Perforated pipe is the key. Put a couple lengths together with most of it upstream of the dam. As you saw, the beavers can figure out real quick to plug up the end of a non-perforated pipe but if you use perforated, they won't know where to begin. Not sure if large culvert can be bought perforated, but a spade bit and a little time will do the trick. We used 4" black perforated like you find in the big box stores, 'cause ours was a smaller creek we were trying to deal with. We put 3 lenghts together; again, with most of it upstream of the dam. This was over 30 years ago and it was months and months before the beavers could create another effective dam there.
Your skill with that excavator is a joy to behold! I have years of experience battling beavers in the Adirondacks of NY. As others have said, much longer pipe, cap the upstream end, and drill 1-2” holes along the upstream run.
This brings back memories. I helped my uncle use a backhoe to remove a huge beaver dam with the same results you got basically. They rebuilt most of what we tore out every night. My uncle finally got the bright idea to tear the dam out again and park the backhoe in the opening to spook them off. We showed up the next morning to find a dam built around the backhoe. It was hilarious! Talk about being stuck! I thought we'd never get that thing out! We finally pulled it out with a D6. I laughed so hard I thought I might die! Great video! 🤣😂
It is staggering how much damage Beavers cause, watching the distance views of the difference you make with your machines is fascinating. That last one I was amazed at how much damage from the backed up water, so many dead trees. Good job
Great episode, your title is accurate. I was expecting your to sink that excavator but glad you didn't. I enjoy all your videos, best dirt channel on RUclips, especially the banter back and forth.
I'd love to see future updates on this, mainly on the long-term progress of draining and drying out the large area impacted by the third beaver dam. Thanks!
I have seen some pipe installations work by having the intake end of the pipe suspended in the water, and on the underside of the pipe drill multiple holes. This way, the beavers may dam the end of the pipe but water can still flow through the holes on the underside of the pipe. That might be worth a try.
Given that RUclips is full of beaver dam removal videos, I'm going to predict that this will go viral very quickly. It's actually one of the best that I've watched.
My experience years ago was to drill lots of big holes in the pipe from one end to the other like a french drain pipe before installing and put more of the pipe into the pond in front of the dam. They try to stop up the end of the pipe like you cleaned out with the shovel but all of holes continues to drain the pond so they give up and abandon the dam.
If you need to know about beavers you need to watch, post 10. That guy is like the beaver dam clearing expert. He has tons of videos and has either tried or been involved with about every trick of the trade to outsmart the beavers. What works is either trapping or relocation, which somebody else does. He seems like a very nice guy, so I'm sure if you would contact him for his suggestions, he would be a good resource.
Yep, this was what I was going to say. You should tell Mike when post 10 says idiot with an excavator he's talking about operators clearing the clogged pipe with the machine and damaging it.
@@mrfingerlakes8735 Expert haha. Post 10 just pulls sticks out and rakes mud till the water starts flowing. It's not rocket science! And he trespasses on other people's land and infrastructure without permission. The guy in the video here is working on his own property.
After watching 50 of these clearing videos, this is the first one that addresses removing the material so they can't build back so easily! Great video.
Good morning Mike. Great job, both with removal and keeping the excavator from sinking. Although I'd have to admit, it would have made for a great video of Chris's reaction to it, or better yet, rescuing it. Lol Ed from Chicago 🙂
The pipe under the dam works, just have to do it different than what you did. Thinking you have the intake side to close to the dam for starters. Seen some people use multiple runs of 6" with the upstream ends at different distances from the dam. Some have used perforated piping also. Lots of videos on here about the various ways of trying to trick the pesky varmints. Also, they don't rebuild with the old dam material, they prefer fresh stuff.
@@robertbarnum7541 Size and number of pipes would depend on the amount of water inflow to the pond area, just like any other pond that one would build.
@@tomredmond I don't think that it matters much as long as it doesn't hold water. Small pipes with low water flow may keep the 'leak' under the beavers' radar. But I'm just making guesses here.
I have seen the "T" splice method at the end of the pipe ... it only fools them for a while, they seek current to plug (At least that is what I have read)
Hi Mike! This big dam removal might be a good place to try out the new dredging crane... Fun to watch! we will need a follow-up on Matt's idea... Ron...
Thank you for the video, it’s fun watching all these videos of people dealing with beavers, but I’m also sympathetic for the people trying to do away with these critters, they’re definitely smart S.O.B.S. I have only seen two ways to discourage them, one is to stand up 4x4 squared mesh fencing in a circle or square box with 2x4’s ponded in the mud to form a circle or box, but then you’ll have to clean the outside mesh every so often. Or dig out about two or three feet from the dam upstream and downstream of the center of the dam as deep as possible. Hope those suggestions make sense ? Another suggestion when tracking in and out to the creek pull down some of the dead trees and keep stacking them on top of one another, don’t pull them out or put mud on top of the logs, it will firm up the peat bog. I’m sure you already new this, but it’s a suggestion to keep in mind. I’ve had a 330 cat excavator on nasty nasty materials under my tracks before, it can be extremely sketchy at times but I enjoy trying to out smart the mud. Haha…. Thirty seven years experience running heavy equipment, most of those years was installing under ground utilities, sewer, water and storm pipe called wet utilities, I also dug trenches for dry utilities power, phone, gas and cable tv. Anyway thanks again for the video and best of luck with the beavers. *8-7-2023
Great video. I was in the Military in a Combat Engineer unit down at Ft. Bragg, we had a device for clearing paths through mine fields that consisted of about 500 yards of multiple 2lb C4 charges that were linked together as in a snake configuration. It was fired off in the direction needed by a single rocket that pulled the snake out of the trailer. Once it hit the ground it exploded and decimated everything. Would be interesting to see how that would work for clearing ditches🤣🤣. Great video content and very well executed.👍👍
You might try taking some 2x4 fencing and covering the pipe upstream. Don't put it directly across the end, make circle 8 or ten feet around the pipe entrance so they can easily plug the inlet. Now I have a question for you Mike, what was your "pucker factor" taking that new excavator into an area that might have gotten you seriously stuck? I'm guessing an 8 or 9. 🥵🥵🥵
Live trapping and relocating them to that national forest you have nearby might be the best thing for the beavers, assuming you can legally release them there. Their dams do provide habitat for plenty of aqadic and semi-aquadic species, as well, so the beavers are, if not overpopulated, also good for the bio diversity of the forest.
