PM me sometime.

the trap was probably 2/3 under water in a short stabilizer. There was a narrow run leading to a bank den opening. The den opening isn't under water any more. But the run leading up to it was maybe 10" deep in water at the creek end of the run. In Indiana 330's have to be completely submerged so that's why I was using the 280, which, according to my ADC permit I can use without needing to have it fully under water. The trap dog was at the top and the wires were pointing straight down - not bent or v-shaped in any way - pretty much just straight like out of the box.

That's a good idea to figure out which paw it was and set any front-foot sets offset to the other side. I hadn't thought of that. Too bad I can't go back and check now. I may need to break out the snares for this location. Which I kind of didn't want to do since this ditch runs right at the end of the back yards of a row of houses. I really don't need to have live beaver on the end of a cable for the whole neighborhood to see. May have to put the snare on a drowner wire to at least keep it in the water where it would be less noticeable. Even then, I would still need to deal with the gunshot issue. I hope I can snap it in a bodygrip before it comes down to that.

For what it's worth Kart29 I've gotten away from ever setting partially submerged body grips with exposed triggers, to me it invites trouble, mainly beavers holding up and attempting to sweep the trigger out of the way. I configure my triggers T shaped extending up about half way through the trap when set so that it's always submerged when the trap is set and stabilized properly. In theory the beaver expects to glide effortlessly through the opening pressuring the trigger with the chest area. When completely submerged I always set the trigger from the top down and essentially bell shaped unless I'm making an effort to avoid other aquatics. Mishaps with wring offs also occur when a trap is set in such a way where the beaver is inclined to climb over it IMO, when set on land for example. Something else I've gotten completely away from to avoid problems.

Be curious to hear other's opinions on this?

330 triggers are always out of sight.

Still to much water laying in the fields here and hardly and of fields have been harvested . Only one farm setup yesterday

That makes a lot of sense. I don't have much experience using less than fully submerged body grips on beaver. I have never been permitted by law to do so until now. But it sure makes sense to keep the trigger wires under water instead of hanging down in the beaver's face.

I'm going to make some adjustments with this in mind.

Had the itch for awhile now, since I didn't go out of state this year. Decided to go out yesterday afternoon and set a few. Got in. six set before dark, and had one this morning. Big male, and not looking too bad. I gotta go to my sons for TDay, so just run these and a few more till I go there, then start in earnest after Tday!

No pic, didn't think to take my pad, and phone and pad don't talk, so I ain't gonna worry about it. It just looks like a coyote!

In my experience,beavers caught by a foot in bodygrips results from them stopping at the trap and grabbing the bottom jaw of the trap and trying to move it out of the way.
Beaver move stuff around like this all the time with their front feet.Watch one working sticks at a dam to see what I mean.
In my experience this happens when the trap is set in a run,and up off the bottom,like when using a trap stand not pushed far enough into the bottom and/or a wobbly trap.
Beaver will always keep their run clear of debris.
Triggers set on top and moved to one side helps.

That's a nice way to start the day H.T.

Here is a little treat.



I finally had the wind working for me last night.

nice !

Great pictures. Anyone can go out and call and shoot them, but the skill and knowledge is in trapping them.

I sure would like to catch one of those gray fox some day Hobbie. They are cool little animals. For some reason I am always a little sad to take a red fox. That's the only furbearer I've ever released from a trap back into the wild. I've skinned many more than I've released, though.

Looks like it was a wonderful morning on your trapline.

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday. That beaver that twisted out of my 280 body grip the other day? Well, yesterday I had him on the end of a drowning cable with his back foot in an MB750. Sometimes they say, "I'd rather be lucky than good"! I sure am glad I caught this one.

I've caught wrung-out muskrats the very next day but never with a beaver. It's just amazing to me that beaver can wring out of a trap one day and be out at the feed pile the next day. If I were in that position, I think I would be off my feed for a day or two at least.

I'm not a very good photographer but here's a pic of the beaver near the dam. This is the same little ditch, about 500 yards upstream, of where I caught my first ever beaver about 15 years ago.

I don’t target greys because they aren’t a problem.

For anyone interested, it took 4 days to connect at this location, no re-lure. We had a light shower Sunday evening. I did remove the leaves that collected in the “beds” on each check.

Well done! Not a word of a lie! I had a wring off one day in a 330, it was a nuisance job and I thought now I'm going to earn my money, caught him the next day in a 330 castor mound set. Only happened once, never going to happen again.

Here are a few of the ones that are riding in my truck right now. They sure moved the past 2 nights here

That middle one is a fantastic picture X-Amish