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Post by thefoxtrapper on Mar 23, 2005 9:39:46 GMT -6
I have never had any problems getting beaver to come to lure, with the exception of a few spooked ones...
The last week of the season, I made a few lured beaver sets just for fun and to pick up a few extra near my otter sets, that was the plan, didnt work out......
I caught one in a lured 330 dive pole set near a bunch of slides, that was it, one more came in a 330 creek set, the other 10 came in blind foothold sets on tips of islands and penisulas....why the refusal of lure in late feb??
One beaver in particular was living on the small side of an island in the river, one or two slides a few sticks and a push up or two, figure one beaver, well I put a castor mound set in near this, and finally after most of the week and nothing, I found just down from here where the beaver had made a mistake of climbing up on a small penisula point where a small feeder creek came in, seen his dink pushup and track, so in desperation, I just popped a #14 blind with window weight and staked cable tight up river....this set took care of the beaver, but I thought I was gonna have him in a night or two in the lure castor mound set, didn't happen, any ideas??
Winston
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Post by Bogmaster on Mar 23, 2005 10:02:25 GMT -6
Winston,were you using just 1 lure? In the years before I put out my own lures ,I found switching lures often was a necessity.I carried up to 7 lures by differant makers for the beaver line. Even now ,with my own lures I give them a choice.#1 or #2>i alternate these lures ,the first set #1 the second#2 and on down the line.I have watched beaver go by one set and right into the second.Seems that beaver ,like us,enjoy a choice. I also make my lures in small batches,I also think this helps----you arent using the exact same thing year after year.Subtle changes and differant castors from batch to batch. I make my lures like I would a cake,if I think it needs a little more of this,or a little more of that,it gets it. I always figure if it works for me,it will work for my customers. Tom Olson
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Post by thefoxtrapper on Mar 23, 2005 10:14:55 GMT -6
Tom,
I was using just one lure, was surprised at only one beaver out of maybe half dozen sets for a week..I will try your tip next season, about out of beaver lure anyways...
Winston
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Post by Stef on Mar 23, 2005 11:58:41 GMT -6
I can agree with Bogmaster but when a beaver is trap or lure shy etc...
Its pretty hard to lure them at our trap location with any good beaver lures.
Stef
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Post by Bogmaster on Mar 23, 2005 12:22:19 GMT -6
Stef,I have some very differant beliefs on beaver ,than most guys---trap shy--yes lure shy--no.Now when I say no to lure shyness,I have to be specific---I believe they just become disinterested in some lures,they don't shy away from them,they just plain and simple don't find them interesting enough to respond to them. Tom Olson
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Post by Stef on Mar 23, 2005 12:52:01 GMT -6
LoL Tom, that's why I wrote both Stef
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Post by trappnman on Mar 23, 2005 14:55:40 GMT -6
since I don't have many beaver, and I trap mink for a long time- I can mess with beaver.
I'll mess with a shy one for months if I have to- not an all out war...but a constant attempt with a trap or 2.
I'll flat out say it- I believe very strongly a beaver can become lure shy and human scent shy.
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 23, 2005 15:21:40 GMT -6
Interesting how many think beaver can become lure shy and human scent shy, but coyotes some think there is no such thing as lure burn out? I agree with Tom a good castor lure in the spring has nothing to do with a beaver shying away from it, because it is a natural attraction to beaver. The old timers would tell you use castors from a different colony or family group, I feel not because they "shy" just the interest isn't the same as the castor from unfamilar beaver. I have found that Dobbins woodchipper is an excellent 2nd lure, as during the summer very few lures hold high interest to beavers, but woodchipper does the job. I also find it interesting that you can try to snare or conibear a beaver and they becometrap shy, but use a big old hancock on a dam or baited/lured and they can make the shyest beaver look like a dumb pup. I think it has to do with repition, and not too many hancocks in service in an area, they have no idea what it is or fear them, because they have had little to no past with it. 99% of beaver are easy to catch, the ones that aren't so easy have been either messed with alot or repition in catching there family members, kep them from certain areas. I use alot of snares, because they may associate that spot as something negative, but take the snare move it to a different local and different presentation and they have no problem working through it. I hear from some guys that set the same 330 in the same spots and then wonder why the last 1-2 beaver aren't working the sets? Move those to a new area and most are caught easy. Thats why my last resort set is a den enterance, take them all but the last beaver or two and they can be had no problem at the den then.
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Post by trappnman on Mar 23, 2005 15:41:13 GMT -6
when pursuing a beaver, in a small limited area, if he is shy- THAT INDIVIDUAL BEAVER does indeed get man and lure shy. and yes, set shy. Will he be shy next year or in 2 years like some think coyotes do? or teach their young to avoid the lures, like some think coyotes do?
no- that would be silly.
All I can say about coyotes is I've caught 5-6 the next year- on the same farms and the same lures and yes the same sets. Thats collared ones, so I knew for certain.
I didn't catch them that year- and evidence showed they avoided the capture site for that season.
A BIG difference in ONE lure shy animal in a confined place than a whole area of animals being lure shy.
Continuity was what I meant when I said- kept after one for months. A constant presence. Always there.
I wasn't going to mention lure brands- but all castor lures are not equal. Lori tested 8 beaver lures this past season- an XXXL by stef outperformed the others hands down. Including some VERY popular national brands. and thats all I'll say on that! ;D
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Post by BK on Mar 23, 2005 16:00:14 GMT -6
Many things can make a beaver refuse a castor mound,........ all of us have seen the one where beaver push up mud each side of your set, or across the stream as an answer to your lure. Trap shy? lure shy? No, you just need a few differen't tricks. I often clean up after the DNR trappers on trout waters, most of these beaver ben to school and passed.
