I'm climbing the learning curve for beaver trapping. I've only caught one in my short career. I've got some that have moved into my creek. They are getting into my corn field, no biggie there, its a food plot. What I'm trying to prevent is having my Black Walnut plantation eaten. A couple of years ago they got a dozen of my Walnut trees.

They are going into a soft maple root wad in a deep part of the channel. They have one path coming up to my field and plantation. I have a conibear set on their path tethered to a tree. It's a steep bank, about an 8' drop to the water. One pulled out of my trap Tuesday, had only a wad of hair in the conibear. I don't know how that is possible, musta grabbed it in the rear.

What did I do wrong? Do I need to make a drown set? I'll try again Friday night. When I checked the trap, one beaver was below me grunting and chewing a limb and another was swimming around. Both looked unhurt from trap, didn't have a gun or I could popped them both.

For land trail sets I much prefer snares as they don't spook them if it misses

Often conibear type traps can miss on beaver and otter on slides when the animal is going down the slide. In Mn it is Not legal to set a beaver size conibear(330) on land. So I will use the 330 size traps in a swim up set, almost always with a mud pie(scent mound set). Very important when trapping to know(read track sign), which direction animals are traveling on trails. Sometimes beaver only go up one trail and down certain slides. Castor scent works spring and fall, as beaver are territorial.

Get some 330 supports and set in the water. OR put a 1.5" stick thru the bent up springs and set in a 'trench' that they are using heavily. The stick causes em to dive right into the trigger. Our biggest that way was 54#(scaled)and he moved the trap about a foot in the direction he was headed.

w/ the supports wire the two top ends together and to a nearby tree/bush/etc. Chances are not needed but we lost one trap, on a stand, and still wonder if it was a beaver or scumball thief.

When setting a 330 in a swim up set in front of a bank trail, I either set the trap tight to bottom,top jaws about 1" under water and use a 1 1/2-2" diameter dive stick over the trap and weave it through the fencing lathe or peel sticks holding the trap. Securing the trap to a strong stake under water. Or I set where the water is 7-8" deep, but drops off out in front. This leaves the to jaws 2-3" above water a couple fencing sticks on each side usually directs the beaver to swim through, under the top jaw. The exposed jaw set is better when there can be some slight water level fluctuations(freeze/thaw daily temp cycles). If the dive stick gets submerged beaver may go over the trap. With the exposed jaw set I put the trigger jaw down. Of course, if using castor, the wind must be coming off the bank. And current in streams, rivers will make the beaver angle as it swims on approach. So take that in to consideration when placing the trap and fencing.

If u can use snares. After a beaver gets hit by trap and gets out. He will be alot harder to catch in a 330. A Biesle 330 body trap will hold what they catch. The jaws closes so tight on them. Right down from it make a fake castor mound. A drowning rod with a #5 trap would work good around it. Use a little commercial castor lure to it. U will catch every beaver there. I am fixing to get after beaver here Saturday morning. Opening day trapping season.

Even the Belisles (a great trap) can miss. Much depends on the set up and even then, when that trap is placed out of the water it just depends on how the beaver hits it. If they go over the top of it it will sometimes spring it and just get some fur. I catch a number of beaver by a front foot in Belisles because they see the trigger as brush and attempt to push it out of their way to keep from raking their noses. Or reach for it to help pull themselves up out of the water.

As earlier stated, if you can mostly submerge the trap that works well. On a steep trail I would set it (if legal in our jurisdiction) several feet out of the water near the top of the trail. As they come up s steep incline their heads will be down low. I would bend the trigger wires back a little so they are less likely to spring the trap with a foot.

If they become conifer shy I would go for a foothold with castor or a snare.

I know u can miss them. But a Beisle will come to hold one by the foot. Where others brand traps won't hardy. I have been catching them in fake castor sets with a snare and kill pole setups. What beaver lure has been working for u? I just got some Dunlop big bile and dead man's hand in. Also Sweetwater Flattail in. Have Flattail gold and clint Locklear enrager on order. I always have Dobbins backbreaker and woodchipper . Cavens bounty beaver and timber. Fox hollow build a dam.

I keep castors/oil sacs and air dry them. When my gallon of beaver lure is getting low, I hit a garage sale or 2 and find a cheap blender. I cut up the glands and mix glycerine in as I grind/blend into a thick pour-able mixture. Some add birch or popple oil, I haven't, trying to avoid muskrats and raccoon.

Dobbins lures are great. Last year on one check I caught 16 beaver out of 17 traps with his backbreaker. My poor Jon boat was loaded to the gills.

In general though I make my own pretty much like Spots does.

At the beginning of the season I just grab mud pies I find along the river and move them from one location to another and that works fantastic. Nothing better than the real thing.

Farmer called me about beaver problems in a section of creek. No flow, at most knee deep water. After looking, I guessed 8-9 beaver. I set 6 body traps, I caught 4 in 2 nights. 4 feed hole sets, 2 channel sets. I marked 2 more channel set locations and will set them when we get ice. Fur looked nice but the castors were poor. I could use bait for coyote, so that's where the carcasses went. Been 2 nights, went and pulled sets,caught the second adult and a second yoy. Only air bubbles at the 2 sets with a catch. Total 2 adults, 2 two year olds and 2 of this springs(yoy). I had thought possibly 2 adult pairs in the mile of creek, but the lack of any bite wounds or signs of fighting on catches and the lack of air bubbles(muskrat bubbles only) point to total clean out.