I have probably a dozen beavers on my land, I can tell from the trees damaged and their little islands on my pond/lake. I HAVE NEVER seen one in the day time. One time a night I saw one swimming. THEY ARE VERY SHY ANIMALS.
I own a larger size lake, 12 acres, and the best time to shoot them is a twilight if you can position yourself so the sky still reflects off of the water. Can’t see anything around you, but their V wake and heads can still be seen through a good scope. Best also if they are coming towards you or away, side shots are tricky because you just can’t seem to get the bullet placed without it fragmenting before it reaches the vitals.
Yeah, I can tell you all about the damage they’ve done, the DNR calls them rodents around here and allows me to shoot them all I want, just let them know when I do so they have record of it.
Yes, beaver is always shy. You have to develop a special affinity with the species to see beaver in living color.
Creek near me has plenty....I see them all the time at dusk...while fishing.