Boone & Crockett beaver

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Keg, Cant wait to see it! I,ll say this when you catch a big one you wonder if you arent getting old in a hurry!

No doubt !! LOL What was you back like after you had him skinned, fleshed and drying ?

Oooooo my back hurts just looking at that howg!!!!

That's one big Bear Hors d'oeuvre.

Oh and thanks for sharing the pictures. They are awesome !!

Do you snare or use Coni's

[parfleche]

Snare only under ice, coni in runs and footholds on slide cables in cases where they have to be kept out of sight, and it is my prefered set as it complies with the Candian trappers humane accepted methods.Shooting is reserved for out of the city and areas where it isnt a safety factor.Although a lot of discretion is used in the last method.

[WayneChristie]

crap, I thought it was a thread about my ex wife! I know Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies had a huge stuffed beaver in a display case, I seem to recall it being white also? maybe not, I forget

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Snare only under ice, coni in runs and footholds on slide cables in cases where they have to be kept out of sight, and it is my prefered set as it complies with the Candian trappers humane accepted methods.Shooting is reserved for out of the city and areas where it isnt a safety factor.Although a lot of discretion is used in the last method.

That's pretty much the same ways I do things.
Except, I don't use leg hold traps for anything but Coyote and fox, and then only where a snare won't work.

I set coni's to do the same job as the slide wire set, works as well, except the trap is visible when set so maybe not too good where a trap might get stolen.

Once a catch is made though, there is nothing left to see save a 1/8 inch aircraft cable looped around a stump or other anchor.

I also make my own snares, do you use bought snares or build your own ?

I have photos of some of my sets somewhere. They are old film photos but I could scan them and post if anyone is interested.

They don't show everything but I tried to capture the set, the tether system I use and snares and snare making.

[sourdough doug]

[QUOTE=CaberTosser;1175012]The whole reason I opened the thread in the first plce was to see what kind of hilarity and debauchery would be happening. I too, am disappointed. My faith in mankind is eroded.

We, would like to think we are talking to Real trappers not pervs or the like. We are not prudes but you can keep the other stuff and the best guide types to your other sites, IYDM....

[parfleche]

Keg , I cannot set 330,s for these things when I am ten feet from a sidewalk or anywhere people can see the traps otherwise I would get famous real quick as a lot of my work is in public parks, That being said , It doesnt matter what rules people should abide by IE; dogs on leash etc. The minute it goes dark people change 360 . As long as they believe no one can see they will do it! And another thing when I set I have to set at dark and remove every trap by daybreak, so it can get tedious as far as trapping goes. Most times I am mere yards from my sets as I cant take a chance that something other than Beaver will blunder into my sets , people being who they are.Large cities have people walking about at ALL hours of the day or night. It,s a rude awakening to stumble upon individuals laying in the bush at two in the morning , some drunk , stoned on crack etc. My biggest fear is running into a group of teens , who would swarm you or into police who get called in on suspicious activity. I guarrantee it is no picnic stareing at a pistol and a highly agitated cop scared out of his wits after midnite! been there already and dont like it a bit. But the challenge of doing this and not being caught is hard to compare! The big trick comes AFTER the catch, and that is to carry these big rodents out and past people without them realizing what is going on .Can you spell baglady and shopping cart? Or just another down and outer with a large pack on his back! LOL
I would be interested to hear from others that do this , and what sort of tricks they need to stay out of the publics eye, Anyone?

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Keg , I cannot set 330,s for these things when I am ten feet from a sidewalk or anywhere people can see the traps otherwise I would get famous real quick as a lot of my work is in public parks, That being said , It doesnt matter what rules people should abide by IE; dogs on leash etc. The minute it goes dark people change 360 . As long as they believe no one can see they will do it! And another thing when I set I have to set at dark and remove every trap by daybreak, so it can get tedious as far as trapping goes. Most times I am mere yards from my sets as I cant take a chance that something other than Beaver will blunder into my sets , people being who they are.Large cities have people walking about at ALL hours of the day or night. It,s a rude awakening to stumble upon individuals laying in the bush at two in the morning , some drunk , stoned on crack etc. My biggest fear is running into a group of teens , who would swarm you or into police who get called in on suspicious activity. I guarrantee it is no picnic stareing at a pistol and a highly agitated cop scared out of his wits after midnite! been there already and dont like it a bit. But the challenge of doing this and not being caught is hard to compare! The big trick comes AFTER the catch, and that is to carry these big rodents out and past people without them realizing what is going on .Can you spell baglady and shopping cart? Or just another down and outer with a large pack on his back! LOL
I would be interested to hear from others that do this , and what sort of tricks they need to stay out of the publics eye, Anyone?

Wow! I think I rather face an angry Wolverine in a trap with a long chain then try trapping in the city, LOL
You've got stones my friend !!

