I went in today and cut a couple holes in the ice intending to place some sets. The ice is about twenty-six inches thick and there is barely enough water to set a 330. The beaver are there but where to set?

The dam is to the left of the lodge. No visible feed pile. Suggestions?

I'd put down three snare poles with two snares each. One about ten feet out from the dam, one out there in the middle of that slush spot, and one out from the house where that shadow is on the ice. Let the beaver find them.

First picture unless that's a shadow looks like activity in that dark line to the right of the beaver house.Might be a channel.Second picture where all the tracks to the right are I'd put a 330 up against the shore with some fencing to the outside.

This

Any stream coming into the pond?If so I would for sure block that off with a 330 as well.

In the first picture the tree leaning to the left with all the limbs going into the water on the very left of the picture.I would check for a channel going thru there as well.

First picture again to the right of the house where the water goes inwards and the smaller saplings are sticking up I would check for a channel as well.

Good stuff offered. A bottom set with a couple foot holds will work in a spot like.

And you know I'm reading and plotting. I best get to work.

I'd just forget about it and go ice fishing.

Nah!!

Are you in the entrance run.
What you have there is a bush run-off pond and the water has percolated out of the pond as winter has progressed.Not uncommon.
Often where I am there will be shell ice on such ponds held up by the feedbed or the house,and when you cut a hole there is barely any water even in the entrance run.If you set it it will often freeze in.
In those cases,I will often not set,or set a snarepole out in the deepest spot.

Thanks to each of you for the advice. Having over two feet of ice makes exploring water depth a little tricky. The ice is thicker than my saw bar is long. I cut out a hole, break that ice away and then cut the remaining ice as the hole floods. My spud is buried under snow at my cabin.

I placed two sets yesterday and am going back in this afternoon to make a couple more. I've never tried snares, just 330s and 750s. I've never struggled so to catch beaver. I'm in the worst remaining habitat they have left in this area.

Good luck.To bad you don't have the chisel as you can chop down thru the ice making a small hole every couple feet feeling around the bottom with your chisel until you find the channels and runs.

Made it back in, found some thinner ice and deeper water just in front of the house. I'll let the traps be for a couple days and see what happens. Thanks for all of the advice.

I like to let the baited traps/snares work for 4 or 5 days.Traps set at the entrance I will check in 2 days especially on a colony with 8-10 beavers.

Good Job Posco!!!

"Thanks to each of you for the advice. Having over two feet of ice makes exploring water depth a little tricky. The ice is thicker than my saw bar is long. I cut out a hole, break that ice away and then cut the remaining ice as the hole floods. My spud is buried under snow at my cabin."

Most old school experienced beaver trapping do not think about chopping tons of ice to fence anything off when it gets thick. Too labor intensive.
Most old school boy use bait sets around the feed pile and call it good. If there is not much ice, that is a different story.

Thanks for the great post POSCO and thanks for all that responded.

Just adding more information for people.The key to chopping ice is a pike.Has no chisel head but goes down to a pointed end.Once you get down thru the ice with the chisel it is amazing how fast you can then go the rest of the way using a pick.The pick is much quicker as you can break off huge chunks of ice with each hit.I even tryed a chain saw myself but it was slower.Another thing to save time and energy is only chopping and taking the ice out of where your actual conibear is and just shoving the fencing down thru the chopped up ice.

26” of ice ? I would wait till spring .