An Overview of Historical Beaver Management in Arizona

Authors

Christopher Carrillo, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services
David Bergman, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife ServicesFollow
Jimmy D. Taylor II, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
Dale L. Nolte, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife ServicesFollow
Patrick Viehoever, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services
Mike Disney, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Date of this Version

2009

Comments

Published in Proceedings of the 13th WDM Conference (2009).

Abstract

In the mid-1820s, Anglo-American fur trappers, known as "mountain men," entered Arizona and began trapping beaver (Castor canadensis). In Arizona there have been a number of famous mountain men such as Sylvester and James Pattie, Ewing Young, Jededia Smith, and Bill Williams who trapped along the waterways in northern and southern Arizona. Although the heyday of mountain men lasted only a few decades due to a population decline of beaver, management of these animals continues to this day. The purpose of managing beavers shifted from monetary gain to controlling wildlife damage. During the late 1900s, beaver were still widely distributed in limited numbers throughout much of the state. We provide a historical overview of beaver management in Arizona with emphasis on the mountain men, recreational trapping, wildlife damage management, and beaver research in Arizona.