Charlie Elk

pseudonym of a man

  • News
  • Think Pieces / Opinion
  • Turkey Hunting
    • Fall Turkey
    • Spring Turkey
    • turkey hunting tips
    • Stories
  • Humor
  • Deer Hunting
  • Willow Ridge Custom Turkey Calls

Beavers Eat and Store Corn

September 13, 2017 by Charlie 16 Comments

Beavers are known for their eating of trees, shrubs, and in particular fresh shoots of willow, poplar or birch.  While making my way back in the dark, I have cussed out the beavers for all the punji spikes they left behind.  As a courtesy, they should chew things off at ground level instead of midway between the ground and my shin.   Indeed, these admirable, engineering creatures have set all these punji booby traps in an attempt to impale an unwary passerby like me.  Beavers have done so much of this trap setting that I have started to take it personally.

You can imagine my surprise when the last week I encountered rows of corn cut off at the ground level and hauled down the slope into the beaver’s pond.

Closeup of corn stalk cut by a beaver.

So, I wondered where did the stalks go?

Hmm, a beaver slide with a corn stalk at the end.

Closer examination, yes, beaver tracks.

Looking back up to the corn field; apparently, some beavers have taken a liking to corn on the cob.

Further along, the pond’s shoreline revealed the beginnings of a classic beaver food cache.

Perhaps this farmer is going to be seeking a trapper’s services soon?

Surprised me, this is the first time I have seen beaver depredation on a corn field, even those areas which border water.  If this kind of plunder becomes wide spread, skilled trappers will be in demand. Any volunteer trappers?

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Related

Filed Under: News Tagged With: news

Comments

  1. WRC says

    September 13, 2017 at 7:27 pm

    Interesting, I’ve never heard of Beavers raiding a corn field! I suppose they can eat the stalks and the corn for a winter food source? I suppose they store the corn in their lodge so it will dry out?

    Reply
  2. FirstBubba says

    September 13, 2017 at 7:59 pm

    Can’t imagine that corn being worth much after a few days underwater!
    Maybe they’ve developed a “hankering” for some ‘shine for the larder! LOL!

    Reply
  3. N.C.L.W. says

    September 13, 2017 at 8:18 pm

    I always figured Beavers would get after whatever they could… Makes sense they’d chew it up if corn’s available to them. Still, I too have not personally seen such a thing before! Are they seriously taking significant crops out of the fields there?

    Reply
    • Charlie says

      September 14, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      I thought this might be an isolated incident. However, while discussing turkey hunting access with a farmer this morning he mentioned one of his corn fields along a creek was being attacked by beavers. In exchange for turkey hunting, I agreed to figure out a way to rid him of the beavers. A young lady in the area who loves to trap agreed to remove the beavers in exchange for a turkey dogging experience.

      Reply
  4. Tioughnioga says

    September 14, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    I’ve seen beaver trails going from the river into nearby cornfields and always wondered about them. Most I could ever figure was that maybe there was a pond back beyond the cornfield, or a slough of some sort within it, that they were going to and from. Interesting. Thanks for solving the mystery.

    Charlie, Mr. HuntFishTrap mentioned on Outdoor Life that you might do me the favor of passing on my email address to him. I am completely alright with that, if you don’t mind doing it.

    Thanks,
    Matt

    Reply
  5. huntfishtrap says

    September 17, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    I’m very surprised you hadn’t seen that before. Beavers are a major nuisance for the farmers who grow corn along rivers and larger creeks around here. Asking if you can trap them is usually met with an enthusiastic “Hell yes! Get em all!” Usually the damage is fairly minor when compared to raccoons or deer, but I have on occasion seen pretty large sections of cornfield cleared by beavers. Sometimes their feedbeds contain more corn stalks than tree branches.

    Reply
    • Charlie says

      September 22, 2017 at 9:10 pm

      That must be due to the very successful Iowa tree removal project. The sheer lack of trees requires the beavers to eat a low-quality diet of corn.

      Reply
      • huntfishtrap says

        September 23, 2017 at 12:05 pm

        Perhaps in part, but I’ve seen them eat corn even when there are trees available, including willows. It’s just part of their diet here.

