beaver trapping

[mink]

anyone trap beaver here?......i was looking at some #3 coil springs today, what you think of them?.........mink

[thechickenladyx]

my hub says, #4 double spring, set in the water 4 inches deep, no more no less. with a stick set over the top, with beaver caster on the stick. so that when he stands in the water and smell the caster he steps in the trap. also look at 330 conibears, very effective in runways, also good under ice with piece of green willow as bait.

hope it helps.

[sellis]

i use nothing but the conibear traps and if you get one or two you will be hooked. i use #3 double coil spring to but havent had as much sucess with them compared to the conibears . i can give you so many sets with the conibears compaiered to the coil spring .

[derekv]

DO NOT USE #3!!! a #3 is to small. a #4 or a 330 nice strong 330's are belise's good quaitly traps

[Clifford]

I've used 330 connibears, but have always have had better sucess with snares. Just set the snares in the runways (where legal) and anchor to something BIG.

[Trapper]

Number three coilspring traps can be a very useful tool for beaver and its a trap that can be use for other species (coyote, fisher and bobcat) to give it multiple usage. The Bridger #3 actually has a larger jaw span than the #4 double longsprings which can be beneficial for hind foot catches. Every trapper has his preferences in types and sizes of traps, I can tell you that this particuler trap has been one that has produced well fo me. I have taken a couple of hundred beaver a year for many years and this has been the main tool in doing so. About twelve years ago I tried this trap (bought 2 dozen) made a few adjustments, four coiling, laminated jaws and a reinforced center base plate and then night latching the pan. After that season I started selling of all my other beaver footholds as my catch ratio was better and I found that by uniforming my equipment made me more efficient in setting out and maintaining the line. the other benefit came in storage as I could carry more in smaller areas a benefit any trapper will agree with. The last benefit I want to put on the table is the cost. Not every trapper cam afford some of the beaver specific traps. Some are over $25.00 a trap.
Not all circumstances call for footholds and I do use 330's when called for and I truley prefer these connibears for under ice trapping but in open water the #3 is my trap of choice. I hope this can aid you in your selection and at least inform you that the trap is effective. One thing that you may be told is that it won't hold larger beaver. It has produced several super blanket beaver with weights in the mid seventy's. Good luck, Trapper

[mink]

trapper when setting on a spill way do you try for A front foot or back foot catch when using a drowning slider? when i was trapping after highschool i had a trap sprung 3-4 times trying for a left front foot catch so my uncle told me to put the trap on the opposite side and low and behold the next day i had the beaver . the left leg was gone , completely healed over presumably from the season before. id assume that the set he caught in wasnt a drowning set.......mink

[Frontierpoultry]

Right on "Trapper", well said. The modified #3 bridger is a very good beaver trap. Always target the front foot.

[Trapper]

Mink, here in Wisconsin we are not allowed to trap the dams. We must be at least fifteen feet from the construction. I find that making two sets there have allow me to take the majority of beaver that work the dams. Both are contstucted the same as for trap location. I cut a wedge out fom a step edged bank about 8 inches wide and 10 to 12 inches back into the bank. The entrance at a minimum of 4 inches (front foot, deeper if targeting hind foot) below the water level. The base of the cutout is graded slightly up so the trap sets solid an a little off centered. Remember to always keep the the trigger dog toward the cutout edge so the beaver is stepping over the free jaw. At the back of the cutout you can bait with poplar or make a caster mound set. In several locations I have been able to reuse these cutouts year after year with great success. Always remember that you need enough water to quickly drown the animal. As a rule of thumb I look to have a depth of over my belly button to have my drowning weights in. I hope this can help for future reference. Trapper