The last 2 beaver I caught were drowned by their rear toe, 52lb and 68lbs. Both had marks on their rear ankles (was going for rear foot catch) as though the trap had clamped exactly where it should, but they somehow wriggled almost completely out. These were fairly new, strong Bridger #5s. Granted, these were pretty big beaver, but what do you think? Is that normal or is there a stronger trap that gives a little more of a guarantee of a solid catch? I worry that I won't be as lucky one of these times.

Were those #5 coils or longsprings?

I've seen that b4. I've always assumed those higher skint places on the legs were caused by the beav fighting trap after being caught by the toe....and b4 drowning.

If you're pan tension is stiff then the beavs approach may have been not what you set for and trap flipped over in soft bottom and grabbed only a toe.

Weak springs can cause that.

I have an old timer who has the same problem but with TS 85's. They seem to work fine as long as the trap catches them above the ankle, otherwise they would slip down to the toes and off.

These are longsprings. I've owned them for about a year, just a light coating of rust. I think they're about as strong as they were new.

While I suppose it's possible, my gut tells me that the trap initially grabbed them by the ankle based on the marks all around the ankle. Especially considering it was two in a row. I feel like with their size and strength they probably would have ripped a toe off and gotten away had they initially been caught by the toe...more often than not.

I think that to heavy of an anchor on your drowning give the animal a solid wack to your gear when they fight. Sort of like the reason to using a shock spring on the land critters. I feel I want the anchor to give a little with each tug that the beaver gives when fighting. just me thinking......jk

I trap beaver for a living, i don't own any 5 longs, should tell you all you need to know. Drifter on here called it catching them on the installment plan, lol. I only want to catch them once.

Hey that's a good thought, very interesting. This rock I used as an anchor was, I believe, heavy enough to cause this problem.

What do you prefer to use?

Hard to beat the MB-750, IMO. I've tried most everything else.

my gut tells me that the trap initially grabbed them by the ankle based on the marks all around the ankle.


That's why all beaver traps should have teeth.

I’ll probably not try anything else until i lose a few beaver. havent lost any yet with those traps and i remember choosing the #5 dls because of their rugged simple nostalgic style (and functionality of course). I wonder how much of peoples choice in trap is just due to recency bias. kinda like switching broadheads because you just got unlucky enough to miss an artery and got a bad blood trail, when in reality it had not much to do with the broadhead.

i do like the slighty movable anchor idea, like a shock spring on a land trap.

I have a half dozen 5 LS I use for the occasional nuisance beaver that does not like bodygrips.
I dont remember ever missing any.I have had pull outs with the old #4 victor DLS because of the weakening of springs from years of use.Over the years I have taken many more beaver with #4 vic LS than I ever will with the 5's.

I'm not saying that's the case with beaver, most folks are pretty loyal to the same few beaver traps BUT trappers are gear junkies too and they often jump on the next new trap that comes out and swear its the best thing since sliced bread.. Sometimes it is and sometimes its no better than anything we already have but its just "new"... Then after a season or two you see a ton of them show up for sale in the trap shed..

I've tried just about every beaver trap out there, just for experimental and fun. MB750's have been unbeatable for me. None of the Bridger 5's have performed satisfactory for me.

This^^^ is very true!

I'm leaning back towards 750s being my go-to trap.

Yea, I like my beaver footholds. I admit that, I like using different ones but I have more 750's by far..They are like a dependable old tractor. They just flat work, strong as heck and lock up solid, almost too solid sometimes...workhorse trap

I'm just the opposite of the new gear junkie. More like stuck in my ways. I find something that works and the last thing I want to do is try something new and have to change up my whole system. There's something to be said for stability, at least that's how I justify it. I like my #5 LS's.

As stated above, the Longsprings (even the slightly stronger sprung Duke #5) will lose you beaver. Always the same telltale sign: Trap at the bottom of the drowner with a Toenail in the jaws.

A fun trap but most won't use them for serious ADC work.

I will say good for you for noticing the issue. Many people don't.

