I have permission to trap a small property that borders the missouri river with a good moving current. Would castor mound sets or any other sets work on the bank? (Unfortunately, There aren't any feeder streams going into the river)

I know there must be otter and beaver in the river.

check your mail box

I'm going to follow this thread. I'm curious what others have to say about this.

Castor mounds work well on the river .

If the banks aren't to steep and high try a mock slide. Might draw the attention of travelers without having to use lure. Then after picking up a few then make a castor mound set.

missouri river is navigable and you can trap the banks to the high water line without permission. you will need a boat if you dont want to get permission so you can access the bank. you wont have any trouble finding otter sign either

Not in Nebraska Danny. There is case law from 1983 where Missouri River (Navigable) boaters pulled to the sand bar connected to the bank and were having a party/campfire when the adjacent farmer/owner asked them to leave and they refused. Pull the boat up, build a fire and roast some wieners type stuff. Farmer called the sheriff and a trespassing ticket was issued. Went to court and the boaters argued the Navigable issue point. The owner had his land title that strictly stated he owned (and paid taxes which are exempt along the Navigable area) to the Iowa/Nebraska State line and Navigable Waters are just that,,,,,,only navigable and nothing more. These are Transportation Assignments only. You can travel and portage a vessel (or foot traffic) to a high water mark. This is allowed and not considered trespassing . Here, all other owner recreational and trespass rights are retained through NEBRASKA STATE LAWS. WHICH SIMPLY PUT IS : THE FEE TITLE OWNER OF THE LAND OWNS THE LAND (UNDER THE WATER ALSO) WITH ALL THE STATE GRANTED RIGHTS to its metes and bounds legal description. Landowner does NOT own the water and ONLY TRANSPORTATION by common vessel can that high-water-mark land be travelled on. Hunted or trapped on that land by the Nebraska law states that owner permission must be granted. That is why our county right-of-ways (roads) here need owner permission for use (trapping) is needed. You can drive up and down the county road but that land is owned by the title /deed holder. Even our public State Highways need the DOR permission to trap (which by-the-way they don't give). Guess who won the court case? Boaters paid their fine and it established case law of owner land rights along the state line. Omaha World Herald newspaper carried the case with the judgement as I was pretty interested. I think our moderator Mr Dobbins has a story about trapping on a river that his dad wrote about and a discussion about the same thing with law enforcement just prior to his induction into the military. Anyway check the state/local laws and the court (State or Federal) where any dispute would be adjudicated..................................... my take, the mike

its legal on the iowa side

back to the question at hand... I might suggest a beaver float as I grew up on the Missouri River and the up and (hopefully this year) down river levels would lend itself to that set with some castor.... my take, the mike

I trap the Missouri River.
Before ice up,
My best luck has been mock slides on steep banks in strong current. Digg out a visible shelf at the bottom of the slide, a scraped up limb at the top of the slide hanging over the bank, a stick with back breaker about 3 feet up the slide. Lots of beaver Cruze the river, in the faster current they have to make a quick decision to commit, when they do they hit the dugout shelf like a race car hitting a pit stop, set the trap on the down current side.
Good luck👍

When trapping the Missouri river from bank always probe the bottom before wading in especially in current as there are lots of places where the bank tapers down to the water line and then goes vertical (voice of experience) respect that river i personally have found one body floating in it .She had waded into the river to pee and lost her footing almost a month earlier

i wear a life jacket boat trapping any water. it aint like summer. that near ice water will suck the air out of you. its only a few seconds and your brain aint working right. i spent several minutes one time fooling around lighting a fire before i remembered i had boat motor gas. going in in the winter is very bad.