow any manufacturers warnings and directions and act safely and responsibly when travelling in the backcountry.
Wow this video has taken off since about October 14 2017. My little channel that normally gets ~1000 views per day is suddenly getting +4000 mostly due to this video. Just wondering where people are watching this - has it been shared on a particularly popular discussion forum or Facebook page? Please let me know. Thanks!
Tannerite. Mix up a 5 gallon bucket worth, bury it in the edge of the dam, get to a safe distance and shoot it with a rifle and BOOM! big hole in the dam. Mix a smaller charge for the beaver lodge..
Thanks Kent - That is a new one for me.
No problem. That stuff is legal in all 50 states. Tins if videos on UA-cam of people doing just that with it. Heck of alot easier than a rake... Lol. Have a good one and be safe.
I've checked out a few videos... It also appears to be available on Cabellas.ca (Canada). I don't know if I have the distance for a shot at my dam but it is an interesting option that I didn't know of before.
I shot it from 70 yards before. Could always do 10 - 11 lbs multiple shots
Kevin every morning: I'm so impressed by how much re-building these beavers do every night.
Beavers every evening:. We're so impressed by how much destruction this guy does every day.
Hahahaha so funny
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Beaver: human is the most awful pest you can have for your dam
Lol
hhahahahahahhaha
Them beavers came back off vacation like “yo wtf”
😄😄
😆 😆
They were probably still in hibernation, and all that rushing water probably woke them up. Poor bastards!
🤣🤣🤣
I don't know anything about beavers, but they seem smart. They knew to block the pipes which is amazing
I don't know how smart they are as they are really just rodents but they certainly have instincts that appear really clever to us. I once saw a documentary where a researcher put out a radio that played the sound of running water. Overnight the beavers covered it with mud and sticks to stop the "flowing water".
Kevin Outdoors 😂😂😂
@@KevinOutdoors - cleaver?
Kevin Outdoors thats pretty fucking funny
@@MrJx4000 it was Nat Geo's Leave it to the Beavers episode
I used to do this for a living. So satisfying when it finally breaks through.
At the same time I have enormous respect for these animals that are such amazing engineers!
Beavers are amazing engineers. Glad you have other ponds for them.
Ward, I think you were a little hard on the beaver
Classic Joke. Only certain people will know.
So was eddie haskell, wally and ms cleaver
Best comment.
Cmon Rabbit! Get Him! 👀
June, I thought you liked it that way!
Plot twist: the Beaver’s is just the last name of his neighbors who mess with him at night
funniest thing i've read all day LOOOOOOOOOOL
"i brought my rifle"
😂
All this talk of beavers is just making me snicker uncontrollably and remember Leslie Neilsen.
"I just had it stuffed..." :)
Its amazing to think such a small creature can TERRAFORM so effectively!
It really is. They just go on instinct and can't stand the sound of running water and need to dam it up.
Yak that’s just what I was sitting here thinking. It’s incredible, never really bought about it before. I mean, this goes quite a bit further than just building a nest or digging a burrow
@@marcusgrimes726 You're just as much an accident of evolution as they are. Think about that while you're at it.
@@francisdrake6622 , evolution is a scam and YAHWEH EL ELOHIM does not create "accidents". He builds things with a purpose.
@@paxhumana2015 Not impossible, but unlikely. If Yahweh exists, he gave us the capacity for rational thought. He also gave us the capacity for faith. The choice is the devotion to Yahweh.
3400 beavers disliked this video!!!
LOL, I think they are now stealing my wifi! 😀
Probably because they couldn't hear half of it.
JUSTINE BEAVER They may have thought😳🤷♂️ 😆
@@KevinOutdoors I was going to say 3.9K envirowacky/PETA type communists are against a landowner managing their own property.
nga nga
I think the Beavers actually enjoy repairing their dams. They just love building.
The best way to eliminate the beavers, is to do the damage you did and leave it alone until nightfall. Wait on them. After dark, they will return to fix the damage. They aren't put off by lights for some reason, so that is the time to pick them off. As for the dam itself (I have heard) that a few pounds of smokeless powder in a sealed PVC tube and shot with a tracer round will vaporize the wood, leaving the mud behind it. Breach that and let the water take it all downstream. I've not had an issue since (so I've heard).
