Dam preventer instructions:
- Beavers build a dam.
- You don’t like the results.
- You tear out at least 6’ or so of the dam, ideally in the original creek channel if you know where that is.
- Set the dam preventer thing in the breach you just created. The pointy end is aimed upstream with the end of the point at least a little past the upstream edge of the dam.
- Beavers will repair the breach, but hard as they try, with that thing in midst of their dam, they’ve always got a sieve letting water through so their dam will never hold water.
- This frustrates the beavers and they move. If they move 20’, do it again as soon as they start.
- Keep screwing with them like this and it isn’t long before they give up and go elsewhere.
It was part of the beaver control plan, and quite effective.
And yes, the signs and paint serve two purposes. First, they help decent folks know where the lines are in areas where it legitimately isn’t obvious otherwise. There are some places I’m not sure where exactly the borders are without looking at the signs and paint. Second, at least here, if you don’t have conspicuous signs, law enforcement isn’t going to do anything to assist with controlling trespassers so if you want the option to control your borders, you need the signs.
As we have more development crop up around us, at some point we may need fences. Crossing a fence here is viewed much more harshly than “not noticing” a sign or paint marker as the “I honestly didn’t see it” defense doesn’t work. We’re not to the point of needing fencing… yet. Of course here we just deal with poachers, random ATV riders, and hikers. We don’t have the type border control issues y’all have in Texas.