Hey buzz, I guess Billingley didnt know what he was doing either when he took over 300 beavs in the south with #3s long chained. Just cause you havent figured out how to do it succesfully doesnt mean some one else hasnt. lol

Maybe I should clarify as to the locations and conditions I will setting under .... They are small winding streams ... never more than 20 feet wide and most often not that much .... I have 3 such areas to trap with a total of 5 dams ... Garry-

Under ice?

No sir .... the creeks may have spoty ice, but they fall fast enough to keep them from freezing much .... Garry-

Actor,
I have never trapped beaver before this year myself so for what its worth, this is what I do. All I have for them is a couple of older #3 longsprings and a #4 longspring.
I use cable for a drowning rig. I make a mock castor mound, set traps shallow, and place several small sticks (stuck in the mud--angleing to deeper water 45 degree) just outside of the set. I have had some success and I hope this helps you.
There is a huge wealth of info on this site and I have learned a lot from the people on here! Good luck.......
cdr

Since you seem to know it all Buzzard what do you suggest Mr. Garry does?

Buzzy, your leg get nicked by your chainsaw today..
Don't know much about beaver trappin' myself. I consider myself a rookie in that department. I have only caught a few hundred, which is waaaaay less than some on here. Buzzy is supplying some good info here. Drowners with slide wires are a much better system that a long chain. I learned the hard way on that one! Now, calm down Buzzard it's dang near Christmas!

Actor, #3s will work, tis what what I used when I first started after beaver..went and got CDR's after the second year after a couple toecaught and toe with no beaver attached incidents. Got some TS 8.5s this year after looking at one beaver whose foot spanned a CDR.

I'll be river trapping Raccoon Creek come Friday, and with rain on the way for saturday, them beaver I catch might as well be 100+ lbs trying to haul them up the banks.

Guys, Buzzy takes more beaver than 99% of the people on here.

IM NO BEAVER TRAPPER by NO means.

BUT ive have SEE it done with #3 (6-6.5 inch jaw spread) traps and can go do it right now, if i wanted to, getting a BACK FOOT cathc. hard to type it out, easy to show in rela life. no drowing, castor mound set up.


armchair trappers...lol

And with BACKFOOT i dont mean step over the jaws, i mean step BETWEEN the jaws, you suitcase the backfoot.

My bad! I thought it was a given to use drowners, being they are #3 footholds, to me it goes with any foot hold. Better?



Just the same MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL, YOU 2 BUZZARD

target the front foot and drown him. I haved used #4 jumps and caught them on hind feet.

mostly I use 330s but I do enjoy legholding them.

No hard feelings buzz. Just curious as you have your own opinions about what others posted why not chime in yourself and suggest what you like. You know a thing or two about them.

Myself, I've never caught a beaver in my life (seriously), so I'm all ears.

Those 3s will work fine, so will smaller.

I often set for beaver up on the bank, totally out of the water.

Trap as if I was setting for fox, meaning use a guide stick to get front foot into trap or better yet, with 1 1/2s I'll use two traps, one on each side of trail. Each staked down solid with a short chain. They're always high and dry and waiting in the morning.

I've caught many a beaver in a #3. My favorites among the #3s are the #3 Northwoods coil and #3 Bridger coil, both four coiled.

I've held many beavers by the hind foot in these traps also. The key to using these smaller jaw spread traps, as well as the larger jawspread traps, is to position them so the beaver's approach brings it over the levers, and not the jaws.

Even setting for a front foot catch, its easy to miss the front foot and that big ole back foot will make contact with the pan.

If the trap is positioned so the beaver's approach brings it over the jaw instead of the lever, its heel or toe can be sitting on a jaw when the trap fires. This will cause the beaver's foot to raise up resulting in a toe catch in the event the heel is on the near jaw, or foot thrown clear if the toes are draped over the far jaw.

When the trap is positioned so the beaver's approach brings it over the levers, it doesn't matter if the beaver's heel is at the near hinge point of the jaws, or toes draped over the far hinge point of the jaws, it will still fire with the foot in the trap.

You can however, have the beaver's left or right toes make contact with either right or left side jaw and still fire the trap. This usually results with a hold at an angle on the hind foot below the ankle somewhere, but still will usually hold the beaver.

Just my 2 cents.

I think that post was worth a quite a bit more then 2 cents Paul. Heck I even read it twice.

Great info Paul! thanks for taking the time to explain in detail!

Paul touched on a big problem people have with footholds is setting them too close to the center of approach. Beaver are wide animals and if you set your trap too close to the center of approach the beaver will only have the edge of it's foot in the trap when it fires. With the pan 4 1/2 to 5 inches off center you will get good hold most everytime if you use guide sticks to put the beaver where you want him. I agree with Buzzard on everything he said in this thread too. #3's will hold nearly every beaver if they are set right and you have a good drowning system. I use them all the time where theft is a problem and RARELY have a pullout. Forget the long chain. Drown them as soon as possible.

Set shallower, in about an inch, with some shallow water in front of your trap as well. This assures the beaver will have it's feet down when it hits your trap. In 4" of water, the beaver can still have it's front feet tucked against it's body.

My favorite trap is the bridger #3 4 coiled , northwoods and the new duke #4 they are all basically the same trap. I have caught a ton of beaver in bridger #2s ON PURPOSE !! It anit the trap its the user. I set for a front foot but they will hold the back foot just fine. I dont drown em either, for many reasons but to answer your ? set those traps out an set them right you will have beaver to skin at night.
This a northwoods 4 coiled.

Drowning NOT needed.