here's my 2cents.. I primarily do beaver, I dunno, I just kinda started doing well with them and never stopped. I was doing it for money, for several years, but then started to think it was a job, so I stopped. anyway, im busier now more than ever, but I help farmers, nice people and ranchers and invest in the relationships... by helping and teaching... its nice to get 2 dozen eggs from a grateful family...
anyway...
beavers gonna beaver... I know it sounds like a joke but its not.. they have some standard behaviors and here in bama our weather is mild compared to most. So they don't have the same challenges other areas have. (freezing etc) regardless they are gonna want to stop water flow. They key off of current and noise. There was a study I read where they played the sound of running water and the beaver packed sticks and debris next to it.
so I almost exclusively trap at the dam. sometimes you have a stubborn male, that's smarter than the average bear, but 90% of the time, I get them on the dam. Now of course if its a culvert or something without a proper dam, you can't, but I don't see those much.
open up a breach in the dam, like 18->20 inches wide, make it deep... set 3 conibear 330 in a semi circle around the water side of the breach... add "fencing" sticks to force them to the openings of the traps... I generally get at least one the first night, sometimes 2. Keep doing this until no more beavers... open up the dam more, and start dropping the water. As the water level leading into the lodge openings drops, if there are more beavers they will find the breach and try to close it.
so what's important?
- Fencing... make it so that the only way to get to the running water is THROUGH the traps...
- Make the breach large enough to get their attention, but not so large they can go around your traps to fix it.
- Check them often. I check daily on new locations.. keep the traps submerged as the water drops (which is regulated usually)
- Remember, BEAVERS GONNA BEAVER... use their instincts against them...
ok ya'll old timers... flame away..
Chris in Bama
Last edited by chris-al; 02/19/24 08:17 PM. Reason: clarification