Have a Beaver Problem?

Resolving Types of Damage:

• Flooding
• Tree Girdling
• Damage to Small Ponds

Options for Removing Beavers and Dams:

Beaver Management Assistance Program (BMAP) – Property owners in participating counties can get assistance with beaver damage problems through this program. Learn more about BMAP and see if your county is participating here.

Trapping – Trapping is the most effective and practical method for beaver population control and management.

• You must follow all applicable state laws and regulations. Beaver cannot be live-trapped and relocated in North Carolina. Trapped beavers must be released on site or euthanized.
• During the beaver trapping season (Nov. 1 through March 31):
  • In many cases, landowners need to do no more than contact a local trapper to trap beavers. Many trappers will be happy to trap beavers during the regular trapping season, especially if they receive permission to harvest other furbearer species on the property as well. A licensed trapper can be given permission to trap beaver on private property during the trapping season (November 1 – March 31) and utilize the resource by selling the pelts.
  • A landowner can trap on his/her own land without a trapping license. However, you must follow all trapping laws.
• Outside the beaver trapping season (Apr. 1-Oct. 31):
  • A depredation permit is not required for beaver population control for landowners whose property has been damaged by beaver. Landowners may obtain assistance from other persons in taking the depredating beaver by giving those persons permission to take beaver on the landowner's property. (G.S. 113-291.9).  Those providing assistance do not need a hunting or trapping license, provided they are not selling any parts from beaver removed.  Those providing assistance must have permission from the landowner to hunt or trap.
• For assistance:
  • Click here for a list of licensed trappers
  • Click here for a list of Wildlife Control Agents (WCA)
  • Click here to learn basic beaver trapping techniques
  • Click here for best management practices (BMPs) for beaver trapping

​Shooting – There is an open season for taking beaver with firearms or archery equipment throughout the year. Permission must be obtained from the owner or lessee of the land on which the beaver is being taken.  A hunting license is not required when shooting beaver that have caused property damage. However, shooting of beaver not causing damage does require a valid license AND permission from the landowner or lessee if on another's property.  

Dam Removal - Beaver dams may be removed or breached to restore normal water level and stream flow. Dams must be removed with permission from the landowner on whose land the dam is located.

Beaver Lodges - It is illegal to disturb an active beaver lodge. The lodge is a separate structure from the dam. If the lodge must be disturbed to assist in resolving a conflict, contact NCWRC for a permit to do so.

A Note about Bounties - Bounty programs are often seen as an ideal way to manage beaver problems, but create their own issues wherever they are adopted.

• Bounty programs are costly and easily abused. Beaver parts from other counties or even other states can cheaply be purchased online and submitted for payout.
• Bounty trapping removes the beavers that are most easily trapped, not necessarily the beavers that are causing problems; bounty trapping seldom, if ever, solves beaver damage problems. Even when beavers are trapped in an area where they are causing damage, one or more are usually left behind if they aren't trapped immediately.  Even one remaining beaver will rebuild and maintain a dam that is causing damage issues. Bounty trapping provides no incentive for trappers to remove all the beavers in a damaged area; they can receive more payout if they only trap in one area for a few days before moving on, when it often takes up to four weeks or more of trapping to halt beaver damage issues.
• Bounty programs potentially target 100% of beavers in a county when typically less than 10% are actually causing damage.  Many North Carolina residents appreciate and value the benefits beavers provide, and in some cases, removing beavers will not create any benefits to the landholder. Bounties promote indiscriminately removal of beavers, but beaver problems are only solved when removal efforts target the beaver(s) that are actually causing the problem. Whenever beavers are present, an informed decision should be made as to whether beaver removal is the best option.