Is a 280 a sufficient trap for beaver? I have read it is better for otter, so if I have beaver and a chance at otter is it better to put 280s or 330s? Thanks in advance

Id go with 330 cause o had some big beavers avoid my 330s so i had to really force them in and they would still crawl over them so i put i dive stick ontop finally they entered it and i caught one

Both work well.280 in smaller runs and the 330 in larger runs.

What Bruce said.

A 280 trap is quite sufficient for beaver and is what I would use if you expect otter also. IMO a 330-size trap is a poor choice for otter unless it is fully submerged. For fast moving otter’s a 330-size trap quite often closes on them to far back resulting in poor hip catches that don’t dispatch them quickly. My experience with the smaller 280 is that it closes faster and results in fewer, if any, poor catches. The 280 will also capture more of the incidental mink and muskrats that often trigger 330 beaver and otter sets without getting caught.

280's will work, but I 2nd the go with 330's.

Why, when the 280 will take both along with more rats and mink and is more humane on the otter??

Yes I agree bc, I am just thinking of the 60 plus lb big headed beaver that might just run that 280 over.

If I find a narrow run, I don’t hesitate to put a 280 in. I’ve caught a decent amount in 280s, and all of them were hit right behind the ears. Don’t get me wrong, I reach for my 330s first, but if spot is right, or I’m out of 330s 280 work just fine.

yep, I caught 2 over 70 lbs in 280's, and feel blending/paint helps for sure, they've gone thru that space before and I want it to look like debris/limb fell there naturally.