Trail Cam - Missing then found

[Don K]

Well I just have to share this story with you as Im thinking you all will enjoy it as much as I did when I was there.

I was hunting a buddy\'s farm last week and he runs a bunch of trail cameras on it. Friday night when we where done hunting he tells me on the way in we are switching out some SD cards as he hasn\'t checked them in a couple weeks. So, off we go on his Polaris Ranger and stops at a couple cameras along this long bean field changing cards as we go. He says I got one more on other end of this bean field and we run over there and he pulls up and stop and starts freaking out. \" My Camera, its gone!! WTH the tree.... the tree it is was on is gone!!\" I\'m like OK quit messing with me, but he continues to freak out. So I pull out my flashlight and low and behold there is a stump about 12 inches tall maybe 18 inches in diameter that looks likes someone took a hatchet to it. Upon closer look I see wood chips headed down this trail and we start walking down this trail. About 15 yards in we find his camera laying there with the housing broken and it hits us.

A Beaver came in and completely took the tree, its gone. Putting the SD card in the computer he has 22 videos of this thing taking the tree down and removing it over two nights. Camera turns on and tree falls over with camera pointing at ground about a foot off. Then the camera proceeds to take multiple videos of this thing removing the branches and then the tree getting drug to the creek (30 yards away) You can hear him chewing on the tree, see multiple branches getting drug by.

It is so funny I busted a gut for a couple days and the look on my buddy\'s face was priceless

 

[cohunter14]

That is hysterical!!! :haha:

 

[bowhunter]

That is a good story. Wow what are the odds of that happening. :haha: :haha: :haha:

 

[bnsafe]

amazing

 

[mandrroofing]

Lol! !

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[Don K]

Was back on my buddy\'s farm this last 4 days and this beaver is causing havoc all along the creek, Hes going to have to do something with it or hes gonna loose a lot of trees

 

[WW]

Furbearer season should be in about now in Illinois. Maybe your friend needs to contact a trapper to thin them out.

 

[Don K]

He is heading out there this weekend and taking the beaver dam apart and is going to stand watch to see if there are any moving. He has a local trapper that he has contacted and the wheels are in motion.

 

[cnelk]

Read this....

********

This is a copy of an actual letter sent to Ryan DeVries, from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan. Wait till you read this guy?s response ? but read the entire letter before you get to the response.

Mr. Ryan DeVries
2088 Dagget
Pierson, MI 49339
SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;

Site Location: Montcalm County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department?s files shows that no permits have been issued.

Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted.

The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2002.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative
Land and Water Management Division


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESPONSE:

Dear Mr. Price,

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;
Montcalm County

Reference your certified letter dated 12/17/2000 has been referred to me to respond to. First of all, Mr. Ryan De Vries is not the legal landowner and/or contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan.

I am the legal owner and a couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood ?debris? dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond.

While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natural building materials ?debris.? I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam
activity. My first dam question to you is: (1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers? or, (2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of P! art 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.3010,1 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, annotated. I have several concerns. My first concern is aren?t the beavers entitled to legal representation?

The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation ? so the State will have to provide them with a lawyer.

The Department?s dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing flooding is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harrass them and call their dam names. If you want the stream ?restored? to a dam free-flow condition ? please contact the beavers ? but if you are going to arrest them they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter (being unable to read English).

In my humble ! opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam right than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers? Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2002 The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then, and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality (health) problem in the area. It is the bears.
Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone.

If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears are not careful where they dump!)

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your answering machine, I am sending this response to your office via another government organization ? the USPS. Maybe, someday, it will get there.

Sincerely,
Stephen L. Tvedten
The University of Texas at: Austin
Office Community Relations/Accounting unit
P.O. Box 7367
Austin, TX 78713

 

[Don K]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[cohunter14]

:haha: :haha: :haha: That is awesome!

 

[WW]

Thanks Brad: (an oldie but goodie) :tease: