Buzz, body snared beaver on land equals damage. Sent up your body snared beaver and I will have the beaver grader go through them. Beaver snared on dry land by the body will grade out to be either 2nd cut of damaged or the bottom end for hatters. I just looked at a bunch of beaver that are dryland snare by the body and everyone has damage. Question how do you dispatch a dry land beaver.
Cheers Jim

Thanks a million Gibb. Now it looks like there is two of us that don't know what we are talking about. Funny thing, you and I see more beaver in a month that most of these guys will see in a lifetime. I also stated, that not every beaver you catch will be damaged if land snared.
I put all my snares on drowners and still get a slt. bit of damage occasionaly.
Not only do you get lock damage, but everytime that cable slides acrossed the beaver, it might be breaking the guard hairs or putting a cable stripe on the beaver. If you know what you are looking at when looking at beaver fur, you will be able to tell what a small clip or a small wire stripe looks like.

I brought 5 green beaver to Groney, 3 snared and 2 from 330s. These were Nov. MN beaver, so not as good as they will be, but he didn't say anything and I couldn't see damage on the fur side. All three were live and two were held in the water only, no access to land, and the other was held on land. I've have been told that spring beaver have longer guard hair that will be succeptable to more obvious snare damage. We'll see in April.

Once again Buzz it ain;t always the lock that damages the beaver. Neck snared or not, you will still get cable damage.

But Buzz just think what that check might say if it was not for the snare damage.

Buzz we sent them out this year. pm me your address.
Cheers Jim

Food for thought, NAFA best beaver grader works for us now.
Cheers Jim

Awfully defencive there Don. LOL What I want to know is does it matter what snares or methods of live snaring a person uses? I already know it matters on coon ALOT. So I'm assuming there are ways to limit at least, if not eliminate, damage from the snares. There may be ways of limiting the bites as well. How about you try to shed some light on anything people can try?

~ADC~

Buzz have you actually seen were belisle traps have damaged beaver or otter or is this something that you heard? I have taken a pile of beaver and a handfull of otter in belisle traps the last 3-4 years and not once have seen any fur damage at all what so ever. Heck i take afew muskrats in them every year usually wacked at the hips and i have not had them damage them either?

Buzzard you got the best fur in the world and I can't buy fur as good as you have in your state. Sorry I misled you into thinking my crapy Indiana fur is worth more. I am also done defending the beaver drowner. Do what you want. You know best. I could really care less.
I just wish that all the snared beaver I buy were as good as the beaver you have in your state.
ADC the only way I know to catch beaver is with drowners. I do not dry land set for them with snares nor will I ever do that. If I could tell you how to stop the snare damage on dry land I would. But it seems as though beaver do not get snare damage on dry land. With this said I will now shut my ignorant mouth.

Ive snared alot of beaver in my life, before this past week id of said all snared beaver had damage as well, as I have in the past on this very forum!

But whipper snapper Kyle though he probably don't know it taught me something on snaring beaver for fur this past week! I can't honestly say those he snared would be able to be picked out of the pile of other's he's caught.

He's using 5/64 cable swiveled to 3/32 for his snares with his relax lock. After removing the beaver from the snare and rubbing up the fur no line can be found and because the snare hasn't LOCKED down in one spot I highly doubt a snare mark will be shown on the leather.

Strong conibears DO leave a mark, sometimes a heck of a mark on the leather!

That's my two cents worth on this topic, take it for what it's worth.

J I agree on the 330's. I know I have pics of bad leather marks from 330's. The worst isnt from belisles, its from weak 330's that dont kill beaver and they end fighting the trap. Now that causes real damage. Im not saying I did it right but I have one snared beaver in the shed(3/32, cam-lock) thats has the biggest pretty white line ever was right across the middle. 6' snare with a mid snare swivel. Im sure the cam-lock was the major cause of that though. I dont have a dog on this tree but i have to say a buddy of mine sent thirty some odd beaver to NAFA a few years ago that were all snared and almost every one graded damaged. Maybe he used to aggresive a lock, I dont know???

Take a piece of 1x19 5/64 and rub it, then rub a piece of 3/32 with your finger, you'll figure it out on your own then. The 5/64 is real smooth compared to the coarse feeling 3/32.

Im just doing adc work so 3/32 works for me BUT if I was snaring them for fur id go to 5/64 after what ive seen the past week.

5/64 1x19 or 5/64 7x7 J?

1 x 19

Hmm, ok..Thanks. Does it load and hold it loop ok?

Thanks J, that's the kind of info that can really help out. It helps confirm my reccomendations for a "universal" snare as well.

~ADC~

I don't know KY, his weren't loaded. Where's Newt's sorry butt when ya need him? lol.

Snarem by the tail..........

Don, Gibb, If the beaver is snared around the neck would a slight snare mark really hurt? I relize body caught beaver with a snare mark will be graded slt damaged or damaged, but if most of buzzards are neck caught I wouldnt think that that would be as bad. I dont set snares for beaver anymore except under the ice and even then you can see a slight snare line, although not bad enough to be down graded. And yes somtimes you get a 330 mark even with strong traps, although when it is right behind the ears I cant say that I get docked for it at nafa.