by Curt Kovener
I have often written about the amazing sights witnessed here in the Hoosier Wilderness. This account will be no exception.
As the sun set behind the tree line one recent evening, I noticed some larger than usual ripples in the pond. Too big for fish, my eyes scanned for the apex of the V and had to blink a couple of times. Grabbing my binoculars I focused in on the movement maker.
At first I thought it was another muskrat, those underminers of the pond dam. But this furry head was much bigger.
A river otter? But we are nine miles from any river and the creeks have not been running with any significant water of late. I was a bit panicked because river otters are swift swimmers and can easily devour my bluegill and bass population.
As I eased my way toward the pond trying to keep the critter in focus and not trip, the swimmer looked my way, spotted me and quickly dove underwater with a loud slap of its tail.
A beaver. In the hills and hollers of northwest Jackson County? Beavers like slow moving waters where they can build stick and mud dams to increase the water level to their liking. Our acre-plus pond has no slow moving water and is 19’ at its deepest.
You can see beaver dams on the west side US 31 across of the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge and see the evidence of their construction just below Berger Hill west of Crothersville.
But a beaver would have to migrate more that a dozen miles across fields and forests…and uphill to get to our portion of the Hoosier wilderness.
Concerned about what kind of problem Lone Beaver could become sent me to the computer for research.
I was relieved to learn that they build dams, they don’t breech them.
And they are herbivores eating pond weeds (We got plenty of them), small brush (plenty of that, too) and small saplings (yep, got that checkmarked as well).
Since flowing water and flooding is not an issues in the hills and hollers, we figure Lone Beaver might be a youngster just looking for a place to call home.
The next day I could see him (or maybe her) from the kitchen window moving about through the invasive Watershield munching away on the floating leaves.
Watershield, which has an oval shaped leaf, is also known as snotweed because of the clear gelatinous coating on its stalks. Think of your nose and allergies and you will get the idea.
It grows only about 10-12 feet out from the shore in direct sunlight. Having no cover for fish I let it grow to provide some safety for small bluegill from the bass that like to lay in ambush for a meal.
But I am happy to let Lone beaver eat his fill of the invasive weed.
As we took a late afternoon Gator ride to inspect the property, when we popped up onto the dam, we surprised the beaver and he surprised us with a loud tail smack as he went below the surface.
Very, very early that next morning, Emma the Great Pyrinees decided she needed to go out. So with her on a leash due to a leg injury, I put on some shoes and stumbled along waiting for her to find just the right spot to relieve herself. It was pitch dark and apparently we disturbed Lone Beaver again for there was an unexpected loud ker-splash.
And that sudden noise definitely got Emma’s attention and like her prompted me to have to relieve myself (I wasn’t so picky about the spot).
And so now we have yet another amazing wilderness experience to tell.