Well I can't just stop going out and looking for things to get into. Muskrat and mink was fun and while I was trapping them and hunting deer I ran across this area, among others. I'm going to postpone going after the dogs with CR's until I get my doo-doo together. I'll work on finding some private ground to trap next year. That way I have the time to get my land equipment back and set up. I bought some 1.75 coil springs today in fact. But that won't stop me from trying to snare some beavers. You never know I might still make some coyote and fox sets too. We'll see.

I haven't done much beaver trapping at all so I'm learning this as I go. (I've caught a whopping total of 3 in my life all with 330 conibears) So any of you fellas or ladies that trap beaver regularly please feel free to offer observations and advice if you would.
I'd appreciate it, but I'm definitely planning on trying to catch some of these here critters. I bought two more 330 Dukes today and I'm picking up 3 doz. more snares and two more 330's in the next two weeks.

So I have 3ea, 330 conibears, and a dozen cable restraints. I'm allowed 20 devices, no more than 10 traps, total I believe. I have schooling to do.


This and about 100 more crossovers and trails tie these "ponds" together. There's sign everywhere at this location..this might be a good place for 330 or snare.


Is this a bank lodge or just a feed bed? I found four of them so far. I have a blurry picture, that I didn't upload, of a beaver checking me out while I was checking them out..


This looks like a run, actually 2 of them crossing each other. Definitely a deep trail going up the hill on both sides and the tree's are mauled.


I wish it would either freeze up solid or melt off. Look at that trail going up and over.....holy crap!


Another crossover from pond to pond.


I'd say they are feeding here for sure. Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere......


I think these are bank lodges which mean I have to stay 15 feet away from them. Bank den holes are a completely different story I do believe.


And this is a beaver skull and bones with a bunch of scat on one of the embankments between ponds.
Not sure what did this yet, otter, fisher, or perhaps some woodland yotes...IDK...yet

Ah what the heck here's the blurry beaver shot......hahahaha Couldn't pass that up.....


I'm wide open for any suggestions as to how you beaver pro's might go about setting this place up. Do you think I need to wait until hard freeze (assuming we actually have one this year)? The beavers seem to be coming out from under the ice in many of the locations I photographed the crossovers and they are also working those feed beds pretty good too. It's like jumbo muskrat trapping. If I fall through the ice back where these ponds are they won't find my carcass until spring....if then...

Once you can get on the ice drop a few snarepoles 15 feet in front of the den entrances.

I'd fence off any channels around the feedbeds,channels and narrow spots in the streams with the 330's

That sounds like a good idea Boco. Weather forecast is saying below freezing for the next week at least too.

I really want to see hard freeze set in. It's February already. Skeeters and ticks will probably be bad in the spring.

There's quite a few places that can be creatively fenced off in fact. I wish I had more 330's.

There's an easy 20 or more relatively small bodies of water, and also some that are not so small, that the beaver have now inhabited, a unique area actually



Corps of Engineers ground.. probably from the reservoir construction as it looks like tailing piles. In any case the beavers seem to like it, lakes in the woods.

Sure looks like great beaver territory

Beaver, yes but that spot just screams coyote travel route, especially before freeze up.

I was also thinking that Archerguy and surely fox too. There are quite a few spots in this location that are just like this. Steep walls that close the lanes in and also skinny pathways between ponds. There's no actual beaver dams here since the Corps already the work for them. All they have is do is move in and start breeding, which it certainly looks to me that they've done exactly that. I must look hilarious down on the ground trying to see like the critters do........wouldn't be the first time.

If the weather isn't going to cooperate and give me some solid ice to work with I'm definitely going to try "something" else. There has to be some sets that will work in these conditions. It's always a challenge.

I still have to explore the lower section of this spot which holds more "ponds".

And then I found these just at the other end, and up on the rise, of the pond on the left. I'm pretty sure these belong to someones Fido or Fluffy...



Zoom...

One of my primary concerns is that we have otters here. I don't know that for sure but they are highly regulated in PA, i.e. only two counties in eastern PA have an open season on them, as in 1 per person per year. I live on the opposite side of the state so I want to avoid accidental/incidental kill. Any insight from you guy's on positively identifying otter sign would be helpful. I think I'm going to start off with baited sets, both 330 and snares/CR, we'll see. I've been talking with a few of the locals, especially out at Trapper Paul's supply's about tips tricks and techniques for catching these critters. Seems I have a pretty good starting plan, whether that works or not is left to be seen.

