Sometimes I use a auger if it isn't a long ways to carry one. Drill holes side by side and finish with a chisel.

Most of my open water trapping is reserved for blind sets and castor mounds, I occasionally use PVC on the bank, either a piece shoved in or staked with a spike in a bundle, by the time they find out it's not the peeled stick of a lifetime- it's too late.

LOL those beaver will still be worth $50.00 apiece In April no sense In making It any harder then It is.

If I was to be trapping beaver through the Ice I would be using my chain saw to cut those holes.

The other thing Is I wouldn't just let that BG swing free. It needs to be stabilized some way.
Pond beaver can be extremely hard to catch. And If you make a mistake or 2 you may never get them.

I have done what Boco said many times in question of beavers living in ponds/ small creeks that are froze over. However in my experience go to the bait sticking out of the ice and pull on it after a few days or so, if beavers are there usually it will fall over being chewed off just under the ice.
Then I replace the bait and wire snares just under the bottom of the ice.

Just checked a couple of bait poles to see if I had resident beaver. 1 was cut off just under the ice, the other was completely gone. I'd say yes.
The reason for this is someone took the baffle plate out of the spillway lowering the pond by 3 feet. (No one knows who did it!).

Thanks for the tip. I finally tried the trick of putting a piece of pvc as fake bait on the trigger of a 330. 1st check I had a beaver. I'll definetely try it again. I used just 1 piece of pvc on the belisle.

Pond beaver....



Unless you're getting paid

Good deal

It fooled 1 but didn't work on the final 2. I had to snare them.

Agreed...unless you like a challenge!

Sometimes I wonder if 1 of those muskrat 'hockey' pucks would work as fake 330 bait for beaver

Why not just cut a chunk of poplar or aspen and attach It to the trigger?