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Old 04-10-2017, 03:45 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Default Need Beaver Trapping Advice

My Dentist called me today to see if I can help him with a beaver issue. At least one beaver has moved into his pond/dugout this Spring and it has started to plug up the three culverts there. There is no lodge, feed bed or runs along the shore. I haven't encountered a beaver trapping situation like this yet and I'd like to know what my best way of setting my traps is. I'm thinking that if I put a 330 at the culvert the beaver will just push mud and rocks into it. What about a 330 with a dive pole and blocking about 3' out? How would you fellas set here?

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Old 04-10-2017, 06:25 PM
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Thunder Elk Hunter Thunder Elk Hunter is offline
 
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Make it come to you, if you have a place close that you can use a popular bait set. Don't get a rock or stick in your trap at that culvert, then you have educated that beaver.

Just my 2 cents Dave

I still think I o you for dropping coyote bait off at my place, so if you want I could come look this over this week and let you knoe what I think.
PM if you like

TEH
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Old 04-10-2017, 06:43 PM
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can u get into the deeper water to the right and plant a 330
where the channel appears shove sticks or pound stakes in thru the spring coils to hold it
and fasten wire solid to shore maybe that would work i have a culvert they use a lot
and get them that way might be worth a try good luck
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Old 04-10-2017, 06:59 PM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Dave we have caught beaver right in the culvert by just setting a 330 in culvert. He may shove some sticks but usually just swims through first just to make his engineering plan.
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Old 04-10-2017, 07:31 PM
Tfng Tfng is offline
 
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Maybe a castor mound set?
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Old 04-10-2017, 07:58 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Thanks for the advice. I think that I'll go with the poplar set away from the culverts. I don't want to turn a little job into a big job by educating the little bugger. I'm doing it as a favour and I don't want to have to sit out there all night with my rifle.....lol.
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Old 04-10-2017, 08:01 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunder Elk Hunter View Post
I still think I o you for dropping coyote bait off at my place, so if you want I could come look this over this week and let you knoe what I think.
PM if you like

TEH
You don't owe me anything, TEH. I appreciate the offer though.
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Old 04-10-2017, 11:14 PM
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When I trapped for the county my favorite set for such beaver was a poplar bait set.

I would find a place they were climbing out, or if I couldn't find that, a place where they could climb out.

I would upload a photo of such a set but photobucket isn't working for me tonight.

BTW, those beaver will have a hole in the bank somewhere, probably fairly close to the dam, or pond outlet if there is no dam.
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Old 04-11-2017, 09:40 AM
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Photobucket is working again, so here are some photos of one poplar bait set I used when trapping for the county.




Same set with features marked.



The bait sticks are the two sticks in the foreground. They are simply small poplar branches with patches of bark cut off to make them resemble sticks a beaver has been feeding on.
I also dab a bit of castor paste on a dry stick and drop it anywhere on the scene.

Beavers prospective on my set.





And the results.



Another bait set, another beaver caught.






I know the photos are not very clear. This was many years ago and before the invention of digital cameras. All I had was a Canon Sure Shot film camera that had a fixed lens, no zoom in those days.

We call it boot zoom, your boots did the zooming.
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Old 04-11-2017, 11:49 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Thanks for the photos, Keg. That is what I'm going to set first. I'll take a photo of the location so you have an idea of what I mean by there being no visible runs there. The dugout/pond is surrounded by well manicured lawn. I'll walk the perimeter today before I set and maybe I can find a hole in the bank. It's kind of a ritzy estate.
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Old 04-11-2017, 12:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HunterDave View Post
Thanks for the photos, Keg. That is what I'm going to set first. I'll take a photo of the location so you have an idea of what I mean by there being no visible runs there. The dugout/pond is surrounded by well manicured lawn. I'll walk the perimeter today before I set and maybe I can find a hole in the bank. It's kind of a ritzy estate.
The hole will be underwater. I doubt you would find any indication of it, but it's there if they have been there for more then a couple of days.

You should be able to find some place where they have been hauling out. It may be just a patch of trampled vegetation at this point, but it should be there.
But it's not all that important that you set such a place. Any place they could climb out will do.

It is more important that you be able to fence off the approach so they can't go around the trap.
A dip in the bank will do but a gap in vegetation is better.