Several years ago the city where I live was convinced to live trap and relocate beavers from a major drainage through town and a few feeder creeks. W&P biologists and trappers tried to tell them ti wouldn’t work, but they went in and did the job relocating the animals 30 miles upstream and others 30 miles downstream on the Kansas river. All released beaver were tagged. Within 60 days the tagged beavers started showing up on the drainage again. Not all returned, but enough to make relocating within the same drainage system a failure.
@@pdm1289 impressive how well animals can navigate their way back like that, isn't it? When I made the original comment, I was unaware beavers would return from that far away. Sometimes you just have to terminate the root cause of the problem. I've a bit of a soft spot for beavers because of the above mentioned habitat thing. I spent many an enjoyable day fishing along a decent sized creek and in the many beaver ponds in its flood plane. Unfortunately, the land was owned by a rather unscrupulous timber company, so they wanted the beavers gone, so that they could get their logging equipment in. Note they bought it well aware of the condition of the land, the beavers didn't move in after they bought it. Between a few drier than normal years and the lack of beavers, they eventually succeeded, and made a big mess in the process (pretty much checking every one of the negative stereotypes of clearcutting and trying to add a few more besides. They cut down and bucked up a lot of decent sized trees that they just left in a big pile, instead of hauling out or even chipping up, many of which were native hardwoods, though some were native pines, and a few were both invase and generally considered useless. Oh well, it is always a balancing act between nature and human activities. Sometimes nature has to give way to human needs. After all, we're only doing what many other species, including beavers, do.. modifying the environment we live in to suit our needs, and at least humans are capable of considering the results of our actions and trying to minimize any negative consequences for other species. So, yeah, tl;dr of all this: see last sentence above. I was trying to think of the least harmful to the beavers method of dealing with the issue if they don't relocate after the dams were destroyed, because I acknowledge that it does need to be dealt with.
Definitely amazing how much damage they can cause and how quickly they can put a dam back. But you’re right about forcing them to relocate, because here in NY they will put tracking tags on them and relocate them hundreds of miles away, and eventually they will make it back to where their dam is.
Love the reference to Chris's excavator recovery skills as if you don't have the means & abilities yourself!😁Nice job with low impact removal for the land, river, & critters. Nice video.😊
Glad you were successful on 2 of the dams. Here in East Tennessee, the pesky creature's will use tiles to their advantage every time. They are nature's best architect's, and engineers! I have had most success with just keeping the dams torn out regularly, and my best tip is doing it the day before a flooding rain, because they seem to travel on down stream with the flood waters, before they get the dam built back. Good luck, and keep us informed. 👍
Great video. If you are persistent enough to encourage the beavers to 'relocate' on their own they'll find the nearest suitable unoccupied stream and set up house there... maybe on the next farm over. As you mentioned on the pipe install location it's amazing just how hard and fast they'll work to repair their home; if our homes get damaged we'll do the same thing and moving isn't the first thing we think of. It's too bad you lost a few acres to the second dam for a year but it goes to show they can figure out the lay of the land to get the largest area flooded with the least effort.
From have I've experienced, beavers won't re-use dead wood, so clearing out dams just means they'll search out more live wood to harvest. I think most folks use beaver traps and rifles to deal with them.
I've seen others put big metal baskets made of rebar or tomato cage material 3-4 ft round around the intake of the pipe that doesn't allow them to pack material around the pipe. They still try around the basket,but it's size still allows water through it.
When we had problems with beavers we used to do the same thing with the pipe but we put a 90 degree angle upward to control the water level and they can't figure out how to block it off
Being a beaver trapper from Alabama, the only way to get rid of them is to manage the population. A pair has 2-4 kits each year and they stay with the parents for two years before moving out and building their own home pond. A dead river I used to trap had 13 come out of it with two breeding females in a single season. As for the pipe, they will bury that pipe every night. You'll need something around the opening to keep it from getting blocked. A grate will not work because you'll give them something to build on and will really help their cause. Up north, they will build a fence around a pipe and it will keep the cleanings down to once a month or so but the best way to get rid of your beaver problem is to take the beavers out. Just my professional opinion.
@@BrockMorgan-x9x a longer pipe works on some jobs but smarter beavers will still find where the water is going out and stop it up. It's harder for them for sure but beavers will find a way
How long is your pipe and fences??? what are you talking about...never tried the pipes this will be our first... yep...we have to get the water down endangering the septic system... 6 beaver down ....
I've never had any luck with the pipe method. It'll work as long as you go periodically and unclog the end of the pipe like you did with the shovel. It's a constant running battle with those little boogers. I found out that they were more persistent than I was. Lol.
The traps are in my shed if you and Matt need them. Beaver are some hard workers, keeping feed trees cut back seems to help. Trapping always seems to be the best course of action in the end.
15:18 this pushing topsoil back would be a nice first project for your boy , nothing to damage far and wide and no risk of tipping over or making any damage
I think the intake was too close to the dam. I think if you had positioned more of the pipe on the intake side, it may have worked better. I like the shout out to Diesel Creek via the ball cap
The pipe trick didn’t work on my place until the third time I unplugged it. That said I was only using a 10” pipe. Matt’s ideas with the 24” may work better. They moved on downstream. Good luck, enjoyed watching someone else that shares the struggle with the fury little --.
We have beavers that clog up 60 in culverts here in Alaska. Unless you go supper sized with the pipe not much will stop them other then trapping/hunting. Manual removal of the animal is the only sure fired way.
