What would be a good bait to use in a cage trap for a beaver?

Please keep in mind I live in Wisconsin.

Thanks

No bait except for eye appeal(pealed stick, black berries,grass, mud,ect),,,,LURE........

The only 2 baits I've used for beaver are peeled sticks of whatever it is they are currently eating and apples.

Lures, of which there are many, seem to do the job a little better than bait.

So throwing some mud, peeled sticks, and Backbreaker in the cage should work ok?

I haven't used Backbreaker myself but it should work.

What kind to trap are you using?

I am gonna have to use a extra large Tomahawk. I don't have any cage traps specifically designed for beaver.

If it wasn't for this job being less than a mile away I wouldn't even be doing it. To busy right now to spend extra time trying to learn how to cage trap a beaver. But since it is just a few blocks away I will give it a go.

I caught one this week like this! comstock beaver trap,some peeled sticks,mound of mud,Backbreaker.found where they were frequenting nightly and made the set there,the next morning I had him.Its a castor mound set in a cage

You might want to try this. It should work with a pan if set in 2" to 3" of water. Put lure on grass wired to trap and made a dam break.

Caught this one today.Here is set.
Here is catch.

Here is another example that you might use with your trap. Set same, about 2to 3" water and place against steep bank. Put lure on inside- side or on bank side of trap and block access on water side as well as bank side. You might want the lure high so as to get him to put his wieght on the pan.

This was taken at the southeast rondi. Very effective in a creek or small stream.

Here is another set I just made with the trap in my first post. It had the smell of the beaver I caught earlier and I was afraid to use lure on a house set. This is a double door, but you could use a single doored trap. I might have used peeled sticks if I hadn,t just taken a beaver out of the trap. If set on bank away from den I probably would have used peeled sticks and then added lure on the sticks, if that didn,t work. Should work with a pan type trigger. I have found if the trap is 14 or more inches in height it works best. Width, when they are trying to be inticed in the cage, seems to be best if it is 14" or more. On a run it doesn,t seem to be as important.

Kirk very helpful.

I went and checked out the job and the beaver is climbing up a steap rocky bank to chew on the bark of a willow tree. Guys property really gives no good place to put a cage due to rocks going up the bank. I am just gonna use a snare on a drowner as it is the best option for the location.

great info kirk.would you set up a dam break set similar to the set in pic 1?

have you ever had a problem with them dragging sticks with them and jamming the door up?

By having a trap with a larger opening it reduces the chance of that happening.(A large trap will accomodate some debre) Also, by putting lure on grass or sticks in the back of the trap(inside) the beaver is more apt to investigate instead of carrying sticks. The key when using lure is to block off the trap in such a way that the beaver can,t get close to the lure unless he goes in the trap. Blocking and trap plcement is very important, as it is when using a body grip on a castor mound set.The beaver react basicly the same way.

If you use no lure on a dam set, you increase your chance for problems, especially if the trap has a small opening.

Here is picture from earlier post. There was a concern about debre.
I took the trap out for one night and set this trap the next night which was last night.
This is what the trap looked like when I left it.
Here is todays catch.
I am posting this to show the difference in set as well as to show backing is not needed in a dam set like this with a cage trap.This is the 6th beaver caught here. One was in a conibear, the rest were in cages. I have two conibears set. The beaver have been going around the conibears and getting caught in the cages.If I would have used footholds I think I would have had similiar success, except I believe I may have had a snapped trap or at least one miss due to the conditions for the set. (awful muddy and water depth is shallow)

In your situation it seems they never really used alot of wood to begin with because you have a very muddy bottom.I have a place this year that has a very rocky/sandy bottom so 90% of their damming material is sticks and debris.I can picture in my head a beaver dragging an 8 ft branch through the water by the butt right into that trap and 4 ft of it still sticking out the front.Has anyone come up with a way to set that trap in this situation? both of the traps pictured look like great traps, ( I have three of kirks traps,just not those)Just looking for different dam set options than the beaver traps I have.(two comstocks and a hancock)I try to keep conis away from the dam

Another good Option this Time of year, that dosen't add the territorial aspect of castor based lure, is to use a few drops of Popple Bud oil - or - birch oil. Many times these few drops of lure are the Ticket when trying to catch that Shy Old Adult.

330 mentioned castor, incredibly effective. It must be noted that lures, baits or attractants of any kind do not necessarily have to be placed inside of a cage trap for the traps to perform. In fact, I have found it better to do just the opposite, keeping trap and attractant separate, in proximity, but not together. When doing ADC work, like fur trapping, words like finesse, subtle, hidden, practical, versatile play an important role in how I approach each job. Size and weight are a big concern. Going back 20 years, Don Lefler had a really solid, well built cage trap for beaver, like those traps pictures above, just the trap was bigger and heavier than what I would use.


See the trap in the picture below? Barely, and that's the way I like it. No one else sees them either.

Cages take the worry out of potential conflict with kids and pets, while providing a great night's sleep for the NWCO and are certainly no lesser a device than anything else that is available for beaver work. Cul-de-sac catch with small dam break at a culvert.


Making it work in any environment with cages. Four for four first trip, five for five second trip, no misses, showing the effective nature of cages even working out of a canoe while breaking ice.



Another caged beaver in dam break. A small hole is all it takes and will in time will drive them nuts because they can not raise the pond without plugging "the leak in the cage."



No wiring, no stabilizing, , no lure or bait, just set, place and go.

We have so many turtles and the weather is warm until Dec so I make sets to draw the beaver through the trap off away from a main run. Here is one I caught today that way. I placed lure so the beaver would investigate. Set trap in ditch where wind would blow scent to pond.

First picture shows trap with beaver in it in the water(in ditch)

Trap placed on bank at location.

Trap with catch set on a run and just blocked off with log that was laying there.
Trap set in shallow ditch.
The catch.