Minnesota’s New Law on Eating Beaver is a Dam Shame

Well, you’re not alone in wondering that, Senator.

Minnesota Statute 97B.667, which details the who, what, when, and why of nuisance beaver removal, was recently amended during debate on the 2024 omnibus environment and natural resources bill. The statute now includes a sentence that has left us, well, stumped: “Human consumption of a retained beaver is prohibited.”

This means that if a nuisance beaver is trapped, its meat cannot legally be served on the dinner table. The amendment does specify human consumption, so rather than going to waste, it could be turned into treats for Fido.

Beaver trapping season runs from mid-October (in the northern furbearer zone) or early November (in the southern furbearer zone) to mid-May in the state, and if you’re out trapping just for kicks, that meat is fair game.

However, nuisance beavers can be trapped year-round. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), no permit is required as long as the landowner has clear beaver damage on their property, authorizes the removal, is on the property at the time the beaver is shot or trapped, and notifies the DNR within 24 hours of the removal. Landowners can work with trappers to remove the problem beaver, but neither can cook it up for supper.

At first, this amendment seems to be an effort to de-incentivize folks from making false nuisance claims to trap beavers out of season. But the amended language also makes it clear that “the landowner or their agent may dispose of or retain beaver killed.” So, the nuisance beavers can still be utilized for fur, castor oil, and taxidermy—far more lucrative assets than beaver meat.

So why was this language even included? That remains a bit of a mystery.

“There’s no clear-cut account of who introduced it,” State Legislative Reference Librarian Molly Niehls told the Minnesota Star Tribune. The language first appeared in the omnibus bill after its lone day in the conference committee. Niehls said she couldn’t find any previous discussion of the provision during the legislative session. “It doesn’t look like it was included in any smaller bill before being incorporated into the omnibus bill,” she said.

Additionally, there’s no big risk of foodborne illness from eating beaver meat. While the large rodents can carry a bacterium that can cause tularemia in humans, as long as the meat is cooked thoroughly, it shouldn’t be an issue. And giardia, also known as “beaver fever,” is only found in the intestinal tract, not the muscle tissue. So as long as you don’t make a mess of cleaning your critter, you won’t be at risk of that gastrointestinal distress.

Who knows? Maybe a senator ate some poorly prepared beaver at a potluck and is pursuing a vendetta through legislation. Maybe some intern snuck the sentence in on a bet. Regardless of the origins, it seems like an impossible law to enforce.

Sen. Foung Hawj said legal compliance with the new law will depend on the “honor system.” He also said the language needed to remain in the bill because “there hasn’t been enough research about beaver consumption to tell if it’s safe.”

But beaver meat is just fine to eat, folks have been doing it for hundreds of years. It’s good, too. You can cook it like a pot roast, turn it into a pull-apart BBQ sandwich, or even grill the tail for a delectable, fatty bone marrow-like spread.

“I can tell you that even though I personally don’t go out and trap beavers to eat them, I have eaten them and it is pretty good,” Sen. Steve Green said on the Senate floor. “I do know a lot of people who consume beaver and I think it’s a little problematic that we are making it a crime.”