Beaver pond

[ucfireman]

SO the beavers have moved in and built a dam. I now have an area of 1-2 acres total of backed up water from a few inches to maybe 3 feet in areas. Maybe 200 feet wide and 500-600 feet long and then back up into the creek head.
It has had ducks in the past but has never looked this nice. I have never hunted it but I have had them scare the poo out of me when I go there to deer hunt.
Normally the area goes dry or just muddy during the dry part of summer. And there is just small trees, weeds of all sorts etc that live in the mud.
I want to plant something more "Aquatic" I'm thinking smart weed.
My question is can I just broadcast seed out and let it do its thing or does it need to be planted in the soil as small plants or something else.
I do not really want to break the dam and then try to either fight the beavers or have to dam it back up later.
What I'm looking for is something I can toss in the water, around the edges that will grow.
I thought about planting some lilies or tossing duck weed. But I know duck weed can get real thick.

Suggestions?

 

[tucker80]

I'd let nature do its own thing the first year or 2. Then consider planting if necessary.
That new ground should be awesome, especially with ducks already in the area.

 

[across the river]

Japanese millet will be the easiest if it goes dry. Once it gets up some it can take flooding if you get a decent rain. Smartweed is more time consuming but does well one established. It is tough, in my experience, to do much of anything if you can control the water. I would look at installing one of these, then you can drain it for moist soil or if you want, plant it.

https://www.beaverinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ClemsonPondLeveler.pdf

 

[GTMODawg]

It having attracted ducks already is the key. You could spend a gazillion dollars building the perfect flooded corn pile and never see duck one on it if they aren't already using the area.

be careful of pressure though....very few places can hold ducks if they get shot at too often, especially with the light migrations in Georgia. If you get a couple of truly quality hunts a year out of it you are incredibly fortunate to have it!

 

[Mexican Squealer]

install a Clemson leveler ASAP so your flooded hardwoods survive...if you have good acorns and can control the water you should have plenty of wood ducks. The hardwoods won’t survive staying flooded. Clemson leveler would be #1 priority. Then you can manipulate water levels to promote solid moist soil foods and have acorns too...beaver ponds often turn to barran waste lands once the hardwoods die.

 

[ghadarits]

SO the beavers have moved in and built a dam. I now have an area of 1-2 acres total of backed up water from a few inches to maybe 3 feet in areas. Maybe 200 feet wide and 500-600 feet long and then back up into the creek head.
It has had ducks in the past but has never looked this nice. I have never hunted it but I have had them scare the poo out of me when I go there to deer hunt.
Normally the area goes dry or just muddy during the dry part of summer. And there is just small trees, weeds of all sorts etc that live in the mud.
I want to plant something more "Aquatic" I'm thinking smart weed.
My question is can I just broadcast seed out and let it do its thing or does it need to be planted in the soil as small plants or something else.
I do not really want to break the dam and then try to either fight the beavers or have to dam it back up later.
What I'm looking for is something I can toss in the water, around the edges that will grow.
I thought about planting some lilies or tossing duck weed. But I know duck weed can get real thick.

Suggestions?

Smartweed will grow as long as it’s in contact with soil. Even if it gets covered by water.

 

[jakebuddy]

When you see the water start to drop and expose some mud, through out some jap millet, you will end up with different stages as the water goes down. It can stand and grow in water after it germinates and starts to grow. It just can’t be totally submerged.

 

[FloppinBob]

If they are there I wouldn’t touch it.

 

[Para Bellum]

If they are there I wouldn’t touch it.

What about corn? Or water oak acorns?

 

[FloppinBob]

That’s a different story. I usually plant corn about the the 1st of January. It seems to attract more ducks.