Can anyone suggest any decent books that address trapping and or snaring trap shy Beaver? Seems to me I'm running into them way to often, they can turn a decent man into a crazy maniac,don't know how they do it , but I loose sleep,and can't think about anything else but that d---- md beaver. Then once I get him I feel like I've killed an ole friend, damdest thing I've ever seen, any how any help would be appreciated.

Not a book but there is one vide called “The annihilation of trap shy beaver” . It’s got a totally different tactic that I bet very few people use. I have a copy but have never had to use his method. Not that I’m a great trapper , I just don’t have many smart beaver. I can usually get them with footholds or snares.

Go down to beaver trapping pics by swampwolf.theyve got some pics and dimensions to build the trays he's talking about.i have made some and used them and they do work.set them perpendicular to the dam with 2 foothold in the tray about 5 to 6 inches under water.when the beaver hits the frame with his chest he'll drop his feet right in the trap/s.dont need any lure just put a couple small breaks in the dam to get him swimming to check where it's leaking.

Thank you guys, I'll do some research, there's some really talented beaver out there.

Beaver are really easy to trap... until you get a trap shy one. They can make you pull your hair out, but I always liked the challenge. Usually they are only trap shy to footholds or conibears, not both. If they are shy to both they can be a real pain. Blind set footholds on the dam spillways are my favorite set and will pick up a lot of smart beaver, or if they are wise to that, if you can find where they are diving under something, stick a conibear there where they are diving and traveling fast and don't have time to stop. I've had beavers before where I had to pull everything and wait a couple weeks, then slip back in quiet and make a set without any disturbance, no pounding of stakes or anything, in order to catch.

There nor trap shy they are SET SHY.

More than that. I've dealt with beavers that will avoid anything new I introduced in their environment that wasn't there before. This could be a single guide stick or snare support, a new castor mound, a hole in a dam, etc.

As was eluded to before, beavers are dumber than a sack of hammers until they're not.

They’re getting like turkeys around here, more people dabbling and pestering them I have smart ones popping up. I can tell first night if they’ve been messed with then the landowner fesses up that that they or someone has tried to catch them. Pond beaver are the worst. I think they notice, like Paul said, sticks out of place.

I battled an old female last summer that was taking down mature hazelnut trees out of an orchard. Tried to snare her for over a week and she just would not touch one, I must have had 20 snares out in a half-acre size stretch of river I spent extra time and fashioned a floating log set that I hadn't done before. I'd even setup like a sniper at o'dark thirty to try to shoot her! One night she downed a tree but didn't drag it back down to the river, and I knew that was my chance. I blind set a #3 coil spring, and a #4 double long spring at the base of the tree. Bingo! got her that night, front foot in #3, back foot in #4. Backstraps were extra tasty on that one!

I used to catch my share of beaver's, but lately I run into older singles and they are SMART. I really appreciate all the feedback.

Gotta go ninja on trap shy beaver. Foothold traps on anything that looks like they've used to crawl out on and minimal disturbance.

For trap shy problem beaver go to discretely placed snares in tight travel routes or find a natural object they are used diving under on a regular basis, then place a BG trap under it leaving no sign of you or trap being there.

The book "OPEN WATER BEAVER TRAPPING MADE SIMPLE" by Kyle Kaatz is a good read

My world is trap shy beaver. One after another. It goes on and on. I just assume they are educated anymore.
Well concealed blind set footholds are how I deal with them. If you make no disturbance and just put the trap where the beaver is going to step, they have no way to avoid them because they do not know and can not tell they are there. The art is knowing where they are going to step, and then having to tools to put a trap RIGHT THERE without disturbing the area.

This ^^^^^^ and snares set in tight spots .

I dont run into too many trapshy beaver nowadays,but when I do I dont mess around playing with them I give them a load of buckshot right off the bat.

Sac oil seems to work better for those set shy beaver.

Snares are your friend , don't go light on them .
Set by tree's they are cutting down.
Set some off set and low for tail.

Had to bed and blend in a #5 once to get on once.
On dry ground by tree they where working on.

I see that a lot too. They stay away from ANY CHANGES in their environment. I sometimes tear a moderate breach in dam(s) when I first visit a site....then return a few days later and see what I'm up against. If the breach(es) are plugged....let's roll! If not, then it's one of 2 things....they care not about a particular dam OR they are extremely spooky. More thorough recon needed.....go easy....use foottraps only in backfoot water depth. Don't use guide sticks or lure...other than a drop or 2 of sac oil from a single beaver. Forget castor lures. Leave BGs and snares in the truck. Seems over the top.....but they are sometimes just this spooky.

Yep. Sometimes it takes a submerged 330 in channel or tight spot to get spooky beaver.

No POUNDING of stakes or support sticks. Just pushing them in

I had one which turned and swatted its tail to spring submerged 330s in narrow channels. They do know every square inch of their territory. They live there every single day. Of course they do.
I found out that it was indeed tail slapping my 330s. The ole fat sow got caught by the tail all the way up to the meaty part and held it until I got there. It was like trying to pull a bull by the tail bringing her in. She splashed me so much, I couldn't have got any wetter than if I had just dove in head first in the pond.

Good info here...might be a good one for the archives.

I have caught a few by leaving an obvious set that they have been avoiding,as a diversion to get them in a well concealed foothold nearby.
I use diversion techniques to take other wary animals like wolves also.

I've never intentionally done this, but I see where that would work.

