Ok I trapped this spot in the spring for the county drain commission. I quote 8 beaver from 17 to 43 lbs. had no activity all summer Then about three weeks ago they called me to come back as dam building started agsin. I caught a 33lbs a couple days in. And two days ago caught a 31lbs one.

So my question is: is it likely that these two were dispersed from other colonies and paired up at this site and now it should be done until maybe next dispersal ?

If none were shot or killed there should be 10. The dominant male and female. The four little ones from this year and four from last year. You caught 8. There should be 2 more. You should be able to answer your question based on what you caught. The factor would be whether you caught all of the small ones. If you didn,t, how old would they have been when you caught the mother. Two may not have made it if they were small.

If there is a pond or impoundment within a mile and there has been heavy rain. They may have come from somewhere else. If your present impoundment is a large impoundment there may be two families at various stages of maturity.

Very seldom is there just two at a new location here in early fall or winter. There is usually 6 or 10. If know one has been trapping and I catch only two or three in a few days, they are spooked.

Normally, (HERE)if a trapper catches just two or three in late fall (Thanksgiving) or (December) winter the beaver have been pinched, trapper was using exposed conibears, or some other activity such as fire may have them spooked. In summer here you may catch just one to spook the bunch. You are in Michigan, I would think your weather should be about right in 2 weeks.

Several years ago, here, there was little dispersal because of drought. If you have experienced severe drought there could be another family in the pond.

This is a swamp area of a 800 acre lake, of the ones I caught this spring, one was the breeding female as she had four unborn kits in her and one was one the ADC trappers from last year lost in a foot hold as they only had a toe on the trap and the eigth and final one I caught this spring was missing its toe

Again it was three months ago that I caught that last one and the activity at dam site stopped completely for nearly three months


Another site I was trapping g this past spring I got 11 and the same situation now. No activity for three months and now a new dam, further down stream. And I just caught the first one there too. Another 31lbs So same age class I would assume The last one I caught at this site in the spring was a 23llb beaver that had a different color fur than the previous 10 and lots of bite marks on rear, so I assumed it was one that was driven out of its colony and came to this site as I was finishing it

In summer they don,t have to go far to get something to eat. There may be 5 or more families in the lake.

In a situation like that, I put a boat in and make sets from a boat if needed. I go around the lake locating the active sign. Set on sign.

What is funny is you always have some wise guy that only wants to pay for the beaver on his side of the lake. You might have to put up a sign "Local beaver only".

Here in one county I can only get paid for a beaver within 1000 feet of a road. I have places I can see the beaver house, but can catch them until when they come to the road. So it is a "every so often time plan". Use to really bother me, now I look at it as others have always told me, "Job Security".

Here is is what I can tell you with all confidence.
Who knows?
We are talking about wildlife.
The more I learn about wildlife, the less I seem to know.

One time about 19 years ago I took 54 beaver where several small drainages come together. Had a few traps in good locations. Traps were all within 200 yds of each other. Dr. Darbyshire owned the property. Didn,t catch a beaver the next year there, just otter.

Another time in a drainage that has about a 400 acre lake owned by F. Mims at the time, I took 38. Saw his neighbor at a church function. The neighbor said he used to have a lot of beavers, but the alligators got them. I ask him where he lived. He said the forestry service told him the alligators got them.

About 5 miles down stream from Mims I caught I believe the same amount 38 in a much smaller area. They aren,t here like that anymore. What we have here are mainly irrigation ponds. Catch 6 to 10 and your done.

In the north country, from my home to the Canadian border, beaver move during wet summers and stay put during dry summers and are likely to relocate or disperse at any time from April until December. Beaver will plug culverts almost nightly for the most part once they have chosen a site, so when the plugging stops, the job is done. Beaver showing up 8 weeks later are a new pair, a new job, shown by duration and being matched in size. Though there may be what looks to be other "good sites,"on a stream, beaver return to the same locations time after time for years. A "double colony" will usually have from 7 to 10 beaver, adults with two litters. Many times there are a pair of adults, yearlings and two year olds. Two year olds are often fewer in number than the yearlings, one to three two year olds, with four yearlings being common.

Two big factors are rainfall and feed in determining what is and what will happen, what to expect. During wet years beaver will move more often, as I have more than once seen them relocate to a site as many as 5 times in one year, with two or three times not being uncommon on the wettest years. I tell clients one round of trapping will usually do for the year, but not always. Northern hardwoods usually will have either a pair of adults and a single littler of yearlings. The two year olds get the boot where feed is either scarce or non nutritional. Lily pad ponds are foolers, as they can have any number in any combination with the fattest healthiest beaver and yet activity may appear to low.