Post 10 videos are interesting to watch as the colverts some mind you have metal structures that are extended outward of pipe ,that's easy to clear manually...
that third dam reminded me of something my father taught me when he was dealing with such things... before you take the dam out, make sure the water has somewhere to go... anotherwards, you might have to dig a ditch before ripping the dam out. Always fun watching the water flow after the dams are pulled. On the pipe, you might try to put a T on the intake side going vertical... put a cap on the top side with a few air holes.. leave the bottom open. Then as the water comes up, it will go in.. but the beavers have trouble plugging because then don't think about the bottom intake.. They may plug the air holes (but you still have a big one on the out side)..
Other way to try is to have the pipe pitch upward. That way the intake is always below the water. That is similar to how he said to put an angle on the discharge end. The beaver will not have water pouring over their dam, so they have no reason to build it higher.
I may have missed you mentioning this in the video, but at the M.E.D. installation I worked at, each successive step operated at a lower pressure to increase efficiency. Reducing the pressure cost less energy than adding heat. The entire installation ran on waste heat from the main process and the installation provided industrial distilled process water for a number of refineries and other chemical plants.
Everyone seems to have a different theory, but I've heard that beavers will not re-use old wood for their (Major) dams. Only new wood. They chew the tree down, eat the bark and use that log for their dams. It will be interesting to see how nature will take care of the rest on your property! Please give us an update a year from now. :)
I have found that Conibear 330s are an effective solution for repeat offenders of the beaver type! Problem we have in Alabama is that the beaver and the cottonmouths have a pact during the warm months--the beaver build the dams and the cottonmouths sunbathe on top of them. Kind of takes the fun out of setting traps in the warmer months.
So for the last few videos, I have been noticing that Matt has what appears to be a nice tar stain on his right arm. Did he manage to tar himself when fixing Farmer Chris's house? Also to go along with that he should have put some feathers on it if that is the case.
@@DirtPerfect Put another pipe on dam 3, make it extend away from the dam further upstream but make that extension have several big perforations in it. With the pipe you have there now, its so close , they can hear and feel the water rushing through it as they repair what you disturbed.
Unless you trap and relocate or dispose of them most will travel up to several hundred yards to get more trees to rebuild the dam. Also they will clog the pipe up if you install one.
i like matt's idea but with a slopped grate intake so fast water pushes the dam off the intake, and a valve at the other end of the pipe. you can either have a solar activation by water height so the pond can be 1m deep before it opens, and they are most active at night so only open in the ay, or the farmer can release the water when they choose. you could even have a small hose with impeller to start the flow when the valve opens.
I think the pipe is a good idea, but it needs to be much longer upstream and I think a larger diameter would help too. I think the inlet being farther away from the dam itself might not lend itself to being found so easily by the beavers. Also, it needs a way to keep the water from squirting and making noise. I think the trickling sound helps them know where to clog/dam it up.
its flow.... they do not hear it. they feel it. they can feel the movement of the water. i would do 2-3 smaller pipes that have large inlet covers/cages. standard is a 3 foot diameter 3-4 inch mesh. keep then from find the sport and gives to much surface area. also want a 2-3 feet of clearance under it for anything to fall down off the cage.
Pipes won't help you a bit. Beavers feel where the water is flowing, find even the smallest leaks, and plug them. Small pipes are plugged by them in minutes. A 20" pipe takes a bit longer, but even that can be plugged in one night by a beavercouple. Multiple small pipes may seem like a good idea, but if the dam lets too much water through, they simply go a bit upstream and build a new dam. This makes the pipes useless. The only thing that may stop the beavers is removing what they build the very next day. After some days, maybe a week, they will give up and move to another place. This is a lot of work though.
Mike, build a cage at the end of the pipe. It doesn't have to be elaborate. 4 T-post and some hog panel. Extend the box 4 feet in from of the pipe and make it at least 4 feet wide. There will not be enough current at the screen to make the beavers want to clog it.
Beavers are attracted to the sound of running water, I know sounds strange but a group of researches tested it by putting a speaker in a field close to a dam, the beavers buried the speaker with sticks and mud. So for the pipe idea to work you have to either prevent the sound of running water or prevent the the beavers from getting near the pipe or both. I think a long enough pipe and/or multiple pipes or a French Drain type setup would work, but that is just a guess because I've never tried to fight beavers.
Matt’s pipe ideas only work short term as the beaver are very sensitive to moving water. The other problem is that beaver migrate out the older pups each spring. Good luck to you. You have years of work ahead of controlling the beaver!
Good ole bank beavers, they build their house (den) in the bank of the ditch. 20 minutes after you dig out the dam they're back investigating, beavers don't like the sound of running water. Two options, dig a trench across the dam about a foot deep and set a 330 conibear trap or a snare. Option two is dig a bigger hole and sit quietly on the bank with your weapon of choice and send them to the big beaver dam in the sky 🦫😇 Keep smilin and happy hunting
We have tried everything up here in Andover Maine. Grates on end of culvert . They just plug the grates. They were putting busted taillight parts and broken glass in the mud . Smart critters.
You might want to add about another 12 or 15 ft to the end of that pipe on the upstream side. The beavers don't like moving water so that's what they look for but if the pipe is far enough up stream they're not going to notice it they'll stay around their damn. I think your pipe is too close to the main damn and that's why they're stopping the end of it up.
my preferred method for beavers? high velocity copper coated hollow points. if you find the lodge i suppose you could use something like a Duke No. 330 Body Trap at the entrance. however there is usually more than 1 entrance.
Here in the east they have "beaver excluders" which are pretty much just a huge piece of well screen, with an overflow above the waters surface. Then the outlet stays under water on the other end. If the beavers don't hear moving water, they won't build a dam. There is a cage on the overflow to keep beavers from stuffing things in it. "Activists" go around destroying the cages, because they think they're traps. The DNR has to put signs on them explaining what they are.
I'd suggest studying some of Post 10's videos on beaver dam clearing and prevention. His drain/culvert clearing methods are pretty impressive. He likes a vee shaped barrier to keep the beaver debris down to a tolerable level.