        BTW charlie, your comment and new post notifications are not working. I’ve signed up for both of them multiple times (and confirmed my subscription when prompted to do so), but I only occasionally get notifications of new comments, and have never been notified of a new post.

        Reply
        • WRC says

          September 23, 2017 at 7:33 pm

          It’s probably your computer, the code isn’t set right to match up with Charlie’s site. My old Dell was that way? This puter allows it, so I get notifications for everything.

          Reply
        • Charlie says

          October 2, 2017 at 7:26 pm

          Have you checked your junk/ spam folder? Perhaps try whitelisting.

          Reply
          • huntfishtrap says

            October 5, 2017 at 4:14 pm

            I have, and they don’t show up there, either. I had checked the box “notify me of follow-up comments by email” when I made my original post, but I received no notification of the two above posts, either in my inbox or spam/junk.

          • Charlie says

            October 7, 2017 at 8:41 am

            Hmm, not sure how to fix that. Do you check the notification box for each comment?
            I’ll continue to try to figure out the problem. In the meantime check N.C.L.W. solution via daily visit. 🙂

          • Charlie says

            October 9, 2017 at 9:26 pm

            Additional research. Each time a commenter posts a comment they need to check the box for email notification. Below the post comment button check “Notify me of follow-up comments by email” and check “Notify me of new posts by email” Click both for notification.

          • N.C.L.W. says

            October 5, 2017 at 5:16 pm

            This is weird, I had a similar event once with the site previously. It was not an entire lack of notifications, yet some were not received.
            The solution I chose was to come back to the site here daily and look! Seems like notifications have been working again for me for awhile now.

            Also ~ I wish to add that my Turkey Season has returned! : D

          • Charlie says

            October 7, 2017 at 8:39 am

            Checking in daily is an excellent fix to any notification problem, and when I see substantial traffic on the site, it prods me to write some fresh posts. During hunting season there this tendency inside which pushes me to hunt in any spare minute available.
            Good luck turkey hunting.

  6. Kathy Eldred says

    November 24, 2021 at 1:51 pm

    2021 and we have never seen that before. We live on a river, the beavers have been our neighbors for several years. The corn field is on the opposite side from us. We had the highest water level in the river since 1972 at the end of October. Maybe the flooding changed something? Curious.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No other email will be sent to you.

comments

  • Justin on Bulllet Head Stamp Gallery
  • Kathy Eldred on Beavers Eat and Store Corn
  • Toney Jacob on Hunting Deer From the Ground in Wisconsin
  • Anthony Lumbard on Bulllet Head Stamp Gallery
  • Bryan Ash on Wild Turkeys See In Color; But Will Pink Spook Them?
  • Jim Sinquefield on How to Legally Bait Wild Turkeys

Top Posts

  • Wild Turkeys See In Color; But Will Pink Spook Them?
    Wild Turkeys See In Color; But Will Pink Spook Them?
  • How to Legally Bait Wild Turkeys
    How to Legally Bait Wild Turkeys
  • Velvet Trophy Shows His Stuff
    Velvet Trophy Shows His Stuff
  • What do Wild Turkeys Eat?  Crops tell the story
    What do Wild Turkeys Eat? Crops tell the story
  • When Do the Eggs of Hen Wild Turkey Start Developing?
    When Do the Eggs of Hen Wild Turkey Start Developing?

Recent Posts

  • Kirkland Warbler, Wild Turkey use Audio Bait
  • A Little more Frigid or Warm; What is better for Wildlife?
  • West Nile Virus detected in Wisconsin Ruffed Grouse
  • When the Deer Season Ends
  • First Bubba Chili Pucks

Recent comments

  • Justin on Bulllet Head Stamp Gallery
  • Kathy Eldred on Beavers Eat and Store Corn
  • Toney Jacob on Hunting Deer From the Ground in Wisconsin
  • Anthony Lumbard on Bulllet Head Stamp Gallery
  • Bryan Ash on Wild Turkeys See In Color; But Will Pink Spook Them?

Videos

Mosquitoes use six needles to suck our … [Read More...]

Have you ever had a whitetail deer standing real … [Read More...]

Copyright © 2025 charlie elk

 

Loading Comments...