Got a call from a HOA to remove some beaver from a community pond. When I got there, there were multiple people walking dogs and several kids fishing. How do y'all handle these situations? Say thanks but no thanks?

You could use a live cage trap so long as the owner is willing to cover the risk of trap theft.

Welcome to the world of nuisance trapping...lol
Few ways to go about it...first let HOA know that you will not trap the area unless all people and pets are aware of traps being set.
Second, have the HOA to shut area down. Third, IF you feel comfortable set your equipment out and get up early and check traps before people/pets arrive.

The 12x18x39 double door swim through cage traps work great for these situations, low profile, easy to hide and blend, will fit into small culverts, very benign around kids and dogs. In the past ten years and 1300+ catches we have not lost a trap. You must work around the masses, set on Sunday evenings or Monday, pull on weekends if you have to. I remember setting 4 cages in a run only to watch a yellow lab swim right down the channel, when the ice was still on partially, swam right over the traps. What a relief it was not to have my 660 Belisle Mags set that day.

I always check my sets first thing in the morning, it's the hours after that worry me. I'm not sure that I could hide a cage trap at this particular site. I would also be very worried that someone would steal them given the prices they run. Is putting signs up a feasible option, or is that just inviting theft?

Theft is a major problem either way. Some think its easy simply putting in the contract that the landowner pays for stolen traps, but around here landowners are rarely willing to agree to such a risk (those cages can be super pricey).

Charge a higher price to cover the risk if you think you’ll have problems. I have done that before. Easy access but it was a total price quote next to a country road...trapped, dead raccoon(s) floating, so obviously someone has been there first, presumably trying to remove beavers. If people are willing to shoot stop signs, they’re likely willing to steal equipment.

There will be times you get hit. I’ve had a pile of equipment stolen, never to be found. Could have been stolen just to be thrown away for all I know.

People will screw with you, don’t think they won’t. They’ll steal your equipment, break it, fire your traps, some will presumably leave it alone— it all depends on who it is that finds it first.


Here, NWCOs are required to keep it from public view. That doesn’t mean people won’t find your gear and steal, break, or mess with

In past situation like this at a very public nature ctr. As well as well traveled rail trails. I charge for extra trips. I setup late in day just before dark. Check traps early morning. Take or hide the traps during the day. Repete until done. Ive been out setting traps at night on a railtrail and used hancocks. Two of us on site took 9 beaver in 3 hours. Pulled traps was home by 11:00pm. Couple days later reset took 3 more. Wait for clear moon lite night.

Whatever you decide to do you need to do it soon. Your average temperature for the days it’s going to be over 80° . All of your answers except for AIX are from areas that the water temperature right now is about 45° or less. Beaver are much more aggressive because of the cold weather and not as cautious . It’s just easier to catch the beaver in the colder environments when it’s not snow and ice covered water.The warm weather also limits the types of sets that you can make. It’s just gonna get harder to catch them The longer you wait.

Do all the above pretty much on the warnings and cautions . Cages are great as Jim said ( I’m in Washington where foothold and conibear are by permit only by WCO ) but for beaver or rats a float out in the middle with a castor mound set and drowning cable slides work like a dream

First of all consider if you want the bad publicity risk.
Second, does the municipality understand the PR risk and still willing.
Make sure your liability insurance is paid up and specifically covers this activity.
No footholds or conibears or snares ever!
Cages only or no job.
Use Jim Comstock’s cages or no job.
Require the municipality to close and cordon off the area to your satisfaction.

Some or all of these may be necessary.
Avoid Friday through Monday.
Set traps at dark and pull before dawn.
Have covers for all traps.
Have anything rigged before you arrive.
When done load and leave.
Have a letter of authority on your person with a copy in your truck.
Arrange with the mayor or whomever that you can call the police or sheriff every time before going there.
Take photos if possible of every set.
No guns, none. Not even in the truck.
If not doa, dispatch elsewhere.

When anyone - reporter or citizen asks you anything, politely respond by saying: I am not permitted to discuss this project. Call Mayor Jones to discuss. Have that in the agreement.

Charge enough that the job and pr nightmare is worthwhile.
I include a provision requiring the Municipality to protect, defend, and indemnify me in the result of any legal action. Also that the municipality will pay me X per hour for my time that I deem necessary to deal with any pr issue resulting from this job.

Be sure to let us know how this works.

No gun...
I generally can't imagine trapping without a concealed handgun. Personal protection (even if you don't carry it for dispatch) is usually important.
I think if in a spot where the law allows carrying, I'd carry.