Without seeing what you are dealing with, I can't be sure but I think my coni sets would not only work for you, but work better, be faster to set, and less likely to make an accidental catch.

I'll see if I can find those photos I took and post them for you to have a look at. You might find they are not what you imagine.
Then again, like I say, I don't know what you have to deal with, so maybe they wouldn't work.
I'll post the photos so you can have a look, maybe they would work.

[parfleche]

Any time keg!

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

That's pretty much the same ways I do things.
Except, I don't use leg hold traps for anything but Coyote and fox, and then only where a snare won't work.

I set coni's to do the same job as the slide wire set, works as well, except the trap is visible when set so maybe not too good where a trap might get stolen.

Once a catch is made though, there is nothing left to see save a 1/8 inch aircraft cable looped around a stump or other anchor.

I also make my own snares, do you use bought snares or build your own ?

I have photos of some of my sets somewhere. They are old film photos but I could scan them and post if anyone is interested.

They don't show everything but I tried to capture the set, the tether system I use and snares and snare making.

if you scan them Id like to see the pictures, thanks

[parfleche]

I have no doubt 330 work as well on a slide wire BUT If a dog gets in the 330 he will be toast, In a foot trap he will still be there before he heads down .A dog will react different to a beaver where the dog will try to stay on land a beaver will head straight into the drink all times. Again foothold my trap of choice . I have seen where some cant even take a dog out of a snare with a lock and also with a power ram , Running home to get an axe to try and cut the cable! Panic sets in and the rest is history! Most people have no concept of how a 330 works so getting their pup out of a trap is a futile effort most times. You have to appreciate how wound up people get when their pet is in trouble! Screaming , cursing, calling the cops is a first, The the sh-- hits the fan and the media gets in on the act, Nothing sells papers like sensationalism!
In this business IF YOU THINK IT MIGHT HAPPEN, Then it likely will!

[kargor]

here is a picture of the prehistoric beaver I took this in Whitehorse


DSC02308.jpg

[KegRiver]

Found some of my photos, but I forgot how to run the scanner.

I'm working on it though, hope to have it figured out yet tonight.

[KegRiver]

Okay, I figured it out. Turns out the wife had unplugged the scanner from my computer to use it on hers, so here are a few of my coni set photos.


#330 Coni with anchor cable. I attach 6' of 3/16 aircraft cable to one spring, with a noose at the other end.


Here I traced the anchor cable in red to make it easy to see.



Bank Slide Set showing placement of guide sticks ext.


Bank Slide set without markings. Note how far out in the water the trap is, not going to catch any cats or dogs, right ?


Bank Slide Set - catch



To make it easier to follow I will make a new post for the next set.
There are three set I have chosen to show what I am doing.

[KegRiver]

Okay, lets talk a bit about this anchor cable. The way it works is, as shown, the cable is attached to one spring and has a noose at the other end. I simply drop the noose over a nearby stump or stout branch in such a way as to allow the trap to be pulled into deep water.

Since the trap is simply propped up with sticks, the moment the trap triggers it is free to move and the trapped beaver dives for deep water, dragging the trap with him. The weight of the trap holds the captured beaver on the bottom, under water while the trap does the killing.

It works just like a slide wire set, without the need for weights or a one way slider mechanism.

So, on to the next set


This set was made where beaver were swimming through a culvert. It would work just as well where there is any narrow channel they are swimming through, such as the runs they dig, or a narrow water course.


Here I marked the trap in red and the guide stick in green.
Note how one long stick was shoved through both spring loops and then this stick was used to suspend the trap with one jaw just above the surface, by laying this stick across the channel, and resting the ends on both banks.

The long stick to the left is for the anchor cable. It is simply a old feed stick shoved as deep as possible into the soft earth along the bank, where there was no existing anchor point.


Culvert Set catch.

[KegRiver]

And the last set for tonight.
This trap was set a good distance from the shore, in water about a foot deep. there was no channel or distinct travel route rather just an opening among the stumps and trees in their line of travel to and from where they were cutting trees.



Here I have marked the guide sticks, the stabilizing sticks and the trap.
I also marked the trigger to show how I like to place it, facing down, this forces the beaver to duck so that he triggers the trap with his shoulders. That way I get a proper hold 99.9% of the time.

If the trigger were on the bottom facing up the beaver would trigger it with his chest too far back for a good hold on smaller beaver.


Here is the results for the set shown above. I had to prop the catch upright because of the depth of the water.



Here is a beaver caught in another set a short distance from the above set. I include it as it shows once again, only a little better, how these sets are made in the water. The set was at the end of this short run, where it widens out into the pond. One remaining guide stick is visible to the left side of the channel.


And last but not least I include two photos of a set I made where beaver were sliding over a beaver dam. This set is shown mainly to clarify, as best I can without making drawings, how I use sticks to stabilize the trap and guide beaver into the trap.

