Yea, I wanted to use snares but I figure one might get tangled and die.If I got a livetrap I would go with a comstock which would be hard to recoop the price of the trap when she says she thinks they're 5 or 6 beavers so probly not gettin the job anyway.Appreciatte the advice from someone who has dealt with it.

Thanks this is my first year.I'm sure my pricing is not where it needs to be but I'm learning.what type of comstocks do you use for beaver?

I second getting it in writing from the enforcement side...NOT the biologist side.

One of the largest beaver I've ever caught did get relocated and you'll never guess where, so I'll tell you. A zoo in Green Bay.

Due to the time of the year, the more open appearing the trap the better here in Ga. Best not to set on main runs due to turtles. Even most beaver lure will attract turtles now. So how the trap is set and the type of trap used is important. A handcock, or koro is a good choice except where theft or harm to the public is possible by a fired trap. I like larger-taller more open traps, for this situation.

So whom evers trap you use the larger more open the better.

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I did call The DNR to see if the law had ben changed. The officer I talked to said it had not.

I get people who want me to re or translocate beaver, groundhogs, skunks wanting them to have a good home. They want to do what is best for the animal. I tell them that he already has a good home and if they want to do the right thing by him/her then they should learn to live with him. I lose some jobs for that but I think I gain more than I lose. The main thing is I don't feel like a prostitute for the vocal minority hipocrits that puts animal life above human life when its really about "their" trees or inconvenience.
My advice is walk away from those jobs your reputation among customers will grow like an oak not a weed.
Thats what I like about moles even peta people will sneak and hire to kill them discreetly.

I just heard comstocks were what to buy. I would like to get a live trap for beaver.what do yall recomend.what size and brand it would help because I have alot of otter where im at.

Why don,t you describe how you will be using the traps or how you want to use the traps. Then we can give examples and actual, in progress, catches to explain our point.

Also give examples that were given to you why one is better than the other so that we might add to or take away from what you were told.

Example: On the trapping only forum there is a thread that asks what is the best trap for beaver, referring to foot holds.

After many posts Paul Dobbins came back explaining that he has had very good success with some of the smaller footholds as long as they were used properly and in certain situations, not contradicting, but explaining their place is needed if set properly.

Let the responses be showing how traps of a specific design are best used, and why, and you will know which one is best for you.

Just about any cage trap can hold a beaver. Getting them to enter the trap will be mainly based on how the traps are set, but some traps have more flexibility than others and so make better beaver cage traps.

For example, if you have a small feeder creek with slow moving water you can set that with a 14 x 14 x 36 Williams and be successful, but you could also use the 12 x 12 Comstock, 12 x 18 Comstock, 12 x 12 Advanced Trap, 12 x 17 Advanced, or the 14 x 14 Advanced Trap. You may also be able to use suit case style traps like Hancock, Bailey or Koro along with several other special beaver trap models.

If you always want a cage style with two doors, you'll be limited in choices to the Advanced Trap models or Comstocks. While there are differences between the two styles, the biggest differences to look at are the doors and trigger mechanism.

Both Comstock models have two spring powered doors and once set can be placed right side up, upside down, or on their side. The trigger system is inside of the trap and requires the trigger to move a specific amount before the trap will fire. Doors are held open by the force of the springs pressing the trigger rod on to the trigger. In my experience, I prefer to set them upside down as I believe it helps limit obstructions on the bottom from interfering with the doors closing.

For the Advanced Trap models you can have spring powered swing down and spring powered "jail bar" guillotine doors and have more styles of models to choose from. The trigger mechanism on the outside gives a more "open" appearance to the trap, but based on door structure, you may be limited with being able to set the trap on it's side or upside down. The trigger mechanism incorporates a notch and dog system just like a body gripping trap. I've not used the Advanced Trap beaver model for beaver yet, but I have used it successfully as a blind set for other animals without incident (note, there is a spring that needs removed if you use the trap in this manner or raccoons will remove it for you).

In terms of setting the traps while standing in water, the Advanced Trap is hands down much, much, much easier to set. For setting the Comstock's, you need to place the trap in a horizontal position (this may require taking some sort of float with you to set the trap on) or take a rod to hold the trigger in place until one door is set to apply the necessary friction required to keep the trigger in place. For the Advanced Trap, based on design you may or may not have to hold a door open but you simply push the trigger mechanism back while pushing down on the dog until it catches on the notch. I don't know who's trap is the heaviest (although I'm going to guess it's Advance Trap), but I can say that both manufactures traps aren't light.

What I'd recommend is to get one or preferably two of the 12 x 12 from each and see what you like best (you can always resell what you don't like). I don't currently see the 12 x 12 on the Advanced Trap website so check with Kirk on availability and price. Cost wise, I think purchasing one of each style trap would be close to getting only one of the bigger Comstock's.

If you can't get one or two from each to experiment with, look at how you plan to use them (land trail set, water depth, obstructions, live capture only or live and lethal capture, etc.) and how far you need to carry them (and a live beaver) to/from the sets and what type of additional equipment may be required to help with setting/transportation. Compare this to what I've posted and you'll have a better idea for what will work best for you.

NOT, if you make THEM buy the trap, since they have asked for relocation, it requires a "special" trap, to satify their
"special request".....and you keep the trap.
Write it up in the Contract.
I sure hope you got the name of the DNR person and even a warden to put on the Contract....you'll need that info to cover ALL the bases.
ALWAYS get names,,,,whether its DNR or the phone co....then there is accountability.
Because when someone with a badge that agrees with Kirk, asks you, you have all the info/names in writing...making it MUCH easier to prove your case.