Though beaver can move in large groups, 10 to 12 at a time, more often than not pairs or even single beaver "testing" in summer are common. A pair of traps will often take the two in one night. I try to guarantee for a month, or so after I have pulled, with no hard line. If there has been no activity of any kind for 24 days for instance, I will probably call it a new job if beaver suddenly appear.

I am trying to wrap my mind around 54 beaver in one large area. I don't recall catching 54 mice in one area, much less beaver. You

must have been in mighty fine shape after hauling all of them out.

I had two 330 traps up one of the side drains, caught 27 animals, beaver and otter, in 14 days, in those two traps. One day one of the traps was set off.

I believe the reason I caught so many, there were three large, tall, dams where the flow all came to one.(three drainages) The water backed up a very large watershed. I believe the beaver in the back ran out of water moving to the central location. I was catching the beaver as they moved with the water level as their dens were exposed upstream by opening the dams in increments.

Paul, those huge numbers can be found when beaver are left to their own for extended periods, no trapping and no predators to keep them in check. My friend Mickey in Virginia and I were running separate lines back in '86 near his home is Stafford. In 3 weeks I got 105 and he got 106. Mick had one drainage that kept producing for a couple of weeks. For days he would come in and say, "I got 4, 7, 5, 9, 11 etc." in the same spot until I cornered him at the end and said lets add it up. Turned out he had trapped 68 or 69 in the one area, one drain. Randy in Massachusetts said "the castor mounds were as big as muskrat houses" a few years ago and likewise caught 60 at one location as they just kept coming. About 10 years ago, when I got the hernia, there were 4 colonies on a mile of track that yielded 40 beaver in a week. Set traps going in and had two in a couple of hours going out.
Lake Anna is big lake in Virginia. Thorpe and I trapped it in '78 I believe, for the first time. I asked the warden, "how many beaver are there?" before we started. His reply, "if you can't get 200 you're no trappers." We thought it a bit far fetched but the warden lived on the lake and knew his stuff. Ended up with 188, 55 before the freeze and another 133 in a couple of weeks at the end and all on one lake.

Well I certainly can understand the hernia. I'm getting one just thinking about hauling that many beavers out. I'm more of a chipmunk sort of guy.

One of the benefits of trapping beaver under the ice.No carrying.Right into the sleigh from the trap.

I have no sleigh.

We have no Ice.

I am not moving to Canada.

Have lived and worked cattle in Ohio in 50 below weather. Worked cattle many years in winter in Wisconsin in the same below zero weather.

Don,t plan to move to Ohio or Wisconsin and buy a sleigh either.

My condolences to you Kirk.

Appreciated coming from you. I am glad you understand.

USA today, coldest temperature for Ohio on record, Feb. 10, 1899, 39 below. New York is 52 below, Old Forge. Good days to look out the window. I have a sled, actually 4, use them, use them all year round. Pull over rocks, trees, R.R., water etc. Lots better than carrying. In the 70's we skinned on the ice, hauled only fur, a whole lot lighter. The hernia came from pulling full sleds of beaver and conibears after dark without a light, beaver on my back in a basket, breaking through a little better than an inch of ice in muck above my knees. Did it twice that same week, didn't learn after the first time I guess, hence the hernia. Got a very nice triple on otter too the last day, all just caught in 330's and still alive. Think they got caught as I turned the wheeler around. A good run. There were 43 beaver on that short stretch of track.

Michigan Trapping...read this post and re-read it again, I know I will....great info from some veterans. Job security was mentioned early in the post I think by Kirk...great insight. I have found that IF I take the time and educate my clients about the problem animal, they are not as FIRED UP when they call me again...they have a better understanding.
Jim question....you mentioned about culverts being dammed up and... that was a sign to pull up when it stopped. How long do you wait before deciding to pull up? I know its a tough one question but any insight will educate me on what to do...

thanks Mike

"How long do you wait before deciding to pull up? I know its a tough one question but any insight will educate me on what to do..."

Mike, I'm 'all ears' too on this one-difficult for me sometimes too. Guys like Jim, Kirk, and Jonesie (and others I'm sure) have done it so long they don't even think about it-they have a 6th sense! Lol