I'm trapping a lake with obvious damage. But before I set there. The beavers were herassed by ppl shooting at them constantly. So what I got to contend with is educated beaver. They are unresponsive to castor or food lure. It is on a lake and there slids are right above there feedbed/house. Snares on slid? Or foothold right by there dwelling? Bit nervous about setting so close to it

Blind sets are about only way to go. Caster shy or non response to castor just means change sets and tactics.
Try a set with a few peeled sticks only, or maybe make a beaver stump and plant it lakeside where they swim by, put chips in front of it too. Beaver always seem interested in work of other beavers, like a pile of peeled sticks,, a planted stump that looks like a chewed off by beaver, or a slicked up trail.
Otherwise go hit the runs and hut and just use blind sets, snares or footholds under them usually don't get passed by. You can also put the castor or food lure way up on the trail or on a brach overhead so they smells it but cant really find it.
I have good luck with snares on beaver thst were hit previously. But they have to eat sometime and find where they are getting their food...blind set thst spot.
Pond and lake beaver i found toughest to trap just be patient. But if you have active slides and trails yes snare the heck out of those.

Try making a slick spot on the bank, not a large one, just a small slick spot. Bed a trap in front of it set for a front foot catch. Put a dab of sac oil above the slick spot. You don't want a lot of sac oil there. Take a piece of pine straw or small stick and just jab it three or four times at the slick spot. This is to give the beaver the impression another beaver is there, but is not territorial. It gets a curiosity response. Other than blind sets, I don't know what else to tell you. You have a challenge, enjoy and learn from it. Educated beavers can give trappers a good education.

Footholds are the ultimate for spooked beaver. When you get one that wont play games, i start looking for any spots that look like a beaver might of crawled out onto the bank on. One of the Words from the Past articles(its not on this rotation I think) had a great article from Charlie about getting there early in the morning before the sun gets too high to look for wet spots on logs, rocks, and the banks from where a beaver crawled out on.

Unresponsive to castor or food lure ? What types did you use and where/how did you use it ?

I faithfully use Backbreaker as castor (never fails anywhere else) on a castor mound. I also used Woodchipper in a portable pocket set and also with some on a shaved stick.

I used them on sign to where they were leaving the lake to the river and back. It happened to also be the down wind side of there dwelling. I alsohave 2 floats out.

It occasionally happens to me too. That's when I go to the sac oil and blind sets. Also, since those beavers have been messed with, leave as little of your scent as possible at the set. If you can, go into the water a ways away from where you're going to construct the set and stay in the water while making it. Some beavers that have been messed with, are also shy of human odor. They have a better nose than folks give them credit for.

Take Paul's advice. I was just wanting details, like did you try the castor very near the house , did you try castor on a tree in the water with a snare. You mentioned visible damage if they are attacking trees then set where they're crawling out. If they've been shot at lots they may have just holed up from you walking around and aren't ignoring you but haven't gotten to your castor mound yet. Sometimes patience and stay away from sets like coyote trapping will be rewarded.

I'm with Paul they're nose is unbelievable. I had friend in New Mexico trapping coyote. He was near dry wash, it rained and a bvr swam up the wash. He caught it in his coyote set which was 100 ft from the wash and tracked it back to the wash.. it made beeline to his set which was lured with a castor based predator lure.

Blind set footholds at the bottom of their slides as well as making your own slides set blind.

Beaver tail oil can throw em a curve.

Don’t forget the leaning pole snare set like in Paul’s DVD, beaver sites and sets.
You did ask for that DVD for Christmas present or birthday present from loved ones, didn’t you?

Blind sets and sac oil, and when you get one of the educated ones use the sac oil from him for your other sets. If there's an overhanging tree near by a 330 under it tight to the bank and lure up on the tree has worked for me.

Real good advice , as was JabNE 's.
Less is definitely MORE when it comes to a spooky beaver !
Ever see the set where the trap is suspended in the water ???

No. I have never seen a set like that. Sounds very interesting

I didn't watch that one yet. But watched and read the videos and books on land sets before this season. Really upped my coyote catches with the instruction offered.

Agreed, or invest a little time down wind watching, Sometimes their favourite pull out spot is subtle but used frequently. Deadly for that veteran trap shy beaver.

You've got the runs in and out of the lodge as well.

I prefer blind sets above all, but sometimes in pond situations that not always easy.


I do like using raw honey as a change up. You could also use some PVC as an attractant, floating or on the bank. You could also try a good ole fashioned hole like a pocket set without castor. Slicking up the bank and cutting a shelf for a foothold works well too. There are options, but with nuisance beavers, I always feel as though making only quality sets is the only way to do it. Don’t slap in half hearted sets that would probably work for fur trapping. Either make a quality set or don’t make one at all, because, with nuisance beavers, they may have already seen the playbook.

I always presume they’ve been messed with.

A 22x10 body grip on lodge run did the trick. Really didn't want to go down that steep back on lodge. But only way I choice I had. Tried everything else. Even snares. Really learned alot from it