Very cool thread!

Jeff, you're doing a fine job there. You ought to be proud of your patient approach. Not everyone can do it that way.

Teach them suckers who number two works for!

You always have to make sure your drowning system is positive and water deep enough.If in doubt pass up the location or use a killing set.
It is best for the animal and trapping as a whole.

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What do you look at/for when making an estimate for multiple family groups?

I have heard belisles are bad for that in some types of sets.
I assumed you were talking about a foot trap when you mentioned targeting a front foot catch-my bad.

Boco, it was a 330 set for a neck catch. I was only saying that my future chances of catching it by the front foot (in foot trap) have now been cut in half.

Gotcha.

Jeff indicated that there has been many years of limited human agricultural activity of any kind. He described finding one large house and a small one. He also described a series of ditches and the aerial photograph indicated much inaccessible area which probably indicates at least two more dens, probably bank dens that may have been overlooked or just not found.

That area has received extremely heavy rainfall on at least 2 occasions in the last 6-8 years. This would allow more migration of the surrounding beaver to this area during times of regular migration-dispersal.

The aerial photo-graph itself shows years of beaver activity as well as many areas of water over 4 feet deep.

Also, he is in the south there is lots of plant growth and no frozen bodies helping predators, limiting where the beaver can go.

#%@& that,that kayak woulda looked like it had a 40 horse motor on it if that was me.

You'd been in my dust, too! I'd looked like I had Jerusalem Cruisers on!

Gators live in beaver houses,or do they go in there looking for a snack.

Boco,imagine goin to check a 330 and it havin a gator in it.just something i never imagined i guess.

I have to say I was surprised. If I had to guess, he was looking for some grub. 5 lb Kits are the perfect size meal for a 6 foot gator.

Imagine the head of that thing coming up thru the ice hole,lol.

Yep, i would definitely need to go home and change my clothes if that popped up in front of my kayay!

Didn't want him riding around looking at you? LOL

Beaver season closed here yesterday,this morning got calls for 6 locations.
Going out this evening to set up.

We keep castor and turn over pelts to our fur council which uses the revenue for the membership.(supports aerial surveys and workshops fieldtrips etc.)
A nuisance trapper working outside the program could keep pelts to sell out of season by getting a permit to posess out of season online.I done that many times when working as a private agent (beaver control) for a company on salary.