Hey guys,

I recently moved to a new area and this will be my first season trapping here. I have found a few spots and know a few landowners through waterfowl hunting who are allowing me to trap coyotes and muskrats. But I love beaver trapping, and so far I’ve only found one spot on public land with beaver sign. Unfortunately this spot is heavily used by upland bird hunters, the state releases a ton of pheasants every week. The public land is about 2,000 acres and the spot I’m looking to trap isn’t close to any parking areas. However I would hate to catch someone’s dog in any of my sets. Any suggestions for sets that I could use for beaver that will also be somewhat dog proof, or am I better off finding a new spot? In WI my conibears have to be at least 1/2 submerged in water, is this enough to keep a dog out of it? I’ve been fortunate in the past that while trapping the only dog I would ever have to worry about is mine. I do a lot of under ice beaver trapping, but this spot is on a creek and based off conversations I’ve had with locals it doesn’t sound like it ever freezes over. Any suggestions on sets would be much appreciated, thanks

If it never freezes wait till bird season is over, or wait til spring.

My $.62 worth , is that I never caught a dog in a 330 that was 1/2-fully submerged. But that doesn't mean it couldn't happen to you. We have the same law here during trapping season BUT it must be FULLY SUBMERGED doing summer ADC work.

I'd probably try and get them at least 3/4 to play it safe and usually not too hard, and lay brush/dive stick, etc

Can't you put footholds out a couple feet?

How about hanging snares on a floating log?

Have you studied the Archives forum?

..its Archives---Water Trapping

I do use conibears and footholds fully submerged, even with neighborhood dogs around. as long as I am sure they are not running into the water. hunting dogs for waterfowl are different as you would expect them to go in the water, and all it takes is for a dog to hit the trap with his nose or foot. Even a floating snare on a torpedo (there's a very interesting thread about that on here!), what's to say the dog doesn't stick his nose through the snare, and who's going to get him out before he drowns? If you want to make absolutely sure you're not catching a dog, I'd say use one of Jim Comstock's beaver cage traps. Fully submerged at the bottom in a beaver run, absolutely zero chance to catch a dog!

oh, and otherwise, yeah, wait til spring, very fun to trap spring beaver!

Love the dog problem goes great with my nerves

Torpedo without a KP is a live restraining snare, problem solved.

Agreed, Aix. I admire the torpedo rig and still want to try it some day.

Only issue might still be getting the dog out of the cable restraint. That's up to the hunter then. Otherwise, if nobody goes in the water to save the dog, it will still drown eventually. Either way, you'll have some angry hunter on your back!

Nothing is 100% perfect but, you should have no problems if you use body gripping traps totally under water at lodge entrances, bottom edge sets and deep channel runs. Avoid using lured or castor mount sets and dry land “beaver trail” sets; water channel trail to land only, with trap out a ways from land and completely submerged under a large dive stick.

I'm with bctomcat-go with all submerged sets.