Duke #3 4 coiled on slider on a normal 45 degree bank slope. Used a sort of light weight so no shock. Drowned dead. On Banks that just taper out slowly I do not use sliders or even try to drown them. I use my extension cables from land trapping and they will not fight that, they might wrap around things but it seems to me if they are mostly out of the water they just wait for you to come an get them, no fight. They fight the drownders hard so you need strong traps there.......jk

With good beaver traps you dont have to worry about "slippage" due to fighting the trap or for any reason. Ive watched a number of beaver get caught, you only have to hold them for 5-6 minutes underwater and they are done. I've quit using Bridger 5's because of the reasons the original poster stated. Theres often slippage on the rear foot with them. Good beaver trappers that I know have had the same issues. I dont remember ever remember seeing it with MB750's. I cant afford any escapes when doing ADC trapping, I dont get paid extra to come back and try to catch a trap-shy beaver.

Lots of times the slippage occurs when the water isn't deep enough to drown on a hind foot catch.

CDRs

I've caught and held a few beaver by a toe with my CDR7.5s I never liked the #5 Bridger LS. I had too many pull outs with them.

If you want to see how easy the trap will slip down on that hind foot, put the foot in the trap just below the ankle. Then stepping on the chain, grasp the front feet and pull upward. You'll probably be surprised at how easy that trap slides down the foot. This is why I will never use laminations on my beaver traps. I don't want that pressure spread out over a larger area. i want the jaws to have more bite.

The #5 Bridgers I used had a rounded jaw face. With a file square off the jaw, eliminating the rounded portion. It doesn't take much. Now take a look at where the levers are when a foot is in the trap. You might want to take a bit off the jaws allowing the levers to raise up higher when a catch is made. Those two simple adjustments really helped that trap perform very well

Exactly what Paul mentioned.

With a properly set up No.5 ls. I have never had any issues. Pit pan. Center swiveled. Drowning rod in deep enough water. Spikes. (legal here). Set to go between the jaws-not over. Had way more toe caught beaver with 750's. The only thing I dislike is taking a beaver out of them. That said I have been slowly shifting back to smaller traps. Much easier to use. Just as effective.

That's true and with a few traps that for some odd reason have rounded jaws...... Its only worse.. Takes a stout trap with proper jaws to dig in and hold below the ankle. 750's, CDR's are a couple that stay put where they snap or do to for me anyway.. Ive had good luck with Bridger #5 coils too...I use several pounds of pan tension and bed them as solid as I can. I can honestly say I rarely ever have a toe catch.. They are usually buried pretty deep..

MB750's, buy once. And never look back.
Sarge

#3 duke does it again. 40 pounds and no damage this time. the big one was bitten bad. Down the cable. that should be the last one there......I hope....jk

750's make even poor beaver trappers like myself, unlike the guys above, look good.

All i do is back foot stuff so i use a cdr. If your castor mound trapping with shallow water setting for a front foot anything will do. Also use some TS 85's, have noticed my older one's are getting weak springed though.

Can't deal with that crazy trigger set up on MB's, like my fingers too much plus got too many toes in them.

I used to use long springs. I now use 750's and Bridger #5 coils. They have worked well for me.

I use modified 85’s more and more. As I get them modded to my liking, I switch them out with my trusty old CDRs. Im all back foot ADC setups. I keep records, and I am seeing less issues of all kinds with them. For back feet bigger is better.

I have every big beaver coil on the market, some I have used more than others, but for my situation the modified 85’s are beating everything else I have used enough to have a decent comparison.

I add a set of #2 springs to 4 coil them, and rig up a CDR size pit pan.

For me, a pan that flips up like a PIT pan is so important that not having it is a deal breaker. Safe to handle, and step that trap right into the bed without even getting my hands wet or risking being caught fumbling around bedding the trap with my hands.

The good news is those two beaver took a ride in the back of your truck. I’ve noticed foreign made traps tend to use more of a rounded face strip steel stock on the jaws which land trappers prefer. I do see a market for an American made stamped steel jawed beaver trap such as a copy of a #44 Blake & lamb double long spring with a PIT pan.