If you can find where brush has fallen from the trees, placing a 330 right on the bottom under that brush. Try to not change anything. Don't scar up the bank and don't leave a bunch of boot prints. That has worked for me a few times.Them educated ones seem to notice everything that is new.
Rickey

I had a beaver leave me a little toe about three days ago . I figured I would need to snare that beaver to get him caught. Yesterday I took a page from the boss’s playbook, I made a mud pie with no lure and moved the trap over for a right hind foot, instead of the left. I didn’t bother to look until I got this 60# toad to the buggy , but sure enough it’s missing a pinky toe from its left back foot.

X2

I can see where that will work. But I still think the less disturbance at the start is the way to go.

Nice work Golf Ball!

It was worth a try Mike , I already had the trap there.

Interesting I've never thought about beavers but have read about and used diversions in the past for predators. O'Gorman talks about it in his hoofbeats predator course.

Never thought of it as a diversion but I've had a few jobs where I just left everything in place because it wasn't getting any action and hung a few discreet snares up off the bank in tight spots on trails. Then checked from a distance. Heck, one I even blind setted a foothold on a trail.

Had a lone bachelor I couldn't get a trap or snare on. Set a snare at a crawl out that I could check from a hill above not having to enter the area. Couple days later I had that beaver.

I’ve been guilty of just walking in and tearing on the dam for years, just to get beaver moving, but I’m starting to lean hard on this and let their natural movement do the work for me. It’s not near as tiresome as tearing out beaver dams all day…

I had one shy of my 330. He climbed all the way up a steep bank to avoid the 330 in a shallow chanel. Pretty sure that he saw his mate meet her demise in that same set prior.
I set a snare right beside the 330 where he crawled out the day before. He got hung in the snare and got hammered by the 330 early in the fight. No snare damage to the hide.

I've had some good luck by just using sac oil on those set shy beaver.
I was down south trapping beaver and otter and trapping the live market. Of coarse when a Yankee moves Into the south land every one knows you. I was approached at the local grocery store by a Irate land owner. The beaver had moved into these ponds and wher cutting down his trees. You have to kill these beaver the cost Is not an issue. Well the beav says those beaver are dead but they just don't know it. So the beav hits those ponds with 330 castor mound sets. 110 days later i haven't caught one beaver and haven't even had a sprung trap. One of the ponds had a outlet which of course as (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) by those beavers. I even went down that out let several 100 yards and made sets. I killed a adult male on the first check In a standard cross over set. And that was it. now It was really ticking me off and those beaver had to die.

A local young fellow was riding with me one day and he had his dog along and we going to kill some wood ducks. I said we needed to make a stop and check these 2 ponds since I had some traps there and I knew there were ducks on them. Well there weren't any ducks so he put his dog on a leash and followed me around checking traps. There were several places along the bank where that dog got real interested. I didn't se any sign and I didn't see or smell any castor but that dog sure was working those 2 spots.

That situation kept me thinking. So the next time I checked traps I went back to those spots and checked them out. On closer observation I could see where something and crawled up on the back and had spent some time there. Well the beav was a lot younger back then so I got down on my knees and sniffed around. It was sac oil i smelt. So I figured It was a spot wher a beaver or several beaver had set on the the bank and where preening them selves.
I pulled al my sets and stayed out of there for a few days then I went back and set a 750 at the take outs at those 2 spots. Next day I had an adult pair.

Sac oil Is a non aggressive scent so I figured It didn't put the beaver on the alert.
I got that young man to bring out his dog and we checked out that other pond and we found one spot that I set up and In a few days had the beaver caught out of that pond. Of course you don't need to have dog along since you can create your own preening spot. But the dog sure helps finding the natural ones.
This sac oil set Is my go to set when trapping these SET shy beaver especially In ponds. But It works in other locations as well. But the less disturbance you cause at any location Is going to catch you those beaver a lot quicker.

Thanks for the input Beav. That was really interesting.

Great info Beav. Any advice on creating your own preening locations? Do you feel this set can only be made with a foothold, or is it possible to use a 330 or a snare?

I feel the sac oil should be used more In the early beaver season. In other words before the breeding season. It's non territorial and It's not a aggressive type lure. And like I said before or to be used In situations where the beaver have been spooked or In those small pond situations. Not saying you can't use It any time of the year but those 2 situations Is where I would use It instead of a castor based lure.
As to using 330s or snares with a sac oil preening set I don't see why not. But In those situations where the beaver are spooked less Is more.
As to making the set when using foot holds I would pick spots where you can you can target a back foot. if you feel you can get the beaver drowned go for a front foot. Find some open areas along the bank and try to find areas that have natural guided approaches to where you place the sac oil. Indentations Into the bank would be my first choice. But you can do your own guiding. But keep It as natural as you can. Again some times less Is more.
I also pay attention to wind direction. You want those beaver down wind from you lure. Since sac oil Isn't as strong smelling as castor your location Is critical. I will place some sac oil on the bank and make sure you place It far enough back so the beaver will climb up on the bank to investigate. you should also place some up about 2 or 3 feet off the ground to give that odor more range. Some small peeled sticks arranged along the waters edge and on the bank will give that set some eye appeal.

Going to more sac oil sets might just be that change up that might just put more hides on the boards.

Beav,
You are definitely spot on with this set and the sac oil. I go one detail further.....I keep the sac oil out of most brood females. Squeeze it into a clean 1oz wide-mouth lure bottle and keep/use it seperate. I have several bottles with single adult female sac oil on hand now.

Makes sense.
I will be making some adjustments as to what types of oil I use.

That makes sense SW as I’ve been mixing all the oil I collect in one container and have not had great results.

Thanks for the information

I've caught a lot of beaver just using sac oil from the beaver I have caught. And I never just used It just from the breeding female. But I can see where that might up the odds a bit. I will be doing some testing.
I have a 50+ lb beaver on the bench right know I will have to check to see if It's a female.