@Reel-Lentless When I say "I heard" I was making a definitive statement. It made match sticks out of the dam, and it was set off successfully with a tracer round from a .308. It worked VERY well.
Got to give it to those beavers, they sure do know how to make a dam and fix it as well. Seeing them even trying to plug the pipes is mighty impressive xD
Appreciate your reluctance to do it, and your acceptance of the other beaver ponds on your property.
Thanks, we like having beavers but this pond was just too close to the house and the septic system. It had to be done.
Don't shoot it. Find someone who needs a beaver on their land and give it to them. Lots of ranchers are looking to rehabilitate their grazing lands.
Where on earth did you come up with that garbage? Why kindof farmer would want his land underwater ? None
Rice Farmers
@@marcaber6367 doubtful
@@brandonharris9237 lol...it does sound silly. In the area of this video...no one wants them. Take them out West, and you'll find some eager ranchers. The change in climate has led to some areas having lack of water, and in others, floods wreak havoc. Ranchers bring in Beavers to build dams, which reduces bank erosion and also helps with flooding by creating natural watersheds. Many ranchers were losing cattle to the erosion of banks, and the flooding. It also helps with native fish populations by helping creeks and rivers maintain cooler water temps. BUT...not in the area of this video.
pa heavyhauler so kill it ? Lmao real nice
be careful to much at once and all your hopes and dream could be washed away! I love the fact that you just did enough solve the problems, rather than, evicting the the beaver entirely.
Too much of a good thing is a bad thing!
Watched a number of dam busting videos. All were using motorized equipment. I'm really impressed what you were able to accomplish by hand. With this improvement, the water level will be in check. Great work. Watch out for those pesky beavers!!!!!
Thanks Charles. Working well so far.
Damn those beaver's work harder than some people I know !
You should put a hydropower setup at the end of those pipes and get yourself some free electricity!
Am I the only one who expected him to drive a digger in after the intro? Instead, guy cracks on with a rake... legend.
*Damn* those beavers!
They are some damn hard workers!!
I cant believe youve done this! We were very carefull about youre septic System!
LOL
This was interesting. Crazy how good beavers are at making dams!
They are! And I don't think people get the perspective of how big this thing actually is. I have another one on my property that blew out naturally and I will have to do a video about it.
Nice that you are doing it in pretty good way,, and not causing direct harm to them, beaver will slowly build new home somewhere else
We can only hope.
Couldn't you just put a boom box out there playing Barry Manilou or Justin Bieber music non-stop and the beavers will simply move on?
Ha. That might work.
He only wanted to move the beavers, not kill them.
No their a big fan of Justin beaver 😂😂
@Dr Deuteron LOL! Love the comment!
@@spicesway8273, *"...fan of Justin beaver"* oh good one. BTW: it's not _"No their a big fan..."_ but _"No they are..."_ or _"they're..."_
If you have to do this again, I think this might stymie your beavers:
Replace your existing leach field pipes with solid PVC pipes. Extend them further beyond the dam so that the output is below the level of the bottom of the pond if possible.
Inside the pond, extend the pipes with perforated corrugated black pipe, like you might use for a foundation drain. Run them back and forth at the pond's deepest point. You may want to try to protect the pipe with filter socks, or to reduce the inevitable suction resistance from accrued crud by teeing a few pipes to the PVC.
Now what will happen is the pond will build up to the point that it is leaking water via the PVC pipes at the same rate as water is coming in. You define the upper limit of the pond in this way.
A sudden influx of water from a rainstorm could come in at such a rate that it actually fills the pipes and forms a solid head of water in the outflow. If that happens, it will siphon the pond completely down to the level of the perforated pipes. It's a little ironic; a flood could cause the pond to empty.
Using the perforated pipe disperses the suction over a very broad area and the beavers may not be able to detect it and try to block it.
Thanks Leif, I think that is a great suggestion. So far things are working well but I like the long weeping pipe idea.
Man must live in harmony with beaver.
Congrats on your victory against the beavers!
Thanks for the visit
Kevin:. Ok let's get started
Me:. Is he using a bobcat or excavator or dynamite?
Oh. He's doing this by hand, bold move cotton, nice
yo for real. I was flabbergasted
Those are some dam good beavers.
They sure are good beavers!
@Kevin Outdoors I just had to use dam in place of damn. I really enjoyed browsing your channel. Keep up the good work.
I wished you luck, but unfortunately I was three years late!
