We set our beaver dam like crazy today. We have snares and footholds set. With the rising water due to the rains, I decided to hold off on the coni's for a bit. Hope to have some pics tomorrow.

Get'em Bean. Are you setting drowning rigs on you footholds? I've got a few Beaver i'm going to go after and wondered how to go about it for sure.

Good luck Bean, but the ducks will be sad

No. I have not figured out how to do that yet. Always things to learn. Really wanted to put the coni's in the water but with the rain forecast I felt I needed to wait.

Delaney - we will hold out removing the dam until later

I've had luck with the foot holds without the drowning rigs, although I've also had a few traps that were set off and nothing in em. Good luck they are neat animals and their fur is awesome. Pain to flesh but in my opinion worth it. Can make more stuff with em than the little amount they bring to sell, just my 2 cents.

bean one thing to remember and this from experience Beavers are not Muskrats a foothold 12 inches deep and 6 to eight inches away from the bank is ok I like to set like that and put a sharp stick at water level and remember you set on a dam and most times there pushing timber and thats what you catch MAIN on footholds 12 in deep I have found is about right

I used 6 foot of beefy #3 chain on my #4 beaver traps...they are big strong animals.

Drowning poles are best if you have the water to drown them in.

Check out this system. I have not used it but it sure looks nice...

http://www.minntrapprod.com/MB-10-Foot-Slide-Wires/productinfo/MB10-SW-6/

I have made my own drowners using a n old Church Key

No beavers today. Most of my sets were flooded out. We did catch another coon.

So Chevy, I don't have deep enough water. The creek is barely 2 feet deep in most places (probably deeper right now but will go back down). Should I stay with snares? I've got one 330 I was going to try and set on a slide. Don't really see a dam on my stretch of creek just a few trees down.

How wide Gilley

probably 20 feet

up to you, some places you just cant drown them. With a big good strong foothold I am not afraid to just stake them in solid and keep them alive.

I use mostly bridger 3's or duke 4's, 4 coiled for beaver and have caught and held large ones by both front or back feet with no drowning setup. I set them on dam crossovers and castor mound sets.

Look at the bottom Gilley Beavers use the same path the gravel will be washed clean. put a limb across that path with a 330 under the limb under water It works

We caught our first beaver today. It was a 50 pound angry one that was in a snare. We caught it by the back foot!!!

With all the rain most of my sets were knocked over but a few were still working.







Looks like we have a few more to catch. Pretty cool!!!

Awesome congrats. Have fun fleshing that joker, haha.

Congrats!

Good catch! h.h.

That will also make some great coyote bait. Chunk the meat up and add the castor to it and your in business.

Yessir!!! Also bean....save some of that castor for future sets! Nice catch!!!

Nice.

DONT WASTE THAT MEAT ON YOTES!


cook it like a pot roast

Ground into burger is awesome too!!

I won't say never

But as long as deer meat is readily available and I can afford to buy pork...rodent is not on the menu

Nice catch Bean !!

Ive Ate Lots of them NO fat I mean Trim it off and be carefull not to get any caster or sac oil on the meat The tail will slice up like bacon cook fat and all every year when I worked at Guide We had a Back Court Beaver BBQ every one came back for seconds after a small taste to start with not the rubber part of tail youll see when you skin it

Nice beaver guys Keep after em'

It REALLY is good. Tastes JUST like a pot roast, only 10 times more tender. Gives me gas though…..

Water gives you gas.... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Congrats I trapped my first beaver the other day to not as big though

Gilly,

You CAN drown a beaver in 2' of water. As long as you have a HEAVY weight, and a good slide rig, 2' is plenty. You do have to set for a FRONT foot catch to do it on a regular basis. Getting enough weight to a set can be an issue if you can't drive up to it. What works for me a carrying a couple burlap bags to my set location, fill them up with rocks, and wire them closed. # 11 wire, and a one way slide with your trap of choice. Sometimes the hardest part is getting the slide wire anchored good at the bank/set location. Choke up the chain, and attach the slide really close to the trap. That, and a front foot catch keeps even the biggest of beavers from keeping their heads above water.