Tom, I can not set traps in this area. That was what Fish and Game first wanted me to do. During the day people are there picnicing, boating, swimming, walking their dogs, riding bikes, skating, everything. When I set traps, they were either sprung, or stolen, plus the risk of catching dogs and kids is too great. Think of a kid or the family pet in a 330 conibear. They built a beautiful park beside the Flood Control Project that protects Fairbanks from flooding by the Chena river. The huge gravel pits that was used for fill for the dyke makes two nice lakes, that are stocked with fish. During the summer the park is packed with local families and tourist. So there is loads of people there all summer. Yet the Army Corps wants the beaver gone. They can not allow the beaver to build dams on the overflow channels of the Flood Control Project. Beaver move from the Chena river into the nearby lakes. Then they find the overflow channels.
So in the evening after everyone is in camp for the night, and not walking the trails along the overflow channels. I take my rifle and take a walk, just before dark. The channels varies in depth from six inches to six feet. There is a very small flow, from ground water seeping in. If I make a bad shot and the Beaver dives, it will float in two hours after the gases build up. But if I hit that little spot in the back of the head about the size of a thumbnail, it floats. A small fishing rod and a Bass Plug is all it takes to not get my feet wet.