Nice work. I'm faced with the same problem, although on a smaller scale. I initially took apart the small dam on our slough but they rebuilt it again. For now I'm gonna just watch and make sure that the water level doesn't get too high... If they don't go too crazy, I'll let them be. But I like you're idea of installing drain pipes. As luck would have it, I have some old ABS drain pipes ready to go. Thanks for the fun.
Hi Jeff, We had a similar experience as you. The beavers moved in during our vacation when the dog was away from the property. At first it was a small pond but over time they raised the dam and expanded the pond. Originally I thought they would keep the water level relatively constant given they have a lodge with a fixed floor and ceiling height inside. But no, they raised the water substantially. They must alter the inside of the lodge??
I would do the pipes again but probably add elbows on the intake end to confuse them more. I staggered the ends which I think is critical if you don't have elbows. Good luck.
Thanks friend.
I had myself a nice piece of Korean beaver last night.
I'm in the Northern Nevada Desert. Can we release a few beavers? I'm sure they'd find water somewhere, and next thing you know we have ponds everywhere.
Backhoe. .308 Rifle. Beer.
A perfect combination.
Yup in that order Beer last!lol
Back home we would rip a hole in the dam then sit there in the evening with a thunder stick.. Dam thing's get smart tho and only come out after dark after a bit of blasting them... Great video..
Beavers are so strong and when they work, THEY WORK HARD !! AMAZING Job. You can watch how they put them sticks on, they put them in wau that everythings comming down will put on itself and damb itself out in time, thats aamazing,
Kris, glad you picked up on that. Many comments don't seem to appreciate how much effort they go to. The dam is filled with rocks, logs and mud. A bunch of humans with hand tools couldn't work as efficiently!
Kevin : `My property` , Beavers: `...`
Kevin; on your drain pipes drill multiple 1 inch or larger holes. They can't plug 'em all. Kinda like the opposite of your leach field. Amazing creatures, those Beavers!!!!!
Thanks Buckley, the pipes on the pond side do have holes pre-drilled into them. One reason I think this keeps working.
They're probably watching him, going "DAFUQ DUDE! This guy is crazy!"
Those beavers are incredible Engineers by nature. If you could only train them to build dams where you want them. Hahaha
One time in the eastern part of Utah where I owned a small 80 acre ranch, some beavers dammed up the main irrigation canal. We had to get the army core of engineers to okay destroying that dam. So everyone who were needing water down stream came to assist. One guy came up with the "brilliant" idea to blow up the dam. So these coal miners rigged the dam with a few sticks of dynamite. We pulled back aways and blew that dam to smithereens! All gone the dam. Yeah, I know it was a bit of overkill, but it was easy to clean the debris with a couple of backhoes. A few of the locals also trapped the beavers an relocated them to a creek downstream where the could build another without causing problems for us ranchers. Too bad we didn't have anything like cell phones to record blowing the dam up. It was pretty funny.
I stand in solidarity with the beavers.
I really hope those beavers would relocate. It's not an endangered species, but you have to admire them for all that hard work!
You did the right thing, just make sure you do all this during spring or late winter to give them time to rebuild elsewhere!
I respect the Inspection Boss 🙏
I do to.
You can find amazing walking sticks near beaver dams
Latest update a beaver a harvard graduate in engineering rebuilt the dam in one night.the owner was hospitalized
Beavers have OCD it’s driving them crazy lol
Completely manic🤣
Completely manic
Hello , Mr Kevin! A suggestion, a sneaky way to drain the pond , in such way, beavers wouldn't know, is alike a dam spillway within the lake, which can be adjusted on height... A pipe, with large nozzle, draining downstream, the water.. the nozzle , covered with a plate with many little holes, so that, the water is draining, but slowly... reaching the nozzle, water will keep that level, the excess, in the pipeline... And you keep the pond and the beavers... And the fishes...🙂🙂🙂
The Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Canada, to this day still has a bounty on beavers, a whole $5.00! lol
Is that beavers or nutria
Hard to put into words how interesting it is to battle the wits of animals. They can easily surprise us.
They just keep working on the issue untill they solve their problem. Thanks for watching and commenting Bill!
Beaver: "DAM IT!!!!!!!!"
Good for you! That is the best tool in the world for a beaver dam. I think they were originally made for beaver dams. heheheh
I think so too!
