Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Anyone know how to trap beaver ?

I'm not sure that they use the holes I see in the bank (i'm in KS)

So is it best just to put a HUGE conibear where they go out of the water ?

Spot

330s in slides work well. Use some sticks to form a V leading into the trap to help funnel them in.

i set footholds in about 5 inches of water at the base of the slide, then put small stick angled tward the open water about 6 inches from the trap towards the bank. when they swim towards the bank the small sticks hit there chest and they put their feet down on your trap. worked well for me anyways

+1 on the 330's in slides.

Ed

Ok thanks, I ordered three of them.

If your'e new to trapping you should start out with the 330's. Beaver often use large bank holes, especially on rivers. Check your state reg's to make sure it's legal to place a trap over a den entrance.

I could easily get a permit to shoot'em given they're doing serious damage to the guys pond, but I'll check the reg's on the den holes and traps.

thanks for the tip.

Spot

Dont forget the setting tool to compress the springs.

An expensive dinner, good wine and blinge usually works. Wait a minute.... What type of beaver are we talking about?

What???? You can't set them by hand !!!???? kidding 330s are bad azzzz. You don't HAVE to have a setting tool but not very many folks will set them by hand. You can use rope to make a pull/set rig.

I use 10" conibears for the trails (runs) and #4 Victors for the drowning sets.

Got 330's, a setting tool, safetys, and tags.

The next should they'll hear will be for the beaver for whom the trap snaps.

With snares I will catch 6 to 1 over using steel, and I can carry 50 to 1 over a 330.

Runs and trails are great with either a 330 or a snare. Back when I trapped them a lot I used #14 Victor Jumps and drowning wire. And the only set I used was a mudpie type set using ground up castor that I had saved from last years catch.

When beaver are traveling in the spring they go nuts over the smell of other beaver. If they smell that cator they will investigate. If you use a leghold trap make sure that you make a correct drowning set, and if the water is too shallow to make a drowning set don't use a leghold trap because beaver will work that trap enough to twist their foot off.

Good luck

IMO, coyotewacker speak truth. He forgot to mention that snares, if legal, are easier too. I like taking them in their land trails - simple, cheap, effective.

I never used snares, I used victor or newhouse leghold traps or I used 330's or 220 conibears. I caught lots of big beaver in 220's. The only problem with leghold traps for beaver is if you can't wade out and put a stake out in deep water then you have to use weights and they are a pain to pack. You will generally find one dedicated path over a dam and areas around the dam where they will come up to chew down tree's. Depending on the structure around the pond? you will either find that they dig into the banks for their homes or they will build the stick lodges out in the pond. I never trapped around the homes because it seems that I always caught lots of little beavers. The nice thing about the path over the dam is your going to catch muskrats, otters and other various animals. But be for warned that trap theives will know to check out dams to steal traps. Good luck

Just a little tip. If you use a weight for drowning, you can carry a burlap bag and fill it with rocks and spare yourself having to haul around heavy weights.

use a 330 or a snare on a castor mount set. buy some beaver castor, put it on one there slides and set where water meets land on the slide....
good luck!

As stated by some before me, a good way to catch beaver would be castor mound sets. In my own opinion, it is the easiest way, though as also stated - requires carrying/transporting more gear than say, snares. The castor mounds are the beavers' territorial scent markers. For our purposes, a castor mound is a mound of mud at/near waterline where you will place some castor lure and then splash with water. Make these near the lodges but you can really make them most anywhere - not usually smack dab in a trail, but can be next to one. the idea is to bring the beaver to YOU, not for you to go to HIM, as in snare/trail sets. I like snaring them as well, but it is not as easy as castor sets. You can make many a beaver come to your castor mound set through their territoriality. Will work in fall and in spring. (any time there is open water) They make their own castor mounds, but creating your own to simulate an intruder will do just fine. Here is one of mine...maybe not the best example/photos, but they were the only ones I had "jing'd" and ready to post...





Making the beaver approach from the water is usually not much of a problem, as that is how they approach their own mounds most of the time, but you will want to use guide sticks: