Merry Christmas, everyone. I started my trapping season this year by going after beaver behind town on our peninsula. The paluktaqs first arrived on our peninsula about 15 years ago. I remember the first lodge back here. The next year there were three, the next 5, then 9, now there's like 32. These are mostly lakes/ponds...deep at the entrances. Difficult to find the entrances most of the time. Ice gets kind of thick in late December; however, due to climate change the ice is a little thin this year.

I only have about 10 decent 330s working right now. I started trapping about 6 lodges. I found the entrances to the lodge to only about 3 of these. The other three, I didn't, so I tried this PVC wired on the bottom jaw set on one lodge. It didn't work. I also tried a 2" piece of live willow wired on the bottom jaw next to a feed pile of a big lodge. This one was a "swinging Susan" set that was let down about 5 feet down (not just below the ice like the pvc set was).

I also had a couple sets that were on one pole, with live willow wired and set at the bottom of the pond, near the lodge about 6 feet down.

I had great luck setting every entrance I can. Caught moms/dads/kids on those sets and cleaned out those lodges.

I had no success on the below the ice/pvc set. I had great success on the one pole 330 with live bait at the bottom of the pond. I also had great success on that swinging Susan set at the bottom of the pond next to the feed pile. I use the ice chisel to make the holes where the ice is thin, but use a chainsaw to make holes where the ice is thicker. Got 22 beaver so far and 2 otter.

On two lakes that I'm trapping, the otter let me know where the lodge entrances are AND the bank dens as well. They made holes at these locations. They're also spots where the ice is the thinnest.

Good stuff !!!!!! That seal is really interesting looking!

I think the baited sets for beaver will work out a lot better later in the season when the food piles are eaten down. Those set ups at the lodge entrances are very good and can be double set.

Osky

Raising those kids right! Glad to see someone is getting winter! Do you have any marten up there?

Way to go on the beaver! Like you I have not had much success with under ice sets unless it is right at the entrance. I know there are guys on here like Boco who catch a good bunch of them. NIce moose and I love seeing all those helping hands! That is a pretty cool looking seal as well, looks like you got plenty of good bait for the season! Look forward to the kitty pic's!

When I started trapping beaver he regulations required that you had to be 25 ft. from the lodge and couldn't start until the 1st. of February.. Caught a lot that way so when they changed the law I used it in my bag of tricks. Not starting until February the ice could be anywhere from 24" to 60". Covering the set with visqueen and the type of bait was the method to be successful. If you wanted to trap beaver that was the way it WAS.

Yukon, we do have a lot of marten up here but it's about 20 miles before you get into their country. We're out on the windswept peninsula. We need a lot more snow on the tundra and in those deep willow valleys in the mountains before we can get in there. Impassible willow valleys up in the mountains right now. I do plan on using most of these beaver carcasses for marten and wolverine later in January. Right now I'm shooting for 50 beaver. My record three years ago was 32 beaver. I'm at 22 right now.

Right now I've got 10 more 330s in a tote with about 10 gallons of water and 2 gallons of vinegar. Gonna let them soak and then wire brush them once in a while until I get them where I want them, then per yawls' suggestion, soak them in a similar solution with baking soda afterwards. Crossing my fingers!!!

HFT, yeah, the seal in the boat is a spotted seal. The one on the kitchen floor is a ribbon seal. Very rare up here. They're one of the deepest divers of seals and are mostly found near St. Lawrence Island area where the water's deep. Mostly shallow up here, so they're pretty rare. Maybe get 2 or 3 in a lifetime. Got the skin in Anchorage. Tried calling Frontier Tanning on John's Road but no answer. Anybody know if he's still in operation? He used to do all my seals.

Osky, I have 2 double sets at entrances and have been having great luck. Also have a double set at a bank den and caught mom and dad beaver on the first try there, then the second set caught a 2 year old beaver in the outer trap and an otter on the inner trap. I LOVE, LOVE bank dens. I wish I was better at finding them. Might need to raise a couple otter as pets and let them loose on a lake to find all the entrances and bank dens! Wouldn't that be nice???

bait on the bottom works great

Here are some more pics

and more...

and more...(gotta write in here in order to post)

Nice haul Inupiak.
A nice fat winter beaver is pretty good eating-you ever try it since they moved in?

If you don't want to risk wiping out all the beaver,try not to take more than 1.5 beaver for every live colony on your trapgrounds.That is to say if you have 20 live colonys\houses on your trapground you should be safe to take 30 beaver total off your grounds.

That is just a basic rule of thumb that has worked well here for more than 50 years for managing beaver.I know that further North,in the lowland coastal regions of James Bay the beaver live exclusively on willow and density is much less.There, the rule of thumb is 1 per live colony to be on the safe side.

Can’t wait to see your wolverine trapping pics. You doing any You Tube this year?

That ribbon seal is really unique looking. I can see why you want to tan it. It’s great seeing the youngsters involved and those smiles on their faces. Good luck and I look forward to seeing your post!

Id caution against your goal of 50 oit of 32 houses thats gonna really affect what you have next year it’s your call I can’t see your line but I know if I did that here it would take 2-4yrs to recover fully Looks like a fun time at least you guys are able
to get out up that way

Good job! Are you trapping the beavs on the peninsula? Looks like it in the pics. I suspect you can't get over to the mainland safely yet, eh? I'm gonna guess that there are more lodges out there, you just have to find them, go farther, etc. 50 out of 32 lodges is just barely over 2 per lodge and I'd say it won't hurt your future catch. I do think getting to that 50 number may be somewhat difficult as you wittle down the population.

Inupiaq,
Wish I'd seen this earlier..... next time you have rusty bodygrips to clean, here's a foolproof, simple, safe way to do it, requiring almost no work. Either remove chains, if they have them, or wire them tight, along with the folded in springs, to the trap frame (jaws). If you don't, you'll end up with a giant tangle. Then put a bunch of them in a cement mixer (rent, borrowed, or owned), add a few shovels of gravel, sand, and some water, turn it on, and walk away. Leave it tumble for a while, check them, remove when polished clean. If a cement mixer isn't available, you can build a tumbler out of a plastic or metal drum, plywood, etc...

Great to see you are getting the young guys out there on the land, and water..........

Hey! Thanks for the ride ,great pictures .Blessing to you and yours

Our beaver population has exploded here in the past 15years or more. I imagine if you trap these houses right out more beavers will move in. Good stuff man. Always interesting to follow your journal.

Great pictures all, and especially the ones with your rascals in them. Glad your enjoying it with them, unbelievable how fast time goes by.

Osky