Based on over 20 years of fighting with beavers and dams, Matt must of stumbled on some lazy beavers, because in my experience, they always figure out where the water is going and they plug it up. I have tried a version of Matt's suggestion and it worked for a while, but after about 6 months they plugged it up too. As far as removing material, they seem to go very long distance to get trees, at my place in northern MN, they will cut down and move wood 1/4 mile. As it is on private property, we have removed lots and lots of beavers over the years, but it seems like they are back every year 😠
Mike we have a massive beaver damn at our property in eastern Oklahoma. They’ve damned up two 72” pipes under a road. This common road folks have poured truckload after truckload of concrete around it to keep from losing the road. The water constantly flows over the road because of the beavers. Not a drop runs thru the 144” of pipe in the ground. If we lose the road we lose access to thousands of acres in our mountain get away, as well as cabins, hunting land, oil lease roads, etc. We actually tried 4lbs of tannerite to blow it out and let it flow. That’s enough to destroy a car into small pieces. It barely put a dent in this damn. I’ll be watching for more ideas! Trapping/hunting is the only option I see
I like the pipe idea, down side is the beavers around here (central indiana) will stop any water that they hear. We did a test and put a speaker of running water near a low spot in a creek and they started to build around the speaker. Kinda cool but it's. Yearly deal to just clean out the water.
Here in New York beavers are a huge problem. The state Dept. of Envriomental Conservation has the policy that relocation is the best means of ridding a location of the pests as long as the beaver is DEAD when relocated. The idea is if you just moove them the new location may not support their life so they may starve or find a worse place to inhabit."Lead poising is effective!!"
Mike, didn't think you did the same dredging as Chris (LetsDig18). Except Chris has mats to work from, not rotten logs. Just don't take Bubba Dump into that area. But that would be a great recovery video. Lmao.
Beavers store water and improve hydrologic (water) conditions. They increase water storage on the surface as ponds are created and increased in size. This water filters down into the water table and recharges groundwater too. In some places this increase in water storage helps keep streams running that might otherwise go dry in the summer. Beaver lakes/ponds help keep surrounding areas from drying up and becoming fuel for forest fires.
What your buddy is talking about is a real thing that the dnr does in beaver flood areas that would effect the roads in many states. I would say one very important thing to do when piping a beaver danm is to keep the mouth of the pipe ten to fifteen feet away from the damn, and add a dozen two inch holes to the first four to five feet. The beavers take longer to realize where their leak is but can't seal it off even if they plug the end . It also helps to stake in a bit of fencing over the pipe end tenting were the water goes in making it larger area they or nature has to plug.
One of the ways they know where to build is the feel the water flowing. If you dig out underneath the pipe a couple of feet and put a 90 pointed down they are less likely to feel the water moving. Get the intake well below acceptable water level.
😂thanks fir the post, this my first time seeing a tractor being use like this way. Im uswd to seeing cleaning duchtes around my part of da wooods . Keep them open , from clinch county swap people😂😂
The pipe trick works used to do some work at a farm beavers kept building a damn under a bridge for the main driveway so they took the dam out and put in a pipe and it worked
We have used culverts with a 6-8' extended end with several holes drilled in the sides like a sieve. In the past they blocked the end but could not figure out how to block all the holes on the sides of the culvert.
It’s great to see the outcomes of this project. Trapping is your best option to rid the beavers.
NYA Millinial is full of it. Them Beavers will block the pipe in a heartbeat. Sorry Matt.
Love the aerial view aspect. Didn't realize how big the farm really is.
Perforated pipe is the key. Put a couple lengths together with most of it upstream of the dam. As you saw, the beavers can figure out real quick to plug up the end of a non-perforated pipe but if you use perforated, they won't know where to begin. Not sure if large culvert can be bought perforated, but a spade bit and a little time will do the trick. We used 4" black perforated like you find in the big box stores, 'cause ours was a smaller creek we were trying to deal with. We put 3 lenghts together; again, with most of it upstream of the dam. This was over 30 years ago and it was months and months before the beavers could create another effective dam there.
Hello from down under no beavers here, I like the way you explained why the critters build their dams and to what purpose.
Yeah I'm an Aussie too, fascinating stuff. I feel a bit sorry for the beavers though, damn softie! Like your username:)
The drone footage really shows the scale of the damage these critters cause.
This is the second video I've ever seen of dirt perfect, I never thought I would see it again 👍😊
Your skill with that excavator is a joy to behold! I have years of experience battling beavers in the Adirondacks of NY. As others have said, much longer pipe, cap the upstream end, and drill 1-2” holes along the upstream run.
Thanks
This brings back memories. I helped my uncle use a backhoe to remove a huge beaver dam with the same results you got basically. They rebuilt most of what we tore out every night. My uncle finally got the bright idea to tear the dam out again and park the backhoe in the opening to spook them off. We showed up the next morning to find a dam built around the backhoe. It was hilarious! Talk about being stuck! I thought we'd never get that thing out! We finally pulled it out with a D6. I laughed so hard I thought I might die! Great video! 🤣😂
LoL that was a good story them beavers said (we will show you not to mess with our dam damn LoL)
You use hoe and beaver in same paragraph and didnt get flagged by YT
A VERY HILARIOUS 🤭😄😁😆🤣😂 story!
It is staggering how much damage Beavers cause, watching the distance views of the difference you make with your machines is fascinating. That last one I was amazed at how much damage from the backed up water, so many dead trees. Good job
Good morning hope you and your family are having a great New Year
Great episode, your title is accurate. I was expecting your to sink that excavator but glad you didn't. I enjoy all your videos, best dirt channel on RUclips, especially the banter back and forth.
At some point I finally realized that trapping them out was the only long term fix.
I'd love to see future updates on this, mainly on the long-term progress of draining and drying out the large area impacted by the third beaver dam. Thanks!
Video posted thanks
What does beaver 🤔😳 taste like? Plan “B” .
@@dstevens7614 not as gamey as skunk.. but better than owl or chicken hawk.
@dstevens7614 very greasey.
Only thing is, he removed the used materials and left the stuff that they use.
I have seen some pipe installations work by having the intake end of the pipe suspended in the water, and on the underside of the pipe drill multiple holes. This way, the beavers may dam the end of the pipe but water can still flow through the holes on the underside of the pipe. That might be worth a try.
Given that RUclips is full of beaver dam removal videos, I'm going to predict that this will go viral very quickly. It's actually one of the best that I've watched.