I saw a video where Matt Jones says all big coil springs (7.5 and up) need to be laminated and I 100 0/0 agree.These traps are so powerful you get alot of broken bones on the initial snap creating a weak spot on the beaver and yeah they are most all still in the trap when I check them why would you want a trap that breaks the leg bone?Now if your traps are 20 years old a non lam trap is probably the way to go.Me and Matt’s 2 cents.

I disagree.

Rounded jaws faces lead to slippage especially with using in water conditions

RdFx we going to go back through all that round jaw vs square jaw stuff again, i thought that was settled in the 80's? lol

Matt's probably talking about trapping coyotes with a CDR, lol. Back foot trapping beaver i don't see that and i quit dragging drowner's around years ago.

roztocki, since the Blake 44s were no longer being made and trappers loved them, Terry Montgomery made the #5 Bridger dlls and trappers loved it. Trappers asked for a better pan and dog system and Ed Medvetz produced the Paws-I-Trip system and trappers loved it. Later, Duke made their version of the #5 dbls and trappers loved it. The top notch coil spring versions came out soon after. Now today we have so many top notch beaver traps...we can pick and choose and trappers love it. lol

Over the many years that I trapped many thousands of beavers, I don't recall broken bones from the unlaminated #5s as long as the beaver didn't get hung up before drowning. Then the broken bones wasn't from the trap firing, but because of loss of swiveling.

Agree Paul, The issue with the original marks that were seen in the original post MIGHT HAVE BEEN where the chain wrapped around the ankle as the beaver was trying to get out... just my thoughts

All i had was #4 blake and lambs for years, when the 5 popped up i thought that was my trap! Did the PIT pan system on them and all that, to date ive still not caught a single beaver in one, was using drowner's back then, get a big toe nail sometimes for my troubles. Still no idea why that trap didn't fit me. CDR's came along and I never looked backed.

Those traps are essentially slightly larger copies of the 44 I agree. That’s why I used the word ‘American’ as I personally don’t use foreign made traps and I know there are others like me.

That has been my experience as well

I hate to speak for someone else but I mentioned it earlier too, I meant the actual face of the jaw, where they meet up not the shape of them.. Id say he did too.. Like the face of 750's and CDR's are flat and square.. Then a few beaver traps don't have that nice flat square jaw face but a rounded one..
.
Just to add I bought some CDR's of Matt about 15 years ago and they were all laminated come to think of it..

Interesting thread. I’m a novice beaver trapper. # 3 Bridger is the biggest trap we can set here in PA and that’s what I use. I set for front foot catches but caught this one this morning by the back foot. Only had it by a couple of toes. I’ll have to look tomorrow to see if there’s marks where the trap slid down the foot.

I’ve had a few whole back foot catches in those #3 Bridgers.

You should be using 330s JK!

Toe catches are just a part of beaver trapping. If they have a large portion of their back foot on a jaw when it fires you will have toe catches. I use guide sticks to guide the foot into the middle of the trap, it helps tremendously, but strange stuff happens occasionally where a beaver still doesnt do what its supposed to. If youre having a lot of toe catches or escapes it's either your trap placement or the traps themselves. The smaller the trap, the more likely you are to have a beaver spring the trap with a portion of its foot on a jaw. The jaws of Bridger 5's, both long springs and coils, must be somewhat rounded because I could occasionally see slippage marks on the rear feet and had some escapes. Not so with 750's. If I said how many sprung and empty 750's Ive had over the many years most would call me a liar, but use sticks to guide them in and 750's do their part. I've found out you cant set 85's shallow either, not sure why, I have ideas, but I had some sprung traps with them set shallow. If I had to pick a #3 or #4 sized trap it would be the #3 Bridger. They were my go to trap before the 750;s came out. I four coiled them strong and they worked good. I still use them where I might get theft. I see a lot of videos and pictures of guys just setting their traps in front of a castor mound or bait without guiding. Youre just asking for toe catches and sprung traps. Beaver often will go into the wind to the lure, and if its not blowing straight out, the beaver isnt as likely to step into the middle of your trap where you need it to, to get a deep suitcased hold. By guiding I explained it in this:

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1707388/beaver-footholds-with-pics#Post1707388

750s for me

Yep^^^ I've seen this many times. Trap didn't slip.