In California that is called a lake. Gov. Brown would have called out the National Guard, EPA, and allowed more Beavers to cross your boarder to live on your property plus tax you to pay for them.
I take your point. Here in Northern Ontario there is no shortage of water. I expect Trump to invade anytime now to access our water and the beavers ;)
Ive heard that from Canadians for decades, every president we have is gonna invade Canada for the water, seriously, yall need to stop listening to who ever is telling you guys this BS!! LOL
Fuck california and the communist that run that shithole
Yes jumpfinder, lull them into a false sense of security... soon... soooooooonnnnn
We got a small beaver pond in our neighborhood, it’s not really threatening anything at all really but people kept trying to tear it down and within a night it would be right back up.
Incredible J. Yes, unless you have a plan just tampering with the dam won't do anything. They are amazing!
Kevin Outdoors neighbors have just resorted to killing em. They got 2 that I know of. I personally like them out here, adds a little something to look at
Beavers made that? 😱 It looks madmade! I'm off to watch "beavers build a dam" video after this 😁
And ten miles downstream..
Three farms and a village get flooded.
What? this is Canada
Stewart Williams ..okay..three maple syrup compounds, and a Skidoo..
Way to go Kevin! Great job!
interesting video....was your intention to completely drain the pond?.... would chompers the beaver go elsewhere?
Hi Don. No, completely draining the pond would require a much deeper hole in the dam and that would require diggiing out in the pond which I can't reach. Getting it down to this level gives us confidence that our septic system is safe. If the beavers adjust to this new level they are welcome to stay. If they don't then I guess they will move on.
So far the beavers are still there. I maydo a 'return to the pond' video soon.
Michigan here.I have a large pond.Im losing timber but its not hurting anything else.Im going to let it go and watch the wild life.Im getting a lot of birds.I mved a wood duck house on the pond.I hope to see some move in
Thanks Richard. We have several other ponds on our property and we generally don't bother them but this pond was threatening our septic system.
@@KevinOutdoors yeah looks like you have your hands full
Wow! Not a problem we have here in California! You sure have a beautiful piece of land.
Thanks 4 feet, much appreciated!
Good job Kevin!!!
Thanks. That was a month or more ago and the beavers have been busy trying to fix the hole in the dam. But the pipes are still working!!! I may have to revisit the beaver dam with another video - lots of intersting stuff going on back there as the vegatation is comming back.
Amazing the work of those busy beavers! Crazy
I am always impressed by what they can do.
Beavers are natural hydro engineers. You should use the water run off to produce hydroelectric. Work with the Beavers not agaist them.
Also dynamite my friend. Boom boom 💥 easy peasy lemon squeezy
It would also be fun, except for the jail time.
Lmao.. When I saw the part where the beavers tried to plug up the pipes... Too funny
Between the Spring of 1994 and late Fall of 1996, I kept a 1.5 mile stretch of creek open. Initially, there were 14 dams, and 4 log jams. A LOT of work, but well worth it. lol
Wow. Just curious, if a person had a natural beaver pond with a dam that broke on it's own, can they still be liable ?
I don't think so, it happens all the time.
Beaver always get the better of man
Actually fair enough. Kev did not destroy the whole thing. But still kept most of the habitat. Might be a bit sore on the Beaver family, but i am sure he can reach a compromise.
Post 10 would love this.
I have just discovered his channel by comments like this.
I've seen other UA-cam videos where they put a cage around the intake end of the pipe to keep the beavers away so they can't plug the pipe.
50lbs of tannerite and a 30 06 would make for an explosive dam breech
Heh get it, explosive...
I need friends
Explosive! :)
Bet it'd be a blast
Hahaha
Semtex, that would do the job with a bang.
I use to work for the county in Columbus Georgia and I took inmates out and did exactly that, it was a lot of fun. I had an inmate slip into the deep end and it was over his head, he got out though.
LOL, that is a great story. Other than the near drowning they probably looked forward to the outing. The pond side of the dam can be very slippery!
Post 10 would be proud of you :D
I checked him out. Very cool channel!
I’m a new subscriber watching from Honolulu Hawaii
Thanks so much!
We love nature, but we have to survive too
good job beaver , build more plz ,
I hope you consulted on the timing so no baby beavers were killed by the loss of their habitats... 😢
Given that he did this in winter, I'd say no newborns were harmed. (Although some beavers may've been "only" a few months old)
Cool videos! Keep up the good work👍😁
Thanks Jinx!
