Critter in Lake Farmington

I'm just about sure it is a young beaver. I saw him swimming while I was in the yard and took this bad video, which at least verifies that I wasn't dreaming.

He swam right to the place where the last beaver lived. I set a large Havahart trap at water's edge after paddling around the lake in search of nibbled trees. I saw none, but there were a couple of branches in the water at what is probably the lodge, just to the east of our property boundary.

I only saw a few trees that would be appetizing if I were a beaver, I think. They like birch, aspen, cottonwood, and others. Last time they took my new cedar ($400) and when Hummels lived next door they took about $1,000 of new ornamental trees. Jim shot that one and he bobbed up at the end of the lake in 3 days (the beaver, not Jim Hummel).

I have some critter control materials which I bought last year in our battle versus woodpeckers and squirrels which may be effective applicable deterrents. If anyone has trees they are worried about, they may try these.

George Dorner
847 438-5309

george@dorners.net

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Pets & Animals

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• Critter

[BipolarAyatollah]

Might be a muskrat. They eat vegetation, but not trees, and resemble a small beaver while swimming. Their tail is more rat-like, though, not flat like a beaver's.