MN senator wants to make it legal to eat beavers again

Beaver. Adult and young Photo by Sylvain CORDIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images (Getty Images)

A Minnesota senator is proposing reversing a law put in effect last year that banned the consumption of nuisance beavers in Minnesota.

Beavers in Minnesota

The backstory:

Under state law, homeowners are allowed to trap or kill beavers that are causing damage to their property. However, you are not allowed to poison the animals and you must notify a conservation officer if you kill a beaver.

Beavers can be a nuisance when populations become too large, cutting down trees and flooding areas with dams. The DNR notes that a single beaver can cut down hundreds of trees each year.

Minnesota also has a beaver trapping season that runs through the winter months.

"Minnesota has a regulated beaver trapping season, but there are not enough trappers to keep some beaver populations small enough to prevent problems," a DNR website explains. "Beaver are valuable, especially when considering their economic importance for fur. Minnesota trappers take 20,000 to 30,000 surplus beaver most years."

Law change for eating beavers in Minnesota

Timeline:

Eating nuisance beavers was legal until the law was changed in 2024 as part of the environment omnibus bill.

The change was questioned by Senator Steve Green (R-Fosston) who couldn't understand it. Senator Foung Hawj (DFL-Saint Paul) indicated there were concerns about the potential for disease or parasite contraction from eating a rodent and a lack of research on the safety of eating beavers.

"I’m still not sure why it's in [the bill]," said Sen. Green. "I can tell you that even though I personally don't go out and trap beavers to eat them, I have eaten them. It is pretty good, but it is a rodent and I have a hard time getting past that. But I do know a lot of people that do consume beaver and I think it's a little problematic that we're making it a crime."

Responding to questions on how to enforce the law, Senator Hawj said lawmakers would leave it up to residents and the "honor system."

It's worth noting the ban strangely only appears to apply to nuisance beavers. Beavers trapped otherwise are still fair game.

The other side:

Under a bill proposed last week, Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown) is proposing to remove a line from the statue that bars "human consumption of a retained beaver."

What do beavers taste like?

Dig deeper:

YouTube channel Mountain Me Outdoors has a video where he tries a beaver for the first time. He seasoned and cooked a tenderloin from a beaver on a grill. The channel creator compared it in look and taste to a beef steak, while one of his family members described it as "real good beef." Another family member compared it to venison.

Redditors on /r/hunting in a 2022 thread also compared the taste of beaver to beef.

However, on the Senate floor last year, Senator Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) mentioned that beavers are referred to as "nature's chicken nuggets."

FOX 9 anchor Randy Meier, an avid hunter, says the meat is "gamey" but "not terrible" tasting. While FOX 9 security guard Michael Branden tells FOX 9 it's all in how you cook the meat. He says the beaver meat is greasy and can taste like beef or even goose. He adds the tail, when scored, tastes a lot like bacon.

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