Has anyone ever used the Dunnier method for beaver trapping or control work?

Used some panels this week where I did not have natural guiding. Worked like a charm.

Not yet but my intentions are high! Seams like a pretty strait forward concept. If they want thru they got to deal with a trap. The bonus catchs are what opened my eyes nothing in nothing out!

I use it and have good success. I don't wire my panels together though. Use quick links instead.

That's a good idea.

I’ve never used Jeff’s system, but I have his book, and have seen him do this demo, and it looks very effective.

Thanks for the input guys. His system looked interesting and well thought out. Just looking for a way to finish beaver jobs as quick and efficient as possible.

Georgiaboy, I've used it in your neck of the woods and liked it. The only problem I sometimes had were the roots in those swamps. I eventually bought hog panels from Jagerpro. They are nearly half the weight of regular feed store bought panels. Pricey, but worth every penny when you're hauling into a swamp.

You will also funnel some turtles into your 330s as well.

john whats so special about rods pans they look a lot heavier?

Turtles and the possibility of gators will be a new thing for me. I usually use TS 85's for pretty much all my beaver jobs. I use a few body grips but mainly foot holds. I am looking forward to implementing this system in the right setting.

You might want to look into a good, heavy duty double door cage trap to add to your arsenal. Had the perfect set up for one recently and it worked like a charm as long as the beaver got there first. And the fast turtles can be released.

Cooler weather will be your friend on the turtles and gators. I don't like to catch either one, but stuff happens. As long as they can get their nose above water, they will survive, with the possible exception of smaller gators, say 4 ft. or less. A bigger gator, say 8 ft or more, can mess up your equipment when they start rolling. One good thing is that, in my experience, a 330 won't hold a truly big gator because it's snout will fire the trap before it's head is far enough in for a neck catch, but it will sometimes be a rodeo before it gets loose. I caught and held an 8.5 ft one in a 330 last of June, but it was in a channel under a dive stick, not a panel set. Had to call 1 of our local TxP&W Game Wardens to help remove, transport and release it. I like Jeff's panel system when the situation calls for it. Very effective in creeks, sloughs, bayous, and especially plugged culverts or spillways. Otter and swimming coon are my most common undesirable catch other than turtles. It's just another good tool to have available when you need it. My experience has been that in areas where there are a good population of beaver and the site is good for a panel set-up, you can whack a bunch of them in a hurry if you arrange the openings so you can set 2, 3, or even 4 330's. I think that in those situations, the effectiveness of the panel system will far out-weight the inconvenience of a few incidental catches of non-targets. If you have further questions, you can p m me. Good luck!!

Thanks etxwoods. I will probably take you up on that.We have been doing beaver jobs all summer. Just looking for a way to reduce time on the jobs. Like you said, looks like a way to whack a large number at one time.

Our 330s must be at least 1/2 under water so culverts or pipe with only a few inches of water are not compatible with 330 sets but the beaver will darn sure use them anyway. A double door cage slid up in the pipe a couple of feet will work like a charm. They will also work in narrow channels in shallow or deep water since they trigger from the top or the side depending on how you place them. There is no treadle for them to have to step on. And Comstock makes one that the preferred method is to set them upside down.

Like the panel system or your torpedoes, they are another tool to help get the job done.

This is a 50 lb. beaver that was caught inside the pipe.

Yes, in my experience there is avoidance by some beaver that have found dead ones in the setup. Not so much the first night as following nights. That's why setting heavy the first night is important. I think that a caught beaver's brief struggles before it expires actually attracts other adults to the location. I also agree with QBD that the double door cage traps are the way to go in places where your catch must not be visible to people and/or pets. Road culverts and bridges in gated/private communities are prime examples. I have a pair of Comstock's that have caught a lot of beaver and otter in those instances. They are expensive, but have paid for themselves may times over in places where I can't risk drowner rig failure due to shallow water or other problems and 330's are not advisable . I have read here and heard from other sources that DeKalb's guillitine door models are good also, but the spring loaded doors on the Comstok models just seen to make more sense to me in tight places.

That is a DeKalb Swim Through with spring loaded doors on both ends in my pic. This trap is 12" high, 13" wide and 36" long with the top mounted trigger in the center. I have never had is sprung and be empty. Guillotine type doors would work fine in channels but would not work well in most pipes or culverts.

Rods pans?