The ultimate beaver trapping thread!

[Missourian]

Okay, we've got one on coons and 'rats, so lets do one on beaver too! Beavers are the critters I have the most trouble with, so I'm always looking for more info on trapping them. Lets hear your methods for trapping those beaver.

What size trap do you prefer?
Do you target front foot or back foot? Why?
What set(s) do you find most effective?
What kind of set locations do you look for when trapping beaver?
What lure/bait do you use?
Any tips/tricks in general?

Thanks, Adam

[trappincoyotes39]

Think 330's and snares, both are very versitial for beaver, and I find myself setting few footholds for beaver anymore, when I do I use sterling mj600's, but the majority of my beaver fall into snares,330's and hancock beaver traps. Just alot less hassel and you don't need perfect water conditions like "most" drowning situations beaver trappers look for or want.

[trappnman]

Have to say, that after a brief honeymoon with 330s- I'm back to footholds.

Don't know why, just like them- I find they are more effective- for me, in stream type conditions- but that just me- no arguement to nay that like the squares. Have snared a few beaver, but never tried it much. We have to set snares like a 330 here- the snare needs to be half submerged, and I never saw much advantage over traps.

I don't trap a lot of beaver- don't have a lot- but I trap what I find each year.

What size trap do you prefer?

doublelongsprings- #3 or #4.

Do you target front foot or back foot? Why?

Front foot, but thats the design of the set- not a real choice.

What set(s) do you find most effective?

I use 3 main sets- a typical castor mound set, a feed set and a blind set.

Many times, I make a combo castor mound, feed set. I find it very effective to make a castor mound then put a bunch of small willow branches (#1 food here) sticking up in the back and sides. I like to take my trowel and cut out a semicircle 10-12 inches deep and maybe 12 inches wide- and make my castor mound there. Trap is tight or close to the bank- with a ridge of mud at the beginning of the cutout. A tip from Buzzard.

I do put up a handful of mud cause I like to, not that I think you need to. A dollap of castor lure goes on a stick stuck in the mud. I like to dribble a little in the water.

set up with a slide cable to deep water.

What kind of set locations do you look for when trapping beaver?

If not making castor mounds- I look for places where the beaver is feeding. A blind set there, same trap, etc...is a quick easy set.

At the ends of dams, if the water is shallow enough- you get a lot of beaver action, so a blind set here is often a choice.

If I do use 330s- its in either a run where I set trap on bottom of run, a denhole in a bank or going at dam crossovers.

What lure/bait do you use?

Either I use a cut castor and squeeze some out or I use a commercial beaver lure. The only bait I use are natural foods at the site- here just about 100% willow.

Any tips/tricks in general?

On streams- keep the commotion down. Beaver in small envirnments are acutely aware of what is going on- so making a lot of noise, pounding stakes, stomping aroud- can and does change their behavior.

While normally beaver pay no real attention to huan scent- if you pinch one- tracks in snow and scent in general- makes a differnce.

[vttrapper]

330s are what I use the most.

#3 or #4 traps work when I am out of 330s. I usually target the front foot.

Most effective set is a lured set, usally just stomping a setback in the bank, cross 2 sticks t stabilize the trap, wire off, slap down some lure and go. I will utilize natural set which are similar to what i make but am not married to them. Same set for foot traps as well except I use a stout pole or some weight for the deep water end of the drowning wire. I will set runs if a good one is close by, but mostly lured sets.

I look for beaver sign, then set it.

I use my own lure.

Best tip i can think of is to set heavy and take the critters out fast. Then move on to new beaver.

frank

[dj88ryr]

I think on this one, I have to go the other way from Steve. I prefer 330s to any other method, and I always set runs, crossovers, and bottom edge points near the lodge. I never set den entrances even where legal, and only used castor moounds about 10% of the time, ( I may have been missing something here, and when I get back north I will develop this as well) I only used bait on under ice sets between the lodge and the feed pile, usually wired right to the trigger and always late winter. I will agree with Frank here on the tip, set one or two bogs heavy, use every trap you have, and stay two nights and move on.

[trappincoyotes39]

After you think of beaver location kind of like canine location and use winds currents to your advantage, then you will become a much better beaver trapper, this I have learned.
I can set up creeks,rivers, ponds, etc, and can find multiple places to catch beaver using snares or 330's. Charlie Dobbins was a master at setting where the beaver told him to instead just up on the bank.
Snares are my best tool, light, quick and deadly on beavers. Fake slides and castor in the spring are real quick sets to pick up alot of beaver, in snares.

[BK]

I use 330's,......... beaver castor for lure, the type set all depends.
If prices ever warrant chopping lots of ice I'll use snares around the feed pile.

[dj88ryr]

John Porter from Maine, Bubcat from NH, and Dogpaw from Vermont have some excellent pics of under ice beaver trapping methods and sets on the Maine forum, I will ask them to come on here and post them.

[Clyde Isaak]

I use almost exclusively 330's and castor mounds. The castor mound sets I use are pretty crude but they catch beaver just fine. I try to make a large V using dry logs or sticks with the small end on each side of the castor mound and the large end just outside the 330 jaws. I sometimes get the beaver coming on the bank beside my fencing but they usually will go into the water thru the fence and into the trap anyway. Second most used is channel sets. I like putting the castor mounds on or near the dams first where I find I get most of the adults and if that tapers of then I set near the lodge or bank dens. I find I have way more beaver using bank dens than lodges.

Like someone else mentioned I try to have the wind blowing the castor sent to the water but when the winds are variable or are just blowing wrong I use something white on the mound such as a piece of paper towel or toilet paper and put the lure on that and stick a stick thru it into the mound. I find that beaver are really attracted to the white.

