How often do you move sets? I am referring to specifically to blind set 330s or snares on runs or crossovers not castor mounds or dam breaks.
Considering:
1) max number of traps are already set
2) avoiding kits (not front dooring the main lodge)
3) pond/lake beaver not river

I often make sets in spots I think will be great but aren't. So how long do you wait before deeming a set unproductive and moving it?

Trapping for fur or control?

Fur

I'm moving em all to castor mounds and dam breaks after a two days.

All iced up, castor mounds not an option, and in my experience they don’t tend the dams much once the ice comes. Anyone else experienced that?

Not much they can do but they will travel the length of the dam . Ice comes on you'll need to focus closer to the feed pile

If you don't want to set the den entrance after freeze up,the next best set is a few snare poles between the house and feedbed,or each side of the feedbed towards the house.
Use a chainsaw to open the holes and you wont have to deal with slush in the hole.

How deep do you guys set when doing under ice? I’m gonna try some this year in 4-5 foot river channel.

Just below the ice for baited, on the bottom for runs

Alright so at what point do you move them?

Let’s say for example you set what looks like an active run coming out of den or a bachelor lodge (a second smaller lodge in the same pond as the main lodge that doesn’t have kits). How long do you wait before determining that that this spot is inactive?

What about baited sets near the feed bed? How long before you figure that it should be moved?

Its better if trapping under ice to target mature colonys with 6 to 12 beaver.I would set 4 snare poles by the feed bed,or 3 or 4 traps at the den entrance,check them twice and be done.I wont go out of my way to try to wipe them all out when trapping for fur.

Well I learned a good lesson on this one.
Back story. 1/4 mile of marsh, 5 good size well maintained dams, 5 maintained lodges. Fresh chews and sticks all over. All fairly shallow except the upper most pond. The stream keeps the middle and the runs open.
Once it iced up over the runs it didn’t take long before I figure out that they all move up to the upper pond as soon as it iced up because it is deep I’m guessing. Besides not catching any beaver, I figure this out by the fact that there were no bubble trails and no feed beds. Luckily all my sets were blind sets so a few otter and rats have kept me busy.

I set the upper pond with 6 330s in runs and caught 4 beaver the first night. Pulled all my traps because the landowner said only take a few.
Now I’m back to rats mink and otters only.
Going to experiment with fastening hardware cloth to the side of my 110 and 160 stands to try and cover the beaver bank den runs without catching beaver. Colony traps are not legal in NY, otherwise I would just use a wide one to cover the beaver runs for rats.

I’m not sure if anyone answered his original question and I’m interested as well. How long to set before moving or Checking? Bono you said check twice and be done so check every 3-4 days or longer?

Yes that is a good avg.3-4 days will give the traps time to work.On a large colony I like to check after a couple days on the first check,then 3-5 days on the second check.Depends on how far I have to travel.
In winter on a more remote line 5 - 7 days is OK,but it helps to cover the holes and bank them up to cut down on the ice build up if you go that long.

I hope what I think will happen doesn’t happen. Let us know how it turns out for ya.


I’m thinking the 110s will be flat bulldozed and the 160s will either catch a couple more beaver with perfect strikes on smaller ones or give them an aching face after they are briefly caught then make a mess. I’ve been wrong many times though

Well Aix you were mostly right. I made 5 sets this way. 3 were definitely yanked by beaver. Two caught rats. One caught a rat and yanked. Beaver are very strong and determined. All the 110s were at the end of their cable. I'm curious if the beaver just try to barrel through, or if they grab it and yank. Based On how far the cable was pulled it appears they yanked them.

Anyway, this is a tricky set because the runs/dens have to be shallow, which a lot of beaver runs aren't. Its a race to see who finds the trap first. It would be real good in a pond after beavers are gone (NY has a no beaver traps within 15 ft of den or house rule, so you could set fenced down 110s and not have a problem with beaver bulldozers).