Thanks
My experience years ago was to drill lots of big holes in the pipe from one end to the other like a french drain pipe before installing and put more of the pipe into the pond in front of the dam. They try to stop up the end of the pipe like you cleaned out with the shovel but all of holes continues to drain the pond so they give up and abandon the dam.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and videos. Always nice to see your plans come together. Wishing you and your family the best.
Thank you, enjoyed the time outdoors with you😊
You definitely know your machines! Takes some big stones (and experience) to walk that out there on top of pudding! Keep up the great work 👍
If you need to know about beavers you need to watch, post 10. That guy is like the beaver dam clearing expert. He has tons of videos and has either tried or been involved with about every trick of the trade to outsmart the beavers. What works is either trapping or relocation, which somebody else does. He seems like a very nice guy, so I'm sure if you would contact him for his suggestions, he would be a good resource.
Yep, this was what I was going to say. You should tell Mike when post 10 says idiot with an excavator he's talking about operators clearing the clogged pipe with the machine and damaging it.
Also talks about how beavers never re-use material. Always get fresh stuff
@@peterkitts8815 I have observed that on my property, the suff I pull out and set aside never gets used again. Sort of odd, but true.
Definitely they should get in touch with post 10 on this he’s the expert on Beaver activity and how to unclog culverts
@@mrfingerlakes8735 Expert haha. Post 10 just pulls sticks out and rakes mud till the water starts flowing. It's not rocket science! And he trespasses on other people's land and infrastructure without permission. The guy in the video here is working on his own property.
Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a new pair of mittens!
Tannerite! Best Beaver dam buster!👍
After watching 50 of these clearing videos, this is the first one that addresses removing the material so they can't build back so easily! Great video.
Good morning Mike.
Great job, both with removal and keeping the excavator from sinking.
Although I'd have to admit, it would have made for a great video of Chris's reaction to it, or better yet, rescuing it. Lol
Ed from Chicago 🙂
That would have got a lot of views for both of them! LOL
The pipe under the dam works, just have to do it different than what you did. Thinking you have the intake side to close to the dam for starters.
Seen some people use multiple runs of 6" with the upstream ends at different distances from the dam.
Some have used perforated piping also.
Lots of videos on here about the various ways of trying to trick the pesky varmints.
Also, they don't rebuild with the old dam material, they prefer fresh stuff.
How about longish runs of 4" perforated pipe?
Perforated pipe does sound. Like a good idea !
@@robertbarnum7541 Size and number of pipes would depend on the amount of water inflow to the pond area, just like any other pond that one would build.
@@tomredmond I don't think that it matters much as long as it doesn't hold water. Small pipes with low water flow may keep the 'leak' under the beavers' radar. But I'm just making guesses here.
I have seen the "T" splice method at the end of the pipe ... it only fools them for a while, they seek current to plug (At least that is what I have read)
Hi Mike! This big dam removal might be a good place to try out the new dredging crane... Fun to watch! we will need a follow-up on Matt's idea... Ron...
Thank you for the video, it’s fun watching all these videos of people dealing with beavers, but I’m also sympathetic for the people trying to do away with these critters, they’re definitely smart S.O.B.S. I have only seen two ways to discourage them, one is to stand up 4x4 squared mesh fencing in a circle or square box with 2x4’s ponded in the mud to form a circle or box, but then you’ll have to clean the outside mesh every so often. Or dig out about two or three feet from the dam upstream and downstream of the center of the dam as deep as possible. Hope those suggestions make sense ? Another suggestion when tracking in and out to the creek pull down some of the dead trees and keep stacking them on top of one another, don’t pull them out or put mud on top of the logs, it will firm up the peat bog. I’m sure you already new this, but it’s a suggestion to keep in mind. I’ve had a 330 cat excavator on nasty nasty materials under my tracks before, it can be extremely sketchy at times but I enjoy trying to out smart the mud. Haha…. Thirty seven years experience running heavy equipment, most of those years was installing under ground utilities, sewer, water and storm pipe called wet utilities, I also dug trenches for dry utilities power, phone, gas and cable tv. Anyway thanks again for the video and best of luck with the beavers. *8-7-2023
Great video. I was in the Military in a Combat Engineer unit down at Ft. Bragg, we had a device for clearing paths through mine fields that consisted of about 500 yards of multiple 2lb C4 charges that were linked together as in a snake configuration. It was fired off in the direction needed by a single rocket that pulled the snake out of the trailer. Once it hit the ground it exploded and decimated everything. Would be interesting to see how that would work for clearing ditches🤣🤣. Great video content and very well executed.👍👍
Sounds like a great way to build a ditch!
Beaver dam removal and DP, I have reached peak RUclips. 🙀🤣
You might try taking some 2x4 fencing and covering the pipe upstream. Don't put it directly across the end, make circle 8 or ten feet around the pipe entrance so they can easily plug the inlet.
Now I have a question for you Mike, what was your "pucker factor" taking that new excavator into an area that might have gotten you seriously stuck? I'm guessing an 8 or 9. 🥵🥵🥵
Live trapping and relocating them to that national forest you have nearby might be the best thing for the beavers, assuming you can legally release them there. Their dams do provide habitat for plenty of aqadic and semi-aquadic species, as well, so the beavers are, if not overpopulated, also good for the bio diversity of the forest.
Several years ago the city where I live was convinced to live trap and relocate beavers from a major drainage through town and a few feeder creeks. W&P biologists and trappers tried to tell them ti wouldn’t work, but they went in and did the job relocating the animals 30 miles upstream and others 30 miles downstream on the Kansas river. All released beaver were tagged. Within 60 days the tagged beavers started showing up on the drainage again. Not all returned, but enough to make relocating within the same drainage system a failure.
@@pdm1289 impressive how well animals can navigate their way back like that, isn't it? When I made the original comment, I was unaware beavers would return from that far away. Sometimes you just have to terminate the root cause of the problem.