I usually ask the customer why they want the problem on someone elses property......AND I have THEM find a property owner who wants more squirrels or skunks or woodchucks...........and when they CANNOT, they usually let me do it they way I want.

We went to where the Game Commision told us to let a beaver go on a big man made lake in a State Park. Down a dirt road to the shore. We opened the Hancock and the beaver chased my partner around the truck a few times. There were some Amigo's fishing that thought this was pretty funny, until the beaver headed their way, then it was our turn to be amused.

Yea John, Thats what I decided to do and she sounded like she didnt want to pay.Warrior and most of yall have talked me out of the relocation business.Like I said I'm a rookie and I'm learning apprciatte all the advice and insight.I would definetly need a powered trap in water though right? Not for relocation to be able to set in river runs and pinch points without killing otters.Would that work?

Give Kirk a call, if you catch him in a good mood and not to busy you could ride down to Moultrie and he'll show you all his designs and how best to use. Besides if you pick them up yourself you save on shipping.

It depends on depth of water, direction of water, type of door, weight of door and length of trap.

I've seen gravity guillotine style door traps for otter that were 5-6 ft long used by the state and told they were very effective in and out of water. And if setting in only 2 - 3 inches of water, swing style doors would probably work just fine although it wouldn't be a bad idea to add some weight to the washer locks and maybe some bungee cords to help with the closing process.

But, hands down I prefer powered doors for traps around/in water as I don't have to worry if the trap is submerged, has a 1" breathing space, or is placed on land.

Have to agree with Eric about the powered door traps for a whole host of reasons stemming from the past 3 years experience in taking 415 beaver in cages in our ADC work. The reliability and consistency has proven to be good enough that we use double powered door swim through beaver traps as a primary device, not as a fill in for others like snares or conibears. Keeping records for some time, of 304 beaver taken in the past two years and change, 277 were taken in swim through powered door beaver cage traps in our ADC work, which comes to just a shade over 91%.

Safety is another factor. Cage traps are not as potentially hazardous to users or passers by, very important in high traffic areas, which are common. Setting Hancock or Magnum conibear type traps or even large footholds has to done with caution. It's nice go to sleep at night without worry. Even in states where cages are not required, cages are gaining ground and acceptability, often a trap of choice.

I agree with the reliability and consistency, but not as a primary device.

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For many years, (year after year for at least 12 years), in December, January, Febuary I caught over 275 beaver a month using mainly conventional methods and some cages. Some months (not years) over 350 Beaver Plus the otters. Have many witnesses and even video as to verify. Covered a very large area for many counties.

I don,t believe I could have moved up to 30 cage trap sets a day and have out over 150 sets on a 24hr check. I know at the time I couldn,t afford it. Just the logistics of carrying up to 20 or more large animals plus extra traps wouldn,t work even with the ability of the cages now.

I guess we all have different experiences and interpretations of what has taken place. I guess that is why I feel so strongly against relocating beaver in most cases.

Because of my experiences I don,t believe any individual, state, or municipality should be limited to cage traps.

Too many people believe that a beaver can make a successful place to live just about anywhere. Nothing could be further from the truth. There needs to be many things in their favor. The most critical factor is constant, year-round water flow to maintain an underwater den entrance. The next most important factor is that the surrounding soil to be flooded by a dam holds water. If the soil leaks faster than the natural flow of the incoming stream, the project will fail and the beavers will move out. They need lots of food. Once they are out of food, they move out. Once they move out, they become someone else's problem.

You are 100% on the mark, the cycle of beaver that often leaves a nasty muck hole with dead trees when its over. What we used to tell people who wanted to maintain a pond, and though it seemed counter intuitive to a client, was to trap the beaver regularly in order to keep the numbers down and thus keep the beaver and pond intact, if not forever, for a much longer period of time. By trapping or shooting the excess, keeping a pair at the site, food supplies would last a whole lot longer, which will help maintain the pond in a more balanced state. When beaver numbers go from 2 to 6 to 10 or more in just a couple of years, the large number of second year beaver with the adults will devastate the food supply exponentially, leaving a large cleared area around the pond. If only two beaver are allowed to remain, the eats have a better chance or sustaining the pair and growing back. It just depends on size of the food producing area. The only time beaver seem to continue to do well in large numbers is where lily pads are present and provide a lot of the sustenance in lieu of tree cutting, where tree cutting seems to be as much a function of tooth sharpening as food.

I have a friend who has the most beautiful beaver pond I have ever seen in his front yard, and he does just as you describe. The kicker is, the full length of the beaver dam in located along their driveway! Without a few beavers, his pond would drain out. With too many, water goes over the drive.

Sounds great, a balancing act between beaver and dam. It does require vigilance, maintenance. We run into that strange dichotomy too, where people love the pond the beaver create and all that goes with it in wildlife, but are forced to cope with over zealous beaver that really have no limits, no plan or end game. It seems that no matter how large the body of water, natural, man made or beaver made, beaver will continue to keep putting a few more sticks on the dam to raise the water level.

On a similar note, sometimes trappers get placed in a quandary, removing beaver plugging culverts that are also maintaining larger dams. When the beaver are taken and the large dam is old and rotted, its a good idea to "knock the top off" and let the water down a foot or so to remove the largest volume of water to help preserve a dam partially and prevent a major washout.