I am trying to catch an old solitary beaver in a farm pond. He has a lodge and a 3 foot dam blocking the farm pond run around. He has a massive feed pile and is not cutting anywhere.

I tried 330's at the dam but he comes in pushing material and trips the 330's. I tried footholds on drowners at the same place and somehow he is able to trip them, but he only comes there every 3rd night. I found a feedpile and set 330's where he swims in, and now he avoids that area. Everything was blind set, no lure.

So I tried making a castor mound set on a drowner. I found a good area with trees and grass humps that would naturally block him and guide him over the trap. The last two nights he has tripped my foothold, mowed down my castor mound, and built his own 5 feet away. It appears he charges my mound from behind, judging from tracks, then goes in the water and trips my foothold. I am considering putting a 330, or snare, in place of my foothold, where he is returning to the water and moving my foothold over to his castor mound.
It seems like the castor mound is the key because he is really reacting to it. Yesterday I put his castor mound on top of mine and last night he just tore it down flat and built his mound back, so I have his attention and he thinks he has a rival.

I suspect part of my problem is trying to catch him in a #3, have #5 Bridgers that will be here on friday. I could easily kill him but its become personal that this big rat is just whipping me. I can step on his lodge and hear him swim out then in a few minutes he is swimming in easy buckshot range. Anyone have a trick they would care to share, I think snares are in order?

I would say to wait for those bridger 5s, and put them on the castor mound. If he trips one, he should be waiting for you the next day, unlike your number 3s. Maybe make a new mound right next to his. I have no experience with snaring beaver, hopefully someone who does will chime in. Good luck!

I will also add that those small pond beaver are an absolute nightmare once they are educated.

Snares or 330 in place of the foothold is the way to go. No muss, no fuss. Course if he avoids those your back to footholds

No help in catching him, but set a trail cam on video and record his antics! That would be cool to watch!!

Let him rest until the #5's get here.

Did you use breasting sticks on the deep water side of the footholds at dam break sets?
330's at dam breaks are a hard sell and low percentage set IME. BUT, when set tween 2 breaks, perpendicular to the dam, often work.
Did you tune the 330's?
Did you blend them in with local debris?
Have you made any slides of your own?

Yes, I'd also hang snares on his trail uphill from a mound, and put a foothold at waters edge....actually back about 16-18". Then you have both directions covered.

Also, Paul's leaning limb snare set in a foot or more of water is deadly and found in his dvd "Beaver Sites and Sets".

I used breasting sticks, and all 330's are tuned and were blended with aquatic weed the beaver used in his dam. Everything is taking place on the farm pond dam, I made a slick slide to the castor mound. The water level is is about 2" below cresting the dam. I think I may wait for the Bridgers and put them in with the snares for a double whammy. I don't see how he can keep tripping traps unless he is breasting the trap or maybe he is missing both front feet. Footholds have been set in 2 to 3" of water with breasting sticks. I have another beaver job, waiting on the landowner to cut trees out of the road. Beavers have built a lodge on his pontoon boat.

Lol, floating palace.

2-3” water sounds a lil shallow. They will be walking.
When possible set back from break the length of your forearm and hand. Offset trap about 4”.

^^^^Also I often just make slides without a mound. 2-3 on each shore.
Lure western shore sets with BTO or sac oil or Castorium.
Different at each slide.
No lure on eastern shore and set them blind.

Yep, set deeper. 6" minimum will get a front foot. Don't be afraid to go 12" for a back foot. And wait for the bigger traps. Letting him settle down can only help.

I got an update from UPS and traps will be here tomorrow and will get them in Friday. I also heard from the landowner today and he leveled with me. Someone else tried and failed at getting this beaver out of the pond....so....I'm dealing with one that has a masters degree in survival. I gotta admit...this is fun...like hunting a big buck except its a buck beaver. It's usually easy...but this one has sure tested me and so far I have failed.

Alright this is left field but I’m gonna day it anyway. What if you were to bed the #5 on dry land next to the castor mound. I’m thinking two or heck four if it that personal. He is obviously PO’d and not leaving your mounds alone, so why not bed a foothold like it was at a dirt hole set for any other animal. Just replace the dirt hole with a castor mound. Just a thought but if anyone tries this please let me know if it works

I can't do that. Its a farm pond dam with dog and people tracks on it.

Way easier to snare him, but it's almost cheating because it's so easy.

Understand why you can't set the trap on dry ground there, but even underwater you can cover it with mud or old leaves and blend it in. It helps a lot with trapwise beaver. I'm a fan of front footing them personally but a hind foot will work fine. How steep are are the edges? 2-3" is fine for front footing them, they will be walking unless the ground drops away almost vertical from there. Also make sure your trap is bedded solid with no wobble in case he steps on a jaw or spring first, and offset the trap offcenter a little bit.

I explain to landowners that they could help immensely by keeping dogs home and people out of the area.
This gets their attn when you are charging $25/day to check traps, which may not be happening in this case.
WHEN a customer tells me someone else trapped it, I try and get the trappers # to ask what they used so I have a clue what NOT to do.

hang a blended in snare on the mound your beaver made.

Also, t87's suggestion is what Paul teaches, to set a blind foothold on its trail with a drag hooked LOW to local sapling..... or log.

in any case Id certainly make and set several slides as I described earlier....and Paul's leaning pole snare set.

BTO is a lure most guys don't use, compared to sac oil or castor.

There didnt appear to be any movement last night due to multiple storms coming through. I pulled my #3's and will leave it alone till monday. Then I will reset with #5's and snares. I made 3 more slides with mounds and found a big mound of his hidden due to a briar thicket. I made a slide and mound several feet away so tonight he should get bent out of shape. Two of the slides are perfect for snares. I have another pond to trap and may use castor from those beaver on this one.

This beaver is strange in that he doesnt seem to leave the water for more than a foot to make a mound or repair a dam break. There are no out of water trails, in fact, the pond is surrounded by soybean fields and there are no trails that he used last year to eat the beans. Landowners says he's been a resident for over two years. I've trapped alot of farm pond beavers this year that were destroying soybean and corn fields, but not this guy. He swims fine but I wonder if he has a problem with front legs, or lost both to the last trapper.

I have (I believe, anyway) an elusive beaver myself. No new chews for a few days, but there are just too many little things happening to my sets (snares). I deactivated everything today, I'm gonna give it a few days, and see what happens.

I’d just shoot it and be done with it before he burrows a hole thru the dam and then you’re in a real pickle