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Post by thefoxtrapper on Mar 23, 2005 16:15:25 GMT -6
well it was really no biggie to me, cause I was float trapping otter and the beaver were just a bonus and something to fool with, really a pain in the canoe because of weight, but there were very, very few on this stretch to begin with, I mean few, 12 miles, and I got 12, but most came off the last few miles...Im usually able to get a beaver one way or the other, just like the beaver that was avoiding the one leghold set I had, he even went up the bank beside it and came back in the water(snow was on the banks so I seen it), I dont know if he was spooked or just didnt care, it is possible someone had trapped through here earlier in the season, judging by the lack of beavers, but I dont know....anyways the blind set on his little penisula resting point took care of his a$$, was just wondering if some naturally just wont commit to lure, I mean you know for sure no one has messed with them and lure wont work, most places I go, it is a mad rush to barrel into my traps when using lure...
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Post by BK on Mar 23, 2005 16:28:11 GMT -6
IMHO,.........(I can't believe I said that) many times it's the set location they don't care to commit to. It's a trespass deal were talking about here more often than not.
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Post by trappnman on Mar 23, 2005 18:17:04 GMT -6
"Beaver in a small pond know their ground a lot more than us."
pinch them a time or two- and its even worse!
BK- in no way did I say Winstons situation was "lure shy" beaver.
What I did say- was you can MAKE a beaver lure shy.
I've also seen them where they are TRACK shy, and any walking into the water leaving a big mess in the snow- makes them abandon whatever they were working on.
I've seen this many times on the "last beaver there"m
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Post by BK on Mar 23, 2005 19:07:03 GMT -6
Stef, you are so,.................very right about beaver in a small body of water, it gets a lot tougher to clean them out . I THINK some of this is more than likely that they were on your lure after you already caught one, or saw a dead one. And I'm shure they know the area very well and when one dosen't come home.
Tman I'm not shure what your saying,..... but I plead not guilty.
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Post by trappnman on Mar 23, 2005 19:59:41 GMT -6
kinda like your dad you to say when you protested yopur innocent "then this swat is for something you did that I didn't know about.." ;D
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 23, 2005 20:05:55 GMT -6
Wow, I'm sure you did not trap many with cage traps before buddy Sorry stef I catch alot of beaver have since 1990, been doing ADC on them since then and fur trapping them since 1983. It all depends on how you set them and where your at! I was turned on to the Hancock a few years back and was instructed by a guy who showed me how well they can work, and I'll tell you they flat out will catch the last remainning beaver! If you set in a dam break that beaver has the option to let it keep flowing or fix the dam, if it is a smaller water shed the quicker he has to repair it, the better, they show no ill will to a hancock what so ever, set it in the break back mud and sticks around on the bottom and put the pan right at the break hole, I use a tile spade, 90% of the time that beaver is there the next day! im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5dd02b3127cce908b1725bfa900000016108QctmThy4bG [/img]
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Post by trappincoyotes39 on Mar 23, 2005 20:11:47 GMT -6
Pictures are worth a 1,000 words Stef! Notice the hole I made at this dam, and notice the dead beaver in the trap, this happens more often than not! This was the last beaver to come out of this area, wouldn't work above ground 330's and snares would be bumped but no catch, he was either backing trash up to them or not using the trail. After 3 days of no luck out came the tile spade and the hancock, wammo next day the last remaining beaver. The wtaer level drop 16" over night and didn't leave much left in this creek. The other technique is to make that same break and come back at night fall and trap him with a 3 1/2" 12 ga LOL. That works darn well too. The hancock is a very versitile beaver trap, dam breaks, steep side sets, baited sets, just because there big and cumbersome doesn't mean there not an excellent beaver trap! I have yet to notice much refusals to them, where ever I have set them. Another good sets is a steep side bank, baited with a white stick and wood chipper, and use the overhanging bank grass as camoflague, they swim up drop feet and there in the suit case.
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Post by BK on Mar 23, 2005 20:15:06 GMT -6
Now your starting to sound like our DNR in wisconsin Steve
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Post by thefoxtrapper on Mar 23, 2005 20:30:10 GMT -6
you guys talk about pond shy beaver, no kidding, a small pond with a pair of beaver can sometimes be a pain, quite a few occassions Ive set up on this scenario, the first one is like catching a coon in trail gong to a sweet corn patch, then it is on, sometimes, try lured sets, deep channel sets, blind sets, nothing, the beaver is holed up in the lodge and when it does move, it moves very little and will not go to lure and like Steve says stays away from places with traps, I dont know if they smell me or what, sometimes ice will show where they swim right up to a 330 and stop...now the way I have got most of these is actually surprising, I get them in traps set in the drainage creek on the back side of the dam leaving the pond. These traps are set for otter, but I think the beaver finally decides to leave and gets caught, what is weird though is that he will stick his head in a conibear out of the pond, but not in it, done this quite a few times and know I got him cause no more activity....
Winston
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Post by Stef on Mar 23, 2005 21:56:20 GMT -6
Yes Hancock are great trap especially where there's a high bank and deep water ....
You know what?... I've seen beavers who refused going to block their dams for months in the summer time.
Stef
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