I have a beaver job going for DOT. Nabbed two the first night, one at castor mound, one at a 12" culvert pipe. Then two nights of a buried trap at different culvert. I switched trap to a Hancock and he hasn't come back to fix culvert. I have a 330 at lodge entrance for last 4 days, no catch. I did some recon last Friday night and saw one beaver swim through the other culvert pipe (there are two 4' pipes side by side). I didn't realize he could get through the pipe due to grates blocking them. So, I set another 330 there where the only hole was. That was the last time I saw him or evidence of him. The culvert connects two ponds, so not a heavy water flow. There's a waterfall down stream, but not being dammed there either.

Questions:
Would a "last" beaver pull up roots and move on somewhere? I'm assuming no, but anything is possible.
Do beaver lodges typically have more than one entry? If there is a second one, it's under the feed cache. I've never given it a second thought until today.
The castor mound had Beaver Blaster, should I try another scent?

Beavers can be super easy or beat you up.

Got an old gal that's been giving me the slip for over a year. Caught two of her off spring last summer and a big male, she stopped all activity until this spring, caught three off spring first two days and now she is slipping me again.
Was on top of her hug lodge two days ago and heard her jump into the water under in the lodge

Set a camera on top of lodge to help me figure out who's left, as they are still cover lodge
But will not return to repair dams any more

I'm not the guy with thirty years of trapping them but have done several ADC jobs and know there is no sure fast rule for the ones I have chased

Sorry no advise, just sympathy and encouragement (or maybe discouragement)

I would try a sac oil set...2 drops of sac oil on the bank with foot trap in 4-6 inches of water...no slide...no nothing

Beaver lodge can have 4 entrance holes or in some cases even more than that,however you don't need to set them all.
Patience is the name of the game with spooked beaver.Put in several more sets of different types and leave the ones you got,and check every 3rd day or so if law allows.
Shooting is an option,(if legal) if you don't want to wait him out.

I have had the last beaver stop fixing dams and leave the lodge to take up residence in an old bank den. These old bank dens are often created prior to damming the stream when the beaver begins establishing a new area. This makes it a perfect place to hide out without having to dam the stream. I would give it a week off to let it calm down and begin fixing the dam again.

Thanks for the replies. Permit runs out tomorrow. If it starts in again, I'll get another permit.

Beaver will play "pond tag," that is when there is one smart one left in summer especially, he may just head up or down for quite some times, leave for weeks or even a few months or just intermittently return. They sometimes return in the fall. Cooling off is important if they hang in there. I like to give them 3 or 4 weeks, just forget them and let them forget you. Once they know they are the target you have a monster on your hands so fighting it out can be a giant migraine. When you do return to trap its usually best to nibble around the edges, no major changes, a set or two placed quietly so they have no idea you have returned. A small break in a dam with a foothold works well, a crawl out. A snare under water in grass has done it too. If they got pinched with castor it will likely never work again for him, a repellent. I have used the Bailey successfully to take a last one at times, though large it can be hidden like a foothold with grass and weeds. A cage in a dam break has cured some too. If they can see whatever you are using, a snare, conibear etc. they will skirt it. Should be hidden.

Good advice. It has been mentioned before but time can be a trapper's biggest enemy(check laws, impatient land owners) or allie as Jim described(letting things cool off).

Agree 100% with this ^^^. I have one right now that avoids everything exposed, snares included.

Some fresh peeled sticks of a preferred food on the bank guarded with a foot trap might work.

Took 2 weeks but I finally got this old gal, she was the last one, got her old man first in a castor set with #5 cs, then a few others in dam breaks, 2 more in runs with 330's, then stopped catching, scouted & saw her, finally after 2 weeks got her in a snare on a bank slide, patience is a virtue, specially with me, seeing as I have little! lol

Plant a stick out in the middle of the water. Use it as your stake if you can drive it deep in the mud. This stick should be as round as 2 or 3 inches. Place a snare half in the water at the side of the pole while using the pole as the place to wrap a support wire. Place a food lure - I happen to like Woodchipper, but you may not have the food that Woodchipper is associated with. This set has taken a bunch of spooky beaver. It's one of those sets I never use unless I have to.

The oil sac drops on a very mild slide is great. Just a very little - maybe a drop total dabbed a couple times on the slide.

Or, as mentioned above, without a slide. But a spot where a Beaver would typically crawl out.

But never discount the value of a beavers channel. If there are channels from one area to another, maybe to and from a feeding area of an area they're harvesting construction materials. Set the deep channel and block the top water off with a few sticks on each side. The Beaver will dive to go under the sticks. If you use only 1 or 2 sticks, the Beaver could duck under them without diving, so set 4, 5, or 6 pieces of obstruction within a 5 foot area over the trap area.

That's a start. Go gett'er. I normally would say to not set all of these at once but, to be honest, I think you could get away with it with these. The channel, the food snare in middle of water, and oil slide are not going to interfere with each other so long as there's room.

Don't forget to use the wind and keep the food snare in an area she may be feeding in.

Ahhh, heck. That was way longer than I wanted.

Thanks again for all the advice. Snares aren't legal in CT. I pulled my sets today, still no sign of her. When she comes back...and I'm sure she will, I'll get another permit and try again.