Friends plan joint attack on Lenawee Co. beavers
ROLLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. —
Two old friends in Lenawee County’s Rollin Township have teamed up to start an unlikely career as beaver trappers. Gregg Ries and Melvin Tanner have taken out state licenses and registered part-time businesses as trappers, specializing in removing a nuisance animal most people do not yet realize is setting up colonies in Lenawee County. Beavers got the attention of Lenawee County Road Commission officials recently when they discovered a bridge on Medina Road was in danger. Beavers were gnawing a large tree that reportedly would have fallen on the bridge.
Tanner and Ries caught three beavers in Bean Creek near the bridge, the largest weighing 43 pounds. Ries said they will keep a lookout for more in that area while preparing for their next project.
Yes two unlikely men, teaming up against incredible odds to work together and provide a temporary and inhumane solution just in time for the holidays. I know my cockles are warmed. “What’s under the tree this year, daddy? Oooh, a Conibear trap! And one for Greggy too!” If they make a movie of this they should show it every Christmas.
Mind you, I don’t blame these mercenaries-in-the-beaver wars. Times are tough and a little extra money softens the season and takes the chill off. I just don’t understand how they get such glowing press. What is it with reporters and trappers? Are they really all just frustrated, sadistic bastards pinned beneath their keyboards and longing to be (or be close to) the men who cut the thread?
“I’m just more or less getting started in it,” said Tanner, who has been laid off from a factory in Jonesville for two years. Business is expected to pick up as beavers become more established in Lenawee County, he said. “They can do a lot of damage once they get a foothold,” Tanner said.
Ries said he works at a factory in Adrian while pursuing the trapping business in his spare time. His biggest customer so far has been the Hillsdale County Drain Commission office. This year he received his first paychecks from the Lenawee County Drain Commission after trapping beavers at Horseshoe Lake on the county border.
“I’ve always enjoyed trapping and I’ve been doing it all my life,” Ries said. “It’s a whole different thrill catching beavers than anything else.” The animals are similar in behavior to muskrats, he said. But their size puts them in an entirely different class.
A different thrill. Call Doubleday, Ries, I think you found your book title. Yes, when you think about all the wildlife that depends on a beaver pond you aren’t just killing one beaver, you’re also taking out the trout, the muskrat, the heron, the otter and the mink that depend on it. Heck, maybe you’ll even be contributing to the drought next summer. Sure, you’re only two small men in a crazy mixed-up world, but you CAN make a big difference. I guess that must be why you do it. That and the fact that we outsourced your factory job in Jonesville to village in Guanajuato. Don’t worry, we won’t ever get foreigners to trap our beavers. We need real ‘mericans like you to do it.
(I guess it really is a service economy.)
The largest of the more than 100 beavers he has caught so far weighed 63 pounds, Ries said. He said he expects trapping services will be more in demand as beavers spread into Lenawee County. “Yeah, we’re hoping,” he said with a laugh.
What better way to end this seasonal story than with the sugarplum hopes of beaver trappers.
Well, boys when you’re ready to offer REAL solutions to the good people of Lenawee county maybe you could learn a thing or two about Flow Devices. I’m sure once word gets out there will be a big demand for services that don’t need to be repeated every year. Maybe you’ll even appreciate the better fishing and hunting that’s available once you have a few well maintained beaver ponds. Take a look at this article and let’s talk.
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