Setup: MB750's on short chain attached to 10' drowning rods (1/2" rebar + Hagz locks) in from of castor mounds.

Situation: Spring beaver trapping, mostly targeting travelers on river systems. Dealing with moderate water fluctuations. Every set and shoreline spot has different depth and bottom composition challenges.

Trap placement: I prefer to target back foot catches with deeper trap placement and further back away from shore. When the conditions allow this I have good solid deep catches. My issues arise when all I have is shallow, say less than 3" or 4", for trap placement with the shoreline setup.

My issue: When under water conditions dictate my trap placement is very close to waters edge, like say a short shallow shelf then instant deep drop off, I'm forced to target front foot catches and this is when I run into issue. Sometimes it works out but other times I end up with toe catches that I barely get or I lose.

Summary: I target back foot catches, I get good back foot catches. When I'm forced to target front foot catches, I sometime get front foot catches or I get back toe(s). Anything I can try to do different beside seek out better/different shoreline?

Any guidance on this would be great. Thanks in advance.

Are you using a breasting stick when going for a front foot catch?

When dealing with shallow water conditions I will target a front foot. You need to get that beaver walking. I will sometimes built up a earthen berm or have placed a good sized stick so the beaver has to step over It to get to the trap. It's not 100% but It does reduce toe catches and most of your sprung traps.

Build up a shelf of mud before the trap. If you miss front foot, they usually step over the mound and plant back foot more into the center of trap.

Make sure your trap is offset left or right

make sure it is offset, and you want their feet down, if it is on a shelf that drops off right at your trap jaw either try and build the shelf out or use a breasting stick.
Also if you are fighting too much water fluctuation you may be getting the water rising enough that they are going over the trap before putting front feet down and just catching the pan with the toenail of a hind foot. Try setting your traps on land (if this is legal there) or in just a half inch or so of water and covering them with leaves or mud. I don't normally cover beaver traps, but if they are out of the water I always do, and if I am trapping rivers where the water fluctuates a lot I tend to set up at the high water line, so it will either be out of the water and the beaver is walking or if the water is high it will be just under water but not too deep.

Are they backing up to mark the spot maybe.

Probably part of their foot is on a jaw when the trap fires.
Check trap placement/guiding.

I have the same problem. I have always used 330's and I can count on 1 had the beaver I have caught in foothold. This morning again had a trap snapped and half way down the drowner cable empty. I use bresting sticks and offset the traps. This happens more often then is doesn't. Am I setting to shallow. I don't want hi jack this thread but sounds like my problems also.

I never messed with those sticks. Set the trap so you have about 2" of water over the trap and get them to naturally walk Into your trap. If you can target a front foot you wont have any part of the foot on the jaw and pan at the same time.

Thank you guys. I have definitely been setting offset but have not done any breasting sticks or stepping sticks or much guiding. Gonna have to experiment but I have a place to start and I thank you again

Also my self imposed penance will be re-reading the Dobbins open water Beaver and Otter book because now that I think of it I believe he covers "breasting" a bit.

This

And make sure the trap dog is parallel to the bank.

Freds theory. With castor the beaver instinctively gathers mud. What happens on the approach with mud? Their hands are full and they hop up thus the shallow water hind foot catch. Imo one should target that front foot. I think he’s on to something.

I've caught 1000s of beaver and I don't think a beaver when It's approaching a castor set made by a trapper Is carrying a load of mud. The initial response Is one of curiosity. The mud hauling If It does happen would probbaly come after first contact. And I've watched a few beaver get caught and I didn't see them carrying any mud on first contact with the set.

And for the most part my castor sets are just a smear on the bank and not actually a pile of mud with some castor added to It. And I believe that's how a beaver starts out placing It's sign. And over a period of time builds on It.
Paul could probably shed some light on this.

If your having snapped traps bump sticks will be a game changer for you, just use dead stick to avoid other issues.

The first response by a lot of beavers, where the mound has been lured with a castor base lure, is to charge the mound and tear it up. The beaver is enraged. Then it will go get the mud and place it on the mound. A lot of the time they take the most direct approach to the mound, which isn't always on the normal entry point where the beaver usually comes to refresh the mound. When they take that direct approach, they will usually exit the mound via the normal approach, which is why you'll see that some beavers will be caught by the wrong foot. By this I mean when they approach the mound as you expect them to with the trap offset to the right, and end up catching they by left foot, it's because you caught the beaver leaving the mound.

When the beaver approaches a mound that hasn't been lured, the beaver will bring mud and leaves on it's first approach. I like setting these mounds when I have a wise beaver that is still freshening up a mound. I will set this trap for a back foot catch and use no lure. Right after the next rain, the beaver will refresh the mound.

These have been my observations. Y'all may have seen something different? There is no absolutes with beavers, just what happens normally. I can never say always and never say never when it comes to beavers.

X2

Still having problems had another trap all the way to the anchor down the drowner cable. I know I am doing something that is just off a bit. 3 breasting sticks on the front side of the trap and it is set offset. Today it was on a crossover. Enlighten me trappers. I dont want to rely on my 330's only..

