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Friday, Feb. 21, 2025

Is it illegal to eat beavers that damage property in Minnesota?

Deanna Pistono, MinnPost
yes

A 2024 omnibus bill amended Minnesota Statute 97B.667 to include that beavers killed for causing property damage cannot be used for “human consumption.”

According to the Department of Natural Resources, property-damaging beavers are “nuisance animals” on a list of animals that may be taken — killed, captured or relocated — without a permit by a property’s landowner, management or occupant. A conservation officer must also be notified within 24 hours of a normally protected nuisance animal being taken. 

On Jan. 30, state Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, introduced a bill that would erase this particular amendment, making it once again legal to eat taken beavers. It was introduced that same day and referred to the state Senate’s Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee.

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