I've a bit of a soft spot for beavers because of the above mentioned habitat thing. I spent many an enjoyable day fishing along a decent sized creek and in the many beaver ponds in its flood plane. Unfortunately, the land was owned by a rather unscrupulous timber company, so they wanted the beavers gone, so that they could get their logging equipment in. Note they bought it well aware of the condition of the land, the beavers didn't move in after they bought it. Between a few drier than normal years and the lack of beavers, they eventually succeeded, and made a big mess in the process (pretty much checking every one of the negative stereotypes of clearcutting and trying to add a few more besides. They cut down and bucked up a lot of decent sized trees that they just left in a big pile, instead of hauling out or even chipping up, many of which were native hardwoods, though some were native pines, and a few were both invase and generally considered useless.
Oh well, it is always a balancing act between nature and human activities. Sometimes nature has to give way to human needs. After all, we're only doing what many other species, including beavers, do.. modifying the environment we live in to suit our needs, and at least humans are capable of considering the results of our actions and trying to minimize any negative consequences for other species.
So, yeah, tl;dr of all this: see last sentence above. I was trying to think of the least harmful to the beavers method of dealing with the issue if they don't relocate after the dams were destroyed, because I acknowledge that it does need to be dealt with.
Kill all beavers
Trap and relocate?
Trap and...well, you know.
It's good to have the heavy equipment to help!! I love your vidios keep them comming& you guys are funny😅😅😅
I love you your family, your sense of life and your operational skills and convo skills.
Thanks
Definitely amazing how much damage they can cause and how quickly they can put a dam back. But you’re right about forcing them to relocate, because here in NY they will put tracking tags on them and relocate them hundreds of miles away, and eventually they will make it back to where their dam is.
Wow! The drone camera work is getting really good. Even when you’re tracking across the field your flying the drone. Nice work
Love the reference to Chris's excavator recovery skills as if you don't have the means & abilities yourself!😁Nice job with low impact removal for the land, river, & critters. Nice video.😊
@letsdig18 called out, any comment?
Glad you were successful on 2 of the dams. Here in East Tennessee, the pesky creature's will use tiles to their advantage every time. They are nature's best architect's, and engineers! I have had most success with just keeping the dams torn out regularly, and my best tip is doing it the day before a flooding rain, because they seem to travel on down stream with the flood waters, before they get the dam built back. Good luck, and keep us informed. 👍
Great video. If you are persistent enough to encourage the beavers to 'relocate' on their own they'll find the nearest suitable unoccupied stream and set up house there... maybe on the next farm over. As you mentioned on the pipe install location it's amazing just how hard and fast they'll work to repair their home; if our homes get damaged we'll do the same thing and moving isn't the first thing we think of. It's too bad you lost a few acres to the second dam for a year but it goes to show they can figure out the lay of the land to get the largest area flooded with the least effort.
I’d be so nervous out there not knowing if the machine is going to stay on top of the ground. Great job Mr. DP
From have I've experienced, beavers won't re-use dead wood, so clearing out dams just means they'll search out more live wood to harvest. I think most folks use beaver traps and rifles to deal with them.
I've seen others put big metal baskets made of rebar or tomato cage material 3-4 ft round around the intake of the pipe that doesn't allow them to pack material around the pipe. They still try around the basket,but it's size still allows water through it.
When we had problems with beavers we used to do the same thing with the pipe but we put a 90 degree angle upward to control the water level and they can't figure out how to block it off
Being a beaver trapper from Alabama, the only way to get rid of them is to manage the population. A pair has 2-4 kits each year and they stay with the parents for two years before moving out and building their own home pond. A dead river I used to trap had 13 come out of it with two breeding females in a single season. As for the pipe, they will bury that pipe every night. You'll need something around the opening to keep it from getting blocked. A grate will not work because you'll give them something to build on and will really help their cause. Up north, they will build a fence around a pipe and it will keep the cleanings down to once a month or so but the best way to get rid of your beaver problem is to take the beavers out. Just my professional opinion.
How about making your pipe longer
@@BrockMorgan-x9x a longer pipe works on some jobs but smarter beavers will still find where the water is going out and stop it up. It's harder for them for sure but beavers will find a way
How long is your pipe and fences??? what are you talking about...never tried the pipes this will be our first... yep...we have to get the water down endangering the septic system... 6 beaver down ....
Mike and Matt very interesting video! Seems like the beavers are trying to keep up with you! Thanks for sharing! Kevin
Thanks for watching
Rochester, NY Kevin Kenyon?? (David, Don,Dennis and Dale)
I've never had any luck with the pipe method. It'll work as long as you go periodically and unclog the end of the pipe like you did with the shovel. It's a constant running battle with those little boogers. I found out that they were more persistent than I was. Lol.
@NAM CBEO lol, yes it is.
I have seen some people use the perforated drain pipe, like 4" with the 3/4" holes in it, that is usually too much for them to figure out.
All I’m seeing is the big buck potential on that amazing property. Green with envy.
HI I liked the way of the big machines , although I really enjoy the dams Ive watched being removed by hand its like raw energy.💪💪💪
The traps are in my shed if you and Matt need them. Beaver are some hard workers, keeping feed trees cut back seems to help. Trapping always seems to be the best course of action in the end.
Thanks buddy
15:18 this pushing topsoil back would be a nice first project for your boy , nothing to damage far and wide and no risk of tipping over or making any damage
You guys are a great team. Arguments to a fantastic solution.
Thanks
I think the intake was too close to the dam. I think if you had positioned more of the pipe on the intake side, it may have worked better. I like the shout out to Diesel Creek via the ball cap
Trick's of the Trade, It's called, Beaver in Teriyaki Sauce!
The pipe trick didn’t work on my place until the third time I unplugged it. That said I was only using a 10” pipe. Matt’s ideas with the 24” may work better. They moved on downstream. Good luck, enjoyed watching someone else that shares the struggle with the fury little --.
We have beavers that clog up 60 in culverts here in Alaska. Unless you go supper sized with the pipe not much will stop them other then trapping/hunting. Manual removal of the animal is the only sure fired way.
They will clog Mr. Millennial's pipe with time. You just got water fowl 🦆 dam scammed
Post 10 videos are interesting to watch as the colverts some mind you have metal structures that are extended outward of pipe ,that's easy to clear manually...