Oh I thought you had an excavator to do it! Good luck buddy! You need some dynamite! lol
Maybe one day!
The beavers thought you wanted a pond
I think they got the address mixed up on their work order.
Those Beavers are damn hard workers!
They work dam hard all the dam night on their dam. :)
An old mountain man told me that you know if an area can support you if there is a beaver dam there. It brings all the wildlife and supports everything necessary to make it so you can survive.
Demolishing a beaver dam basically equates to slitting your own throat.
LOL, I guess that mountain man didn't have a septic system he was worried about.
I know you did this to show people how fast beavers work and why there so important to the ecosystem
I remember busting my first beaver dam we both had one hell of a night
Phrasing bro....... I'm having nightmares tonight now lol
While this work is hard, but rewarding, Amy reason you chose tools instead of tannerite? I’ve had to eliminate my problem with thermal optics, as the beavers are nocturnal.
I didn't even know about tannerite when I did this and it is only 'probably' legal to use it in this way where I live. And, if I was confident in its legal use, with tannerite you need to be able to have a clear shot at your target from a safe distance and I certainly don't have that here.
I'm not aware of how a pond at that distance affects the septic system. I'm curious, if Kevin or anyone else can offer an explanation. I catch on easy, doesn't need to be too detailed.
If the water table in the soil rises around a septic tank it can actually lift or float the tank out of the ground. Also if the septic field gets water logged the bacteria breaking down the waste will be starved of oxygen and the system will stop working and will eventually back-up.
@@KevinOutdoors Thank you Kevin.
Good job 👍🏻👍🏻
Why haven't you set out some traps or called someone to trap them.
Hi John, there are a bunch of reasons but basically the furs aren't worth much anymore and trappers aren't very interested unless they are paid for the service. That could get costly. Secondly other beavers could move in soon after. We had a few removed last winter but obviously we didn't get them all. For ~$100 in pipe we have a solution that keeps the water down.
drill holes in the pipe all the way along in the high water side, that way if they block the ends the water still goes in to the pipes
Agreed, I bought the pipes with holes in them already.
As I say, why work harder when you can work smarter? :)
Sorry if this is a repeat question, but is the pipe pvc, and you said it was perforated. As in, you drilled holes in them yourself? Would septic line with perforations work? Not quite sure on the plan to hold them down. Also, good vid, thx, and would have liked to see the pipes going in. Good explanation for why you were doing it this way rather than track hoe, tannerite, shooting the beavers, etc. I understand completely, have the same problem.
Hi Janelle, and thanks! Yes I bought the pipe pre-perforated. It is PVC pipe that has perforations about every 6 inches in two rows along the pipe I am not positive if this is the same pipe that is used for septic systems or not but it probably is. I pounded the 'T'-bar into the ground with a sledge and wired the pipe to it. I hope this helps. Good luck!
I personally prefer the big bang method a wee bit of C-4 with blasting cap IF available. Or what ever we can legally get our has on to make a fun safe big bang!!!!! But your way worked with time and sweat equity and I love how you put them there pipes in so if and when they try to rebuild the pond will still drain. win win for you I hope... Now that it's October how did your plan work out???
Really nice video
Is that wood valuable for burning? Or is it simply too waterlogged?
Some of it would burn but most of it is pretty soaked. The dam looks like a pile of wood but when you start digging into it you find it is mostly mud and rocks.
Cool, I liked the time lapsed video part 👍
Thanks Claudio!
Wow what a job. Wouldn't want to have to pull that thing apart.
It isn't too bad if you let the water do most of the work.
You're ALWAYS gonna get 👎 dislikes, it doesn't seem to matter what the video is.
You may have damaged someone's sensitivity lol but I'd be willing to bet a huge percentage of the 👎 were just ridiculous internet trolls who have NOTHING better to do.
Keep up the good work. 👍
City folk think they are the ARBITERS of wildlife and animal protection.
Most of us out here in the country have a natural inclination toward knowing the balance of human/animal harmony.
Anyone who watches your videos with intellectual curiosity will see that you have more than enough respect for wildlife.
By hand! One word, explosives.
If you use your canoe and take a couple of Jerry can's of fuel oil or diesel and a road flare and burn the hut they live in they usually move on down the way