I don't have a lot of beaver but find them pretty easy to trap when I do. Usually when I find them the landowners want them all removed.

I always find at least one colony that will take up resedence in a cattail slough with no trees or brush around. They will live on cattail roots and seem to do fine.

Following is a picture of a dry beaver channel that a beaver was using to access cattail roots a couple years ago. The small creek dryed up except for a small pool of water below a culvert on the far side of the road. He would go thru the culvert and into the dry channel and scratch up the roots to eat. I Didn't have a chance to trap it until about 3 weeks later because I was deer hunting and when I went back to trap it I found that it was killed by I believe coyotes while forging for roots. Plus the picture gives you a pretty good idea of what the channels look like. I have several picture of the channel and den entrances and they are pretty cool. Amazing what conditions they will try to live in.

[RiverRat]

I like # 3 an # 5 bridger cs set for front foot some sets I go for backfoot with the 5s, I also use some 4 dbl in places but find them tougher to bed than a cs.

I like footholds easier to set up and finding channels in the creeks an rivers round here can be tough that beign said I did catch a few in 330s today in a marshy area where I could find the run.

99% of my sets are a front foot targeted castor mound with 10 ft of chain or cable on a pogo dont even try to drown em.

The only set I use where I go for the back foot is the old stick set with a currosity type lure in a real steep banka area wher you cant get a casor mound in.

I do use some snares I like the 1/8 in camlock on 3/32 cable. Set some caster mounds that way an find pinch points to set. I like IA Gold , fighin mad by Billingsley brand lures , I like Leons beaver call all and also tailslapper by Blackie the last 2 really with stand the wealther but Dales is my favorite by far.

[RiverRat]

Greenhorn that pic is really neat , care to post any more you have? I would appricate it RR

[Missourian]

trappnman,
I have been using #4 longs, but have had terrible luck with them. I have lots of snapped traps, toenails, and snapped traps at the bottom of the drowning cable. I know this is probably operator error, but I've not had these problems with the coilspring traps that I've used. I've even targeted a front foot w/ #1.75 and #2 Dukes at one location per the landowners request without any problems. I know I've got to be doing something wrong the the dbl longs, but I'm stumped as to what it could be. Any comments on this? Thanks!

Greenhorn,
That's a great pic! All of the creeks and rivers here are rock bottomed so I have never seen a beaver channel/run before. I had no idea they were that deep and well defined. Thanks!

RiverRat,
Care to let us know about this "old stick set"? Thanks!

Adam

[trappincoyotes39]

greenhorn I know what you mean, out here in the prarie region they will travel miles with no water source to get them to where they want to be, I've found them living in dugouts with zero trees and forbes, and live on nothing but grass! I have trapped some in a bathtub sized area with 2 ft of water and a bank den, with no other water within 2-3 miles.
I had one complaint that was nothing but sand/gravel bottom and they where living in a brush pile 30 yrds up on the bank high and dry. They are quite the amazing critter.

[dj88ryr]

Missourian said:

Greenhorn,
That's a great pic! All of the creeks and rivers here are rock bottomed so I have never seen a beaver channel/run before. I had no idea they were that deep and well defined. Thanks!

You should see them when they have water in them year round, I have seen some channels only 24" wide and maybe three feet deep, that go for hundreds of yards, these were usually leading from well established lodges, and as they depleted the food source they had to wander further. Some of those old bogs I trapped for over 20 years, and always left some for seed, and they kept producing beautifully, I think now they must be fed out with no pressure on them, and I know no one is trapping my old area.

[RiverRat]

The old stick set or whatever ya want to call it. If ya got an area where you cant put in a feed pocket or castor mound do to he bank not being the right type. You gotta have a current. Take you a dead stick dont use green they could pack it off stick it in the mud at an angle pointin down stream now bout the lenght of your hand to your elbow put a large jawspread trap off set it just a bit. Put some curosity lure on the sick. How it works the beaver smells the lure an they will approch from down stream he will raise up to smell it an plop his foot down in your trap. You can also tie a stick from an over hanging limb an lure it to get the same results. Also if ya have snapped traps they dont seem to assocaite it with anything like they do with a castor mound. So you can get away with more with this set. RR

[trappnman]

you should have seen the setup I had last year- cooling canals at a nuke plant- rip rip down into the water on all sides. Made rock cubby castor mounds and worked well.

Biggest tip on the dls is to make the ridge in front of the trap. I place my trap so that the springs are bent toward the back with agianst the shore- so the beaver comes over the jaws. Since I started using the ridge- misses and snapped traps went way, way down. don't be afraid to use sticks as guides to narrow things down.

[Clyde Isaak]

RR - I'll go thru the pictures I have of the dry beaver channels and dens soon. I just have regular pictures of them and will have them put on a CD so I can post them and others later. I'll just start a new thread when I do.

[RiverRat]

I allways make a ridge infront of my trap but do find I have to make a bigger bed for a 4 dbl than a 3 cs Today I had a 4 db long that was snapped set in a gravel bar but some gravel had mangaged to get in between the jaws oh well Ill just have to skin him tomorrow.

Since I have started going to the ridge my misses have Also went way down. That rock cubby sounds intresting.

[Bogmaster]

330 ,castor mound,Moundmaster#1,Moundmaster#2.
Tom Olson

[Vanmeer]

#4 jumps for front foot #4longsprings and 330s. Am finding a lot of smarter trapped beaver colonies around here refuse to enter a 330 conibear. Make my own beaver lure. Castor mounds are #1 set. Usually try to set up backwaters farthest away from houses. Can almost always take the larger beaver and leave the smaller ones for seed this way.