I think the same people had already called me. If not, sounds like very similar situation, was over your way. I asked several questions over the phone, got some red flag answers, and politely declined. Told them it was too far to drive, and I had plenty of work closer to home, both of which were true. A lot of these kinds of deals aren't worth messing with, and some are nightmares. Many times, even if the majority of residents support removal of offending wildlife, some will be extremely opposed. Nuisance trappers can do everything by the book, exercize good judgement, and still have problems. You did well to go look before committing. If the HOA board will sign off on at least the first 2 stipulations MChew mentioned and enforce them, you might then put up signs and take pictures of them in place. Right now, with schools being closed, the set Mon a m & pull Fri a m rule prolly wouldn't help much. If you are gonna work HOA's, best practice would be to get some liability insurance in advance. Not all gated communities are this way, but the closer you get to the Metro mess, the more likely you are to have problems. Get a written contract to CYA, which doesn't keep you from getting sued if there are problems, but will give you a leg to stand on. Some of them folks don't think like we do!

Carrying a gun is a great idea for ADC work. That way the goofy people who hate guns will tell you to get lost and never hire you again. Now you don't have anything to worry about!

I took the job because I pick up a lot of referrals from a water management company and he needed me to see what I could do. I decided i wouldn't trap the ponds the HOA wanted me to put traps on because of all the people and pets. I did agree to put some traps on the waterway that fed into the ponds. It was pretty overgrown and full of litter. I caught one beaver on day one. Nothing on days 2-4 and no sign. I usually do a job for 7 days just to ensure I'm not missing any stragglers. When I got there the morning of day 5, I saw 2 of my traps were pulled up. I pulled everything immediately. I called the HOA and the guy told me some "stupid" kid had found them. My traps were very well camouflaged and completely submerged, but apparently he found 2 stakes and pulled my cables. Thank God nobody was hurt. The guy told me to come up with another gameplan. I said I'm done. Now I can't get him on the phone at all, so I guess I'm out of some money, but I'm counting myself lucky. I will never go against my first instincts again.

Whew, what a situation. Also, at least he didn't steal your traps.

Set late in the day pick up early in the morning before they people are out and about.

The majority of beaver work that I do is away from the public, so I have greater flexibility when it comes to what traps I use. Along comes a beaver problem where we’re camping. I already had my traps and snares in the truck, no problem. I located a well used crossover, and I set a snare. I paddled out to an island they were frequently visiting, and I set some 330s and snares. Beaver problem was solved very quickly. That was then...

Fast forward a couple years. Beavers move in again, and they want them gone. I’m already there and have my traps, so I don’t mind taking care of them. I loaded up and headed out there, and that’s when I realized that there are too many risks associated with setting my normal traps in a place like this. I don’t want someone or someone’s dog to end up in a 330, snare, or foothold, and using these traps in a public setting is exactly how that sort of thing happens. I don’t want the negative publicity of catching someone at a public place, and I sure don’t want someone getting hurt. I headed back to the camp and put up my equipment.


Either I get some swim through cages or someone else catches these beavers. It’s just not worth the risk in this case.

With swim through cages we don't have to walk have walk away from any beaver jobs. In time, after using swim through cages for a few years I realized that not only were swim through cage traps a very benign trap, offering few worries or concerns about pets and the public,(I could set them virtually anywhere) I learned they were incredibly effective, more so than conibears that do get sprung from time to time and create a square shy wised up beaver that usually will never go near anything that he can easily see, sometimes even a snare. We found that cages are rarely fired without a catch of some sort, beaver, otter, muskrat, turtle or fish. One Louisiana trapper named Michael made a unique comment a few years ago that I will never forget. He had used several swim through cages with great success and said "I believe if I had a dozen swim through cage traps the beaver in Louisiana would be extinct!" Got a good laugh out of that one.

Bottom line for me now, I have one type of trap I carry with me only to be used at all locations for beaver, swim through cage traps, only using all the other gear, conibears, hancocks etc. as fill ins when I get an odd beaver that will avoid conibears and cages.

Interesting, this past week I had a single lone male beaver at one location that avoided cages for a couple of nights. After not banging him on the first night I knew I had trouble as the cages nearly always connect on the first trip. I won't waste time for days, but change up gear quickly when this happens. However, my good old friend came and saved me, heavy rain, so I decided to set the cage one more night, though I did have a hancock and Belisle 660 with me. The clay creek muddied up big time, a beautiful sight. I put the same trap back in the same place in the middle of the creek where it had caught a rat the first night and got fired the second night due to junk from the rain, in 30 inch deep water I would guess. I put the trap on the heavy setting to keep it working in the fast current. I have always loved setting muddy. Evidently the beaver went down stream on top the third night, did some work on the dam and got caught on the way back, game over. I had used a small dead man first night as always and some brush second night. On the third night the bare trap was set in wait on the bottom of the channel with no blocking or fencing of any kind. I'm getting lazy in my old age and don't care to set other stuff if I don't have to. Have had muddy water work in my favor many times over the years with both cages and conibears.