If food is scarce, young beaver will be forced out on their own at younger ages. These young beaver will randomly chew trees and then leave. This activity is particularly frustrating because such immature beaver will cause a lot of damage and then move on only to cause just as much a hundred yards away. Older beaver will be more set in their ways and easier to follow. Once active, their patterns will be consistent as they methodically work trees and waterways.
Young beaver are more inconsistent and difficult to track.
Knowing the local colony could prove helpful when trying to trap. Beaver are strong, nocturnal and able to cover large areas in short time. They swim very well and can negotiate the strongest currents any river can produce. Once a beaver has decided it wants to live in a given stretch of water, it will build a lodge and begin to mark it's territory. Tree cutting and unwanted damage will soon follow.