How many use them in front your trap, half a dz sharp end sticks, push in at angle in front your trap to breast the beaver for front foot catch , only thing that works for me

I like em

I use them but I do not use 6 of them at a set.

Here is a little example of that breasting stick over the dog of the trap.

I have mine so in front trap as may not be walking an spring trap with chest, I probly use to many as try block of area over a foot wide that could be approaching from

I try to position the trap in a low spot, with a mound of dirt or a couple of small rocks in front of the trap.

They work,but I find if you dig a bed for the trap and make a berm in front it is quick and works well.makes the trap more solid too.We have soft ground,I have used a few rocks in front of a trap at times.I like a little fresh dirt on shore too to get the beavers attention.Often cut a notch in the sod at the waterline and flip some out in front of the trap for a berm,and some up on the bank.A little lure and a couple small pencil sized peeled willows on the mud on the bank and your stylin.These sets are even qucker with a 330,as you can use your bootheel to just slick up the bank.

All the breasting stick does for me, is to keep the beaver from putting it's foot down on the dead spot of the dog of the trap. They will move to the side enough to get caught, front foot most of the time.

Some Locations call for "poke" sticks, some don't. If I use them they are beavers chew sticks in front of the outer jaw of the trap...no dog as I use all MB750'S 3 or 4 stx just below waterline.

You only need one.

I think most folks would associate that dead spot on an MB750 in the same way as the "dog area' of the trap. You just don't have to have them step there first. I make them step on the sweet spot of the pan.

That makes a lot of sense. I use 330's exclusively for beavah.

I use a few 330s too, but in April , when I trap , I am trying my best to keep the hair on the beaver during that time when it's easily damaged. So , the foot hold is my first choice.

330’s are my first choice....but when the Beavahs knock them ovah and puts mud on them....it’s time to go to the stealth foothold...mb 750 for me.

Listen to Boco he tells It like It Is.

Boco...do you use chain ?

No I just use wire and a deep water 10ft stake I can shove in from shore.

I've use a lot of wire like that, but have gotten away from it.

I like the simplicity,Les.Often I'm going back into a pond for nuisance or fur on foot for an educated beaver.All I need to carry is a Sandvik,and a small pack with a trap,wire,pliers,and lure.

I found that trapping travelers in the spring, to be careful of wire. Too many catches and it needs replacing. Too many catches with cable and it does too. I get the simplicity thing. All my old beaver wires became snare supports later.

I like to use the loop at the deep end of the deep water stakepole like in the one pic.This minimises any kinking.but you still have to check the part where the lock stops,and trim it once in a while.With the end loop its easy to trim the drown wire and re tie.It has to be checked after each catch and trimmed if kinked.

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I do exactly as the expert Boco stated. I believe it is important to bed a beaver trap and always take precautions that it cannot be bumped away or caused to slide away. That keeps the trap in place and working. Plus the little curb or berm also helps to cause the beaver to lower its landing gear. Works great.

I'm no expert on foot trapping,just how I learned to do it from the oldtimers who took a lot of beaver with foot traps.
Most of the beaver were taken with #3 and #4 longsprings,but a lot of the oldtimers seen the advantage of a larger jaw spread trap for beaver and often would remove one spring from their newhouse wolf traps(and even the smaller bear footholds) to trap beaver.

I usually use 2 or 3 as Paul teaches in his Beaver Sites and Sets vid.
BUT, that din't work on this rascal so had to add a couple more, for 5 at this set....and finally got him in the CDR.
that is my 3/8" drowning rod towards the bottom of the pic...…..the brown thing.

I don't just bed the trap. The biggest mistake I see in my competition is that some will set a trap on the given slope or contour. I bed the trap, but I level the playing field first. I also like to set the trap up against a nice abruptness, so that they stop there and put a foot down without thinking they can go up , over, or further than the presentation. That's a piece of popple/aspen usually. So...they are swimming up stream at ice out, usually in a bit of current , and they go directly to the castor smell and popple stick, and that breasting stick is parallel to the water maybe 1/2" above it, and they move sideways slightly putting a foot down, a front foot. No chance to back in, charge the mound and any other antic that will put a hind foot in the trap, but it will happen anyway from time to time. '

A nice, tight, forcing set will keep just the front foot in the trap most of the time.

Bu.p