Also, NO laminated beaver footholds for me. I need the bite of regular jaws. I can count on one hand the number of broken bones on beaver over the last 40 years.

Yes, being able to lift the loose jaw to set the CDR PIT pan is much safer than having your hand inside the jaws.

I think the 750s have a tendency to lose swivelling when the bars that hold down the jaws get tangled in the drowning wire or cable. When I started using drowning rods that problem stopped.

The hind foot sliding was the reason beaver traps of yesteryear had teeth.It kept the foot from sliding

Trapset the 330s when I am alone scare me. To old to be playing with fire I guess. Have never been caught in one and would like to keep it that way. I do have one out and that is my only trap out today in a guaranteed catch set------hA HA. We will see I dont want an 8 or even 6 beaver day anymore....thanks......jk

yep. 100%

I’m guessing I’ve caught a thousand beavers in. Bridger 5 coils and longs each. Your assessment of the trap sliding down the foot is 100% on and it’s true with nearly any trap of caught below the ankle.

This may have been mentioned with 4 pages but ensure you’re also Setting the trap sideways so the beaver steps over the pivot point - not over a jaw. This will help get higher.

I need some more beaver traps now that I’m thinking about it. Beavers have been off the chain here.

Thin regular jaws or teeth traps and get the beaver in deep water. Used some 750s this year for first time and they were lights out. 14s are killers too. Blind sets mostly or if using lure usually punch a hole in the bank or wherever with eye appeal and put lure in there. Centers the beaver and slows down the lure drying out.

ust to add I bought some CDR's of Matt about 15 years ago and they were all laminated come to think of it..

Doesn't matter on CDR's as strong as they are. Those old CDR's are the good one's, quality control went to crap after Carl quit making them.

Here's a couple interesting catches in big foot grabbers

This was a first for me. Good sized beaver caught in a Bridger 5 cs clamped only on the pad of the rear foot. I dislike these traps. They seem to be hard to set and that bump on the dog may as well not be there if it's intended to be a night latch, but I have had some good grabs with them this year.



Here's a Beaver Extreme 4 coiled. The tail catch impressed me. I had one of these on a rod the other day that left only a toenail, then the next day I had one 58 lbs by 2 toes that showed signs of the trap slipping down the foot.


This thread got me thinking maybe I should consider some kind of teeth in beaver traps again.......

Sometimes beaver just don't do what they are supposed too. Sometimes the water goes up and down, a trap gets silted in..it can happen with any trap.. I started making my sets to where the beaver has to walk in the trap and that helped a lot.... Ive seen beaver caught by the tail in mb 750's before... I held a 65 pound beaver alive all night in a mb750 and the trap never moved from where it caught it right across the flipper.. I thought that was kinda cool
.

750's fine for shallow water, im always elbow deep going for a back foot so my needs in a foot trap are different. Starting out all i had was 1.5 victor coils, lol. Dryland trail sets in their slides, now im lucky if i catch one in a bear trap!

This thread got me thinking maybe I should consider some kind of teeth in beaver traps again.....


Good idea-all mine have teeth and I wouldn't set a foothold without them!

I have some old traps that I either purchased or "modified" myself with nails or fence staples welded under the jaws. I came to feel like something that aggressive did more harm than good, especially with a front leg catch in marginally deep water where you can't get them under the surface for good quickly. I have a few traps that I purchased that have something riveted to the loose jaw. It looks similar to a hacksaw blade but it was made for this purpose. Something like that would be an easy add on if I could find them.

I think homemade modifications using nails on traps will eventually cause the factory toothed jaws like the 14s to be outlawed in WI. The 14s are very effective traps, even better with PIT pans.