Check out post10 videos. He is constantly unclogging what the beavers keep clogging. I love watching him destroy their dams in culverts.
I came here to see if #Post10 was mentioned. Looks like a good chance for a beaver deceiver collaboration.
I love Post 10, he always has good video's, he's always cleaning up those racks form Beavers.
So do I, dude gets to it hands first I'd be to skeptical.
This makes me laugh so hard to see that post 10 was mentioned on this video.
But why won't Post 10 defend homosexual special rights ?
He's proven collusion and denies playing nigbomb for Hillary. What do we expect ?
that third dam reminded me of something my father taught me when he was dealing with such things... before you take the dam out, make sure the water has somewhere to go... anotherwards, you might have to dig a ditch before ripping the dam out. Always fun watching the water flow after the dams are pulled. On the pipe, you might try to put a T on the intake side going vertical... put a cap on the top side with a few air holes.. leave the bottom open. Then as the water comes up, it will go in.. but the beavers have trouble plugging because then don't think about the bottom intake.. They may plug the air holes (but you still have a big one on the out side)..
Other way to try is to have the pipe pitch upward. That way the intake is always below the water. That is similar to how he said to put an angle on the discharge end. The beaver will not have water pouring over their dam, so they have no reason to build it higher.
Agree. Always better to start at the bottom and work towards the water with trenching and vegetation clearance.
Trapper J has taken out a couple dams in spectacular fashion. One he used 50lbs of Tannerite ! Cool video guys 3 in one video is great.
I may have missed you mentioning this in the video, but at the M.E.D. installation I worked at, each successive step operated at a lower pressure to increase efficiency. Reducing the pressure cost less energy than adding heat. The entire installation ran on waste heat from the main process and the installation provided industrial distilled process water for a number of refineries and other chemical plants.
Everyone seems to have a different theory, but I've heard that beavers will not re-use old wood for their (Major) dams. Only new wood. They chew the tree down, eat the bark and use that log for their dams. It will be interesting to see how nature will take care of the rest on your property! Please give us an update a year from now. :)
I have found that Conibear 330s are an effective solution for repeat offenders of the beaver type! Problem we have in Alabama is that the beaver and the cottonmouths have a pact during the warm months--the beaver build the dams and the cottonmouths sunbathe on top of them. Kind of takes the fun out of setting traps in the warmer months.
Yikes..! “i don’t like spiders & and snakes”…
So for the last few videos, I have been noticing that Matt has what appears to be a nice tar stain on his right arm. Did he manage to tar himself when fixing Farmer Chris's house? Also to go along with that he should have put some feathers on it if that is the case.
Lol stay tuned
😂 👍
@@DirtPerfect Put another pipe on dam 3, make it extend away from the dam further upstream but make that extension have several big perforations in it. With the pipe you have there now, its so close , they can hear and feel the water rushing through it as they repair what you disturbed.
LOLOLOL so sorry to laugh but your comment is priceless...the feathers got me hahaha
@@warrenmichael918 excellent suggestion!
Love your excavator work. Great videos when you’ll were clearing the new place.
Unless you trap and relocate or dispose of them most will travel up to several hundred yards to get more trees to rebuild the dam. Also they will clog the pipe up if you install one.
i like matt's idea but with a slopped grate intake so fast water pushes the dam off the intake, and a valve at the other end of the pipe. you can either have a solar activation by water height so the pond can be 1m deep before it opens, and they are most active at night so only open in the ay, or the farmer can release the water when they choose. you could even have a small hose with impeller to start the flow when the valve opens.
I think the pipe is a good idea, but it needs to be much longer upstream and I think a larger diameter would help too. I think the inlet being farther away from the dam itself might not lend itself to being found so easily by the beavers. Also, it needs a way to keep the water from squirting and making noise. I think the trickling sound helps them know where to clog/dam it up.
its flow.... they do not hear it. they feel it. they can feel the movement of the water. i would do 2-3 smaller pipes that have large inlet covers/cages. standard is a 3 foot diameter 3-4 inch mesh. keep then from find the sport and gives to much surface area. also want a 2-3 feet of clearance under it for anything to fall down off the cage.
Pipes won't help you a bit. Beavers feel where the water is flowing, find even the smallest leaks, and plug them. Small pipes are plugged by them in minutes. A 20" pipe takes a bit longer, but even that can be plugged in one night by a beavercouple.
Multiple small pipes may seem like a good idea, but if the dam lets too much water through, they simply go a bit upstream and build a new dam. This makes the pipes useless.
The only thing that may stop the beavers is removing what they build the very next day. After some days, maybe a week, they will give up and move to another place.
This is a lot of work though.
find yourself a good trapper . Most people dont have 500k worth of equipment.
I have seen beavers block a 6’ pipe no problem.
@@joeldurheim5831 Cool. I’ve seen them block bigger. 🤷
Mike, build a cage at the end of the pipe. It doesn't have to be elaborate. 4 T-post and some hog panel. Extend the box 4 feet in from of the pipe and make it at least 4 feet wide. There will not be enough current at the screen to make the beavers want to clog it.
Awesome Work Guys, didn't realize how big the farm was its Massive
I don't know anybody who doesn't love me from Beaver Dam Bus videos would love to see more
Beavers are attracted to the sound of running water, I know sounds strange but a group of researches tested it by putting a speaker in a field close to a dam, the beavers buried the speaker with sticks and mud. So for the pipe idea to work you have to either prevent the sound of running water or prevent the the beavers from getting near the pipe or both. I think a long enough pipe and/or multiple pipes or a French Drain type setup would work, but that is just a guess because I've never tried to fight beavers.
Matt’s pipe ideas only work short term as the beaver are very sensitive to moving water. The other problem is that beaver migrate out the older pups each spring. Good luck to you. You have years of work ahead of controlling the beaver!