[parfleche]

Thanks Keg!I can set this way also, But remember I am trapping at night for a reason, To stay out of the publics eye. Sets across the dam are ok as long as I am in the vicinity, OR there well before daybreak. And yes I also use these. BUT when you have people who work shift work and decide to let their Labs, water spaniels etc go for a romp at two in the am There lies the problem . You have to appreciate this is trapping in the MIDDLE of 90,000 plus people , right in next to back yards, and near sidewalks and walking trails. Dogs are use to fetching sticks etc. This is their break and owners because of the dark allow them to go wherever, Plus there are OFF leash parks , where I don,t have a hope of anyone taking precautions with the pets , WHY ? because off leash means no holds barred.
The second problem is I in most cases CANNOT set upon sign , because many instances these runs, pathways etc are too public to set, whether it is a foot from the bank or six feet away from shore, SO improvisation is the key here , YOU HAVE to bring the animal to YOUR SET. This works fairly well useing lure. But remember I don,t have all the time to leave sets until an animal finds it as on a regular line. I have at most hours IE: between after sunset to before sunrise. it requires a lot of work. In a sense you are legally poaching so as to not get caught ! Getting caught by anyone invariably turns into a media nightmare! And then a fellow finds out how expensive that pet bought at the pound for $30.00 turns into a priceless pedegreed pet ! Two million in liability makes you ponder the seriousness of staying below the radar If you see what I,m up against! Billy the exterminator would suffer death by a thousand cuts up here in Canada if he were to go about as he does in his state!If you google Darcy Ackerton in Ontario and Pete Wiese in BC they will tell you this is a little different business to be in . Although I appreciate the pointers , they appear to all be good sets in my opinion.Thanks for showing! By the way are tose Victors you use? or Dukes ? I use all Sauvageaux and Belislse

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by parfleche

Thanks Keg!I can set this way also, But remember I am trapping at night for a reason, To stay out of the publics eye. Sets across the dam are ok as long as I am in the vicinity, OR there well before daybreak. And yes I also use these. BUT when you have people who work shift work and decide to let their Labs, water spaniels etc go for a romp at two in the am There lies the problem . You have to appreciate this is trapping in the MIDDLE of 90,000 plus people , right in next to back yards, and near sidewalks and walking trails. Dogs are use to fetching sticks etc. This is their break and owners because of the dark allow them to go wherever, Plus there are OFF leash parks , where I don,t have a hope of anyone taking precautions with the pets , WHY ? because off leash means no holds barred.
The second problem is I in most cases CANNOT set upon sign , because many instances these runs, pathways etc are too public to set, whether it is a foot from the bank or six feet away from shore, SO improvisation is the key here , YOU HAVE to bring the animal to YOUR SET. This works fairly well useing lure. But remember I don,t have all the time to leave sets until an animal finds it as on a regular line. I have at most hours IE: between after sunset to before sunrise. it requires a lot of work. In a sense you are legally poaching so as to not get caught ! Getting caught by anyone invariably turns into a media nightmare! And then a fellow finds out how expensive that pet bought at the pound for $30.00 turns into a priceless pedegreed pet ! Two million in liability makes you ponder the seriousness of staying below the radar If you see what I,m up against! Billy the exterminator would suffer death by a thousand cuts up here in Canada if he were to go about as he does in his state!If you google Darcy Ackerton in Ontario and Pete Wiese in BC they will tell you this is a little different business to be in . Although I appreciate the pointers , they appear to all be good sets in my opinion.Thanks for showing! By the way are tose Victors you use? or Dukes ? I use all Sauvageaux and Belislse

I have a vague idea of what you're up against. I did animals control for the local county. In fact that is what I was doing when I took these photos, but clearly it is a walk in the park compared to urban trapping.

I figured there was a good chance that my sets wouldn't work for you but I hoped that they would give you some ideas as to what might work regards using coni's.
Oh well it was worth a try.

Those sets were from about 15 years ago, the traps are Northwoods, and Victor. I'm not familiar with Belislsel traps but I've used Sauvegeaux.
I haven't set a conibear since I worked for the MD and that was before the new regs came in so I haven't had to upgrade my traps.
Over the past 15 years I've only been involved in trapping as an instructor, using other peoples traps. Thank goodness. I'm not fond of the Sauvageaux and their equivalent. Overkill as far as I'm concerned.

Those old coni's of mine would end a beavers life in about two minutes, that's far faster then any snare of leg hold trap.
Same with long fur. Lights out on triggering and no heart beat in about two minutes. I've had big old dog Fisher stick their heads in a single spring 110 Victor and not even knock it over when it triggered. I would find the fisher on his belly with the trap still in it's stabilizer sticks.

I doubt I'll ever need such traps now. I'm turning my line over to a old friend and will keep myself happy trapping around the local farms, for Beaver and Coyote.

[parfleche]

There you go keg , A fellow needs to back off and relax at some point!