Trap shy beaver

Searched the forum and didn't find anything on this (did I miss it?).

Someone called me today about a possible job. The ADC company they hired hasn't been able to trap the beaver in their subdivision. Allegedly been out there a month, every day during the week. Two more trees have been chewed down during all this.

I'm hesitant to take the job. If the beaver wasn't trap shy before, I'm sure it is now will all the constant activity.

Curious what others have done when dealing with something like this.

thx

Set blind submerged,where the beaver uses.

rifle

http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4730618/1

Sub it out....To a very experienced trapper. That is if you are not that guy/gal. I agree with blind sets.
Don LaFountain

Not legal in most states to shoot a rifle into or over water.

Well don't tell anyone about it Jim!! Lol

I'd try and talk to the folks who have not been successful and ask what techniques they've tried.
Thats what I did and then I KNEW what NOT to use.
Typically, footholds with a breasting stick or 2 is my "go to" in those instances, just like in Pauls video "Beaver Sites and Sets".
That single video launched my ADC business.

For trap shy, location shy and or lure shy beaver, a blind set, something well hidden, seems to do the trick. I know some say snares and I agree a lot of the time, but unless the snare can be blended very well or set under water for a really smart one, if a smart beaver sees it he may avoid it like a more obvious conibear or a cage. I have done well with footholds at small dam breaks many times but do like the Bailey. Though I don't use my Bailey often it has finished off some smart ones.

In a black muck pond recently I painted the trap completely black to fit the surroundings and made a series of small holes in the dam over a 50 foot span. I don't like to set right in front of a hole but in between the breaks. With a narrow area parallel to the dam I added a few short stubs to tighten the opening a bit, sticking up just about the water level so as not to draw attention but as a guide. I dropped the Bailey in what was a "perfect set," but didn't think to make sure the safeties were clear. Since I don't use the Bailey often and getting forgetful, like I used to forget conibear safeties, I didn't check to see if the safeties were out of the way. Everything went according to plan, would have taken the smart one, but the cage wire hung up on the safety on one side, my fault. Still, the Bailey trap can be hidden in muck and that type of set works well if the cables are lined up out of the way and you remember to check the safeties. I found it's best to keep your face out of too unless you just like to bleed.

We always leap to the conclusion it is trap shy beaver. Those beaver shy traps might just be operator error.

With higher fur prices the past two years, there seems to be no shortage of smart beaver. The creation of a smart beaver can be little more than an old female seeing 8 family members get caught, while never actually springing a trap. With smart beaver I'm quick to pull the trigger, figuratively that is, no time wasted. It is usually within minutes of a first or second check, if I'm not catching in standard productive run or castor sets that I know what I'm up against, a smart beaver. With a pair of uneducated beaver at a new location I like to be done in 8 hours, with two sets, set at dark, out in the morning. If I miss one first day, they get a second chance. If I'm not done the second day, the writing is on the wall, trouble.

Beaver tip their hands quickly. I yank traps and go to another plan. With a smart one its on to a snare or some sort of stealth in a, foot trap or Bailey, maybe a Hancock well covered in a dam. If beaver don't hit the regular sets right off when given ample opportunity, chances are 99% that additional looks won't do much more than waste gas and time, too many of those "lets just give them a few more days" never pan out. It's more work to pick up what you have and change up, while the tendency is try to hope what you have will produce. With conibears in good runs but yards from the house, if they intended to go through them, they would have. Rest assured, beaver know where they are.

Interesting too is that smart beaver are not always whoppers. Some are monsters, but others are in the 30-40 pound range, not huge and on occasion though not often, actually on the smaller side. The one that I just missed was particularly troublesome since he had lodges on either side of the interstate, each 2-300 yards from the road, a lot of room for avoidance as he could be anywhere on a given night or two, or longer. (I'm still not over it as you might have guessed.) The spot was 40 miles from home to add to the pain and no doubt he will have to be dealt with at a later date. But, there is always the exhilaration and relief when retrieving a heavy slide wire. You are allowed errors, while the beaver can't make any.

Buckshot works too. Theres more than one way skin a cat.

I agree with shooting. Sure wish I had more opportunity to shoot a smart one, a great way to end a stalemate. Over the years I have shot quite a few with the bull-barreled 10/22 and a spotlight after dark, some daytime too, but out of the past 409 beaver I have shot but 3, none this year. However, I'm not much for sitting for hours on end in what can be for nothing. It's either up or down, maybe an hour.

The last location with the smart beaver was a small winding stream in a swamp that spread out in all directions. Never saw the beaver at any time. Interesting too, I will puddle the house to see who is home after the sets are in. At no time did I put the beaver out of either house, so where was he? a needle in a haystack it would seem, with so many places to go.

Creatures of habit, on a pond, beaver will often come out at the same time every day, predictable and easy to spot. Summer is generally a lot better for shooting due to the length of day. They have been in the house for 14 hours or more and apt to come out in the evening, hungry. With short days in fall beaver have many hours to feed at night and little reason to come out during daylight hours.