There’s a joke somewhere in that comment😂
It’s very easy to control beavers…..utilize a tool in the 6.5 creedmoor variance and they’ll never come back😂
@@black07rr i use one in the 9.5 x 6 variety
Good ole bank beavers, they build their house (den) in the bank of the ditch. 20 minutes after you dig out the dam they're back investigating, beavers don't like the sound of running water. Two options, dig a trench across the dam about a foot deep and set a 330 conibear trap or a snare. Option two is dig a bigger hole and sit quietly on the bank with your weapon of choice and send them to the big beaver dam in the sky
🦫😇 Keep smilin and happy hunting
We have tried everything up here in Andover Maine. Grates on end of culvert . They just plug the grates. They were putting busted taillight parts and broken glass in the mud . Smart critters.
good one well done guy's I do not know how i missed this one
You might want to add about another 12 or 15 ft to the end of that pipe on the upstream side. The beavers don't like moving water so that's what they look for but if the pipe is far enough up stream they're not going to notice it they'll stay around their damn. I think your pipe is too close to the main damn and that's why they're stopping the end of it up.
my preferred method for beavers? high velocity copper coated hollow points.
if you find the lodge i suppose you could use something like a Duke No. 330 Body Trap at the entrance. however there is usually more than 1 entrance.
Here in the east they have "beaver excluders" which are pretty much just a huge piece of well screen, with an overflow above the waters surface. Then the outlet stays under water on the other end. If the beavers don't hear moving water, they won't build a dam. There is a cage on the overflow to keep beavers from stuffing things in it. "Activists" go around destroying the cages, because they think they're traps. The DNR has to put signs on them explaining what they are.
Activists would remember not to to come back if I caught them on my property!
@@thomasleonard1846 idiot
Post 10 have explained that on video at beaver "sancutary"
@@TwoAcresandaMule speak for yourself! And try not to get caught on my property!
@@RickyCervo He knows his stuff for sure on Beavers.
I'd suggest studying some of Post 10's videos on beaver dam clearing and prevention. His drain/culvert clearing methods are pretty impressive. He likes a vee shaped barrier to keep the beaver debris down to a tolerable level.
243 works pretty good
Based on over 20 years of fighting with beavers and dams, Matt must of stumbled on some lazy beavers, because in my experience, they always figure out where the water is going and they plug it up. I have tried a version of Matt's suggestion and it worked for a while, but after about 6 months they plugged it up too.
As far as removing material, they seem to go very long distance to get trees, at my place in northern MN, they will cut down and move wood 1/4 mile. As it is on private property, we have removed lots and lots of beavers over the years, but it seems like they are back every year 😠
Mike we have a massive beaver damn at our property in eastern Oklahoma. They’ve damned up two 72” pipes under a road. This common road folks have poured truckload after truckload of concrete around it to keep from losing the road. The water constantly flows over the road because of the beavers. Not a drop runs thru the 144” of pipe in the ground. If we lose the road we lose access to thousands of acres in our mountain get away, as well as cabins, hunting land, oil lease roads, etc. We actually tried 4lbs of tannerite to blow it out and let it flow. That’s enough to destroy a car into small pieces. It barely put a dent in this damn. I’ll be watching for more ideas! Trapping/hunting is the only option I see
If you thought that little culvert pipe was going to work you haven't seen enough Post 10 videos! 😆
Those drone field flybys and around were cool. This video was off the beaten path but I really enjoyed it. Thanks DP. 👍
I like the pipe idea, down side is the beavers around here (central indiana) will stop any water that they hear. We did a test and put a speaker of running water near a low spot in a creek and they started to build around the speaker. Kinda cool but it's. Yearly deal to just clean out the water.
If you had your drag line you could just swing it over there just bring it all from one side
Here in New York beavers are a huge problem. The state Dept. of Envriomental Conservation has the policy that relocation is the best means of ridding a location of the pests as long as the beaver is DEAD when relocated. The idea is if you just moove them the new location may not support their life so they may starve or find a worse place to inhabit."Lead poising is effective!!"
Mike, didn't think you did the same dredging as Chris (LetsDig18). Except Chris has mats to work from, not rotten logs. Just don't take Bubba Dump into that area. But that would be a great recovery video. Lmao.
Unfortunately them or for beginners and a wast of money for us
Beavers store water and improve hydrologic (water) conditions. They increase water storage on the surface as ponds are created and increased in size. This water filters down into the water table and recharges groundwater too. In some places this increase in water storage helps keep streams running that might otherwise go dry in the summer. Beaver lakes/ponds help keep surrounding areas from drying up and becoming fuel for forest fires.
What your buddy is talking about is a real thing that the dnr does in beaver flood areas that would effect the roads in many states. I would say one very important thing to do when piping a beaver danm is to keep the mouth of the pipe ten to fifteen feet away from the damn, and add a dozen two inch holes to the first four to five feet. The beavers take longer to realize where their leak is but can't seal it off even if they plug the end . It also helps to stake in a bit of fencing over the pipe end tenting were the water goes in making it larger area they or nature has to plug.
I rip em out and come back 2 days later with a 12 pack and a 22mag and end it lol
Relocate the beavers to someone who wants them simple
Thanks - enjoyed the video near the scenic Ohio River!
Doing all you can, great work guys.
Try adding another section of pipe on the up stream side. That will move the water movement farther away from the dam. Just a thought...
Loved the planning. Building roads as you proceed, clever.
Must have been sweaty balls on second dig though 😅
That's a job and a half. Very Well Done.
One of the ways they know where to build is the feel the water flowing. If you dig out underneath the pipe a couple of feet and put a 90 pointed down they are less likely to feel the water moving. Get the intake well below acceptable water level.
😂thanks fir the post, this my first time seeing a tractor being use like this way. Im uswd to seeing cleaning duchtes around my part of da wooods . Keep them open , from clinch county swap people😂😂
The pipe trick works used to do some work at a farm beavers kept building a damn under a bridge for the main driveway so they took the dam out and put in a pipe and it worked
A great video 📹 of the landscape. A good job removing the dams. Good show 👏 👍 😊😅.
Thanks
We have used culverts with a 6-8' extended end with several holes drilled in the sides like a sieve. In the past they blocked the end but could not figure out how to block all the holes on the sides of the culvert.