Things to do:
1. Get fleshing beam DONE
2. Get beaver boards for putting up fur
3. Cut bait poles where it's legal to do so
4. Catch beaver(s)

This spot is five minutes from my house, in fact there are quite a few more that I should have access too. The crappy fur market makes this a double edged sword, NO MONEY in it and subsequently NO COMPETITION......

You will think this is great UNTIL you have to drag a 60 AND a 40 lb one up and over a couple of those tailing piles after it thaws, freezes, snows and then some freezing rain on top of it all. Take a rope with you checking LOL ! ! ! Good luck bud............ the mike

And bobcat

Unless you have coyotes,prime beaver in the larger sizes is your most valuable furbearer right now.With the castor and hide you should avg 20-25 at the auction.
And they are a real pleasure to put up compared to coyotes.

There's definitely coyotes here, and I won't be surprised at all when the cats, fisher, and otters show up. I have most of February left of canine season and the beaver season until the end of March. I'm sure there's fox and coyote running this area as I've seen them both.
Hopefully it's far enough out that most people will stay completely away from it until spring since big game is basically over. If I see sign of people going out there I won't land trap but it is sweet. I stop and call on my squealer regularly here. Now water trapping is another thing entirely.



I stood on a man made razorback taking these pictures and thought, what if these beaver weigh 80 lbs? And I catch one, or as you say two, down in those holes? I'm hosed for sure! I was joking at work today with my boss about calling in from the beaver line....ummm dude I'm going to be late. This is definitely not a joke either even though it is somewhat humorous. A couple of these piles are an easy 40 feet high or better and very steep. I do indeed have a rope but I've also plotted a trail or two through the maze of ponds. It's kinda wild actually. I'm thinking about one of those fold up deer hauling carts with the bicycle wheels.

I know someone that once trapped a beaver so big they couldn't get it out...ended up leaving it behind. It was a 1 time freaky thing.

I believe it, might not be a bad idea to carry a long dog choker, throw it up over a branch and start skinning...



Didn't I say a few posts above it was gonna be a bad tick year?.....look at this crap! In January no doubt I get to be pulling out ticks. I hate these freaking things I get a reaction every time they get me! Who knows what all I get bit by or have been bit by over the years. Spiders I'm sure, ticks, skeeters, deerfly's, horse fly's, all kinds of stinging hornet demons and bee's.....puts hair on your arms.......hahahaha

I cant believe you guys cant carry an 80 lb beaver.
I have carried many times 4 or 5 beaver in a pack a few miles in my younger days.
I packed a lot of moose quarters back in those days too so a few beaver in a pack wasn't much of a problem.
I can still carry two or three beaver a good long ways in a good big pack with a thump strap.

In my younger days I did plenty of insanely hard work and humping heavy loads like that, which is why my back wont let me do it now....

Right lol

Just make a beaver sling...

Anyone that can carry loads like that, and I'm not saying it's a tall tale or anything but we ARE trappers and I was trained Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri (so I can say SHOW ME hahaha), can come help me pick medicinal mushrooms this year too. Maybe we can sell them to the Chinese and other practitioners of traditional medicines..... Which might actually be something worth looking into. As my brother was dying from cancer, or the treatments I don't know which was worse, I talked him into starting to take maitake (sheephead) extract. It's a long story but he was already basically dead on his feet and stoned out of his mind on opioids when I finally got to see him. Yet on his last Dr.'s visit his white cell count had jumped way up and they wondered why. I wish I could have got him started earlier because you never know. They apparently work on the immune system and restoring balance to the body. I make a tea from these and others a few time a year. In any case this is one of them.



So to tie this babbling into my beaver trapping exploits, I can take those with strength and healthy joints out and load you up with 150 lbs. of these bad boys a couple of times a day. That's just like 4 or 5 beavers in your basket right? ..This is a nice flush of Reishi right here, late and degraded you can bet I'll be back this coming season.....look that up on the web. I've seen them for $30.00/pound for dried slices. In fact I'm learning to grow them here on my property.



We'll see how much yinz can carry.....if the rains come I can find hundreds of pounds of sheepheads and other culinary and medicinal species throughout the year....hauling them is another kettle of fish entirely. Yes the Army laundry bag is completely full after this one. My legs went numb as I woofed that bag out. There ain't no flat-lander stuff going on in my neck of the woods.