COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - Pottawattamie County will pay you to kill beavers.

According to the Pottawattamie County government, on Tuesday the Board of Supervisors approved a motion to adopt the “Beaver Bounty Program.”

The program is used in other counties in Iowa and allows hunters to be paid an amount of money per beaver harvested for their pelts during the trapping season.

Shelby County has used the program since 2012. Pottawattamie County hopes to follow and see it succeed.

A goal of the program is to mitigate the damage beavers can cause to infrastructure.

“Beavers can place a lot of stress on many areas of our infrastructure, with dams preventing water to flow to designated areas,” said Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors Chairman Brian Shea. “Pottawattamie County is responsible for maintaining many roadways and drainage ditches in our area, and some of these dams can end up causing a lot of damage, costing our county a considerable amount of money to repair.”

Pottawattamie County is offering $25 per beaver. Hunters must follow all rules and regulations from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). They also have to follow specific steps set up by the county.

Hunters looking to be paid for beavers killed in the county will have to complete a claim form that lists the location and date of the harvest. Participants also need to complete a W9, which allows the county to issue the payment. Afterward, hunters need to contact a park officer at Arrowhead, Botna Bend, or Hitchcock Nature Center.

Despite the red tape, the Board of Supervisors believes the program will be a success.

“There are a few processes we need our participants to follow in order to make this program possible,” said Shea. “But we’re optimistic that the added incentive we’re offering will help us, as it has other counties in our area.”

Pottawattamie County will give out a total of $5,000 during the length of the season, which ends April 15. At $25 per beaver, that’s 200 beavers total the county has budgeted for.

The county will examine how effective the program was at the end of the season and then consider if it should continue in future years.

Pottawattamie County adds they contacted the IDNR for their thoughts on the program, and the IDNR had no concerns.