Kre. I have very few problems with coon and otter. I might get one coon a year average, but I don't do a lot of beaver trapping in prime coon area either. I catch few otter on castor mounds, at least in relation to the amount of traps I set. It's not enough to worry about.

Hey Boss Man this needs to go to the Archives. Great post with a lot of work put into this & nice sharp pic's.

They won't break a leg. In fact, some of the older #5 Bridgers need some power boosting. I put old springs from #1 1/2 longspring traps inside the springs of the Bridgers to give them more power. I'm not a #5 longspring fan though, and they take too much room to bed properly to suit me.

Thank you Goldy.

Bob

Randy,

Do you feel it is important to hav the trap sitting level, or if the bank where the trap is going is at an angle do you leave it?

thanks!

how far do you set your trap from the bank? also, what do you make you drowning L lock out of?

Michael, most of the time the trap is level, or close to it, because of the shallow water in front of the trap that I prefer to get the beaver's feet down and walking. If the bank is too steep, I just find another place to make the set, use a snare, or make a shallow place in the bank with my boot or shovel.

I make the "L" locks out of 3/4" flat steel. I'm not as concerned about how far from the bank as what depth the water is. I don't think it makes much difference how far. I do want the trap at least two feet from my lure though. If the lure is right at the waters edge, you can miss some beaver. Some less agressive beaver just take a sniff of the lure, without completely leaving the water, and swim on. Some circle and circle in front of the set, maybe going as far as the waters edge, without leaving the water. If the lure is 2' or more back from the water, the beaver are more likely to hit the trap when getting a good whiff of the lure before moving on. But that's the main reason I use bait at a castor mound too, it's another draw for less aggressive beaver. Bait sure doesn't hurt.