If it's all cut grass it's going to be tough finding a site and making a set.
You may have to get very inventive.

A dab of castor at such a set could make or break the set. Beaver are very territorial and castor to them means another beaver in their territory, they will investigate.
No need to build a mound, just a dab dropped on the ground nearby should do. They have good noses.
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Old 04-11-2017, 05:13 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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It's not exactly blocked off (lol) but I'm hoping that he'll take the short cut into the trap rather than going around. He's going to see the fresh poplar that I roughed up with the ax and he should smell that bit of castor that I put behind it.



This is the fanciest pond that I've ever trapped beavers on. This is about 1/3 of it. My set is low left of the end of the fence line.

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Old 04-11-2017, 07:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HunterDave View Post
It's not exactly blocked off (lol) but I'm hoping that he'll take the short cut into the trap rather than going around. He's going to see the fresh poplar that I roughed up with the ax and he should smell that bit of castor that I put behind it.


This is the fanciest pond that I've ever trapped beavers on. This is about 1/3 of it. My set is low left of the end of the fence line.
The set looks good, but that is gonna be one tough spot to trap.
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:14 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Originally Posted by KegRiver View Post
The set looks good, but that is gonna be one tough spot to trap.
I don't know if it looks good but it'll work if the beaver cooperates.

I was pulling a few traps today and made a quick stop to have a better look around. I decided to set one trap with the sticks that I had in the truck. The pond is fed by a treed creek (ditch) at the other end and the beaver has been chewing on a downed tree and branches......nothing from last Fall. He's setting up shop in there and that's where I'll get him. Better than a bald arsed pond, anyway.

It's probably better for me to have a happy dentist working on my teeth rather than an unhappy one.
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Old 04-12-2017, 10:30 AM
Big Grey Wolf Big Grey Wolf is offline
 
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Dave still think you should put 330's in the culverts, especially in this very different landscape. Keg always has good advice, but this is not a normal beaver pond.
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Old 04-12-2017, 11:39 AM
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lol I know exactly where that is. Cut my teeth shooting gophers in their fields 20 years ago (obviously before they tilled em)

They have had muskrat problems for forever, but the "creek" that exits the pond is basically a treed drainage ditch that drains out into a low lying area more than a mile from the river. Long walk for a beaver. Surprised he made it that far, but there's a pile of them down there.

Good luck. PS don't walk off their property to the south (exit creek side) with a rifle. There is an old hag that lives real close, she calls the cops on a weekly basis for stupid stuff.
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf View Post
Dave still think you should put 330's in the culverts, especially in this very different landscape. Keg always has good advice, but this is not a normal beaver pond.
In this situation I agree, a culvert set, if there is a culvert, may be a very good option.
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:19 PM
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I just got a text and......I HAVE A BEAVER IN THE TRAP!!!!!
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:30 PM
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Well done. Do you suppose two moved in?
Doug
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by HunterDave View Post
I just got a text and......I HAVE A BEAVER IN THE TRAP!!!!!

YeeeHawwww
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:56 PM
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Well done. Do you suppose two moved in?
Doug
Based on the small amount of chewed trees, etc I don't think that there are two. I figure that it's a single beaver that recently traveled to the area when the ice started to come off. There were no beavers there last Fall and I don't think that they travel longer distances in pairs. I'm sure that I'll get a call if another beaver shows up but I won't be setting any traps for now.

I can't remember being this excited about catching a lone beaver.
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Old 04-12-2017, 01:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf View Post
Dave still think you should put 330's in the culverts, especially in this very different landscape. Keg always has good advice, but this is not a normal beaver pond.
I would have done it that way but I was concerned that I'd educate the beaver so I wanted to try away from the culverts first. Last Fall I had an experience with trap shy beavers in a dugout and I didn't want to make the same mistake again. They actually took a 330 that was set at the lodge and without setting it off, began burying it with mud on the lodge. Smart buggers!
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Old 04-12-2017, 02:59 PM
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Ya gotta love it when a plan comes together. I caught him coming into the bait and this is him pulled out. A nice sized XL(?) one.

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Old 04-12-2017, 05:37 PM
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Whammy, good thread!
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