Cross overs can be a two way street.

This crossover was set with the #4 on the top side and a 330 on the bottom which held a beaver this morning. It is a long walk into this spot and not really much for set opportunities.

Sometimes a vertical stick or even a larger log from the dam to the left or right of the trap will keep them staying offset the perfect distance.

Make sure the trap is bedded solid. A crossover with a #4 set offset in a couple inches of water is my goto beaver set. I know what looks right, but never measure, but I would say an inch to two of water over the pan in preference, usually close to an inch. Less than an inch is better than too much. Like Paul said, dog 90 degrees to the path of approach. Are you using longsprings or coils? Either will work, but I've always found longsprings to be easier to bed solid. When bedding press on all parts of the jaws and springs and make sure it doesn't move or rock. The beaver stepping on the edge of the trap and rocking and moving it before hitting the pan may cause misses or toe catches.
If I had the trap bedded solid with an inch of water over it in a crossover I wouldn't bother with breasting sticks.

I know that during spring dispersal when you mud on a signless stretch of water the beaver will mud you back immediately. I also find it interesting the number of hind foot catches in these shallow landing. Setups. I have heard of the backing in theory but have always been uneasy with it.

What triggers dispersal in the southern ice free states? Flood? Is it usually hot and heavy or slow and steady?

But I bet In most cases they are investigating that scent before they try to cover that scent.

In my experience with beavers using footholds I rely on using MB750 traps bedded so there is absolutely no movement. Set for a front foot catch with the dog parallel to the bank. Scent or not or mud. The beaver can walk all over until it steps on the pan. Use a good trail camera.

As has been stated make sure to bed the trap solid and the dog parallel to the bank so they step between the jaws not over and, 5 pounds of pan tension helps a bunch. For all beaver sets. Ya want that paw inside the jaws before it fires, not just a toe or two. What Paul stated is very true, never say never and there is no always in trapping.

What trap are you using? Pan tension?

I am using a Duke #4 coil. This the 1st time I have tried them for beaver. I cannot say it's the trap because this is something that happens even with my more higher end traps. Checked today and the same thing, trap snapped and all the way down to the cement block. I don't have any idea what I am doing wrong. I need to learn this. Cannot use 330's every where.

I have watched hundreds of hours of trail cam footage of beavers. I’ve never seen one back up more than a half step. Very rarely one will move one back foot to the rear one step (that’s half a full pace, so I call it a half step), and after that foot goes back one step, they turn to one side or the other and proceed forward.

I also have a lot of trail cam footage of beaver making castor mounds. Never seen one back up to it. Not one. Now loud flatulence, that I see often. Well maybe not flatulence proper, but sounds the same to my ears. Let’s just say those castor sacs clearly have some gas that is expelled when they spray the yellow...

Are you targeting a front foot or back foot? How much water Is covering your trap?

I am targeting a front foot. Maybe a inch of water over the trap. I am going to check pan tension when I check again. I even have tried hind foot lately thinking maybe they are coming in and hitting the trap with their chest. I don't think they are but I am 2nd guessing everything now.

Thanks for the insight. I know a few really good beaver trappers who study the patterns during dispersal. Everyone of them comments on the number of hind foot catches in shallow sets that target the front foot. Which imo a front foot catch is cleaner and consistent. I would think the vast majority of misses were hind foot caught and escaped.

I'm not sure why but I've had terrible luck with larger Duke's and beaver trapping. Last spring I ran around 40 MB750's, 1 Duke #4 coil, and 1 Duke #4 LS just to test them out. I caught beavers on each of the MB 750's but caught exactly 0 on both the Dukes. My theory was that I wasn't able to adjust the pan tension properly on them, they didn't pinch and hold as well as the MB's, or the jaw spread just wasn't big enough and I was just pinching toes rather than feet. The Dukes are on the shelf for me now. When an MB snaps, it holds.

Have you built a mud type berm in front of your trap or placed a large dead branch so you have the beaver stepping over this berm or the branch. when I mention branch I should say something like a 3" log. The main thing Is you have to have them walking when targeting a front foot.

How far Is your trap from deep water? lots of times a beaver will come In from deep water to shallow water with It's front feet tucked against It's chest. If your trap Is to close to that water depth change you could have that beaver hitting that trap with It's chest and setting It off. A few chest hairs may be caught In the trap and when the beaver takes off and your trap could end up down the slide wire.

On this dam there is a big enough shelf to hold the trap. 3 feet out from the trap I would say the water is 6ft deep. In order for me to use breasting stcks they need to be a foot long. The whole dam is like this, almost straight up and down on the front and back.

Are you setting a dry cross over or are you setting a dam break? If your setting a dam break how much water Is running through It?


Or just get off the dam and make either some baited sets or castor sets.

Dry cross over. Today no activity. Thinking I wised them up. Thats my next thing is to put some fresh popple sticks someplace and see if there is any takers. I also thinking this area might have been trapped before. Its backed up into 2 - 3 different properties and who knows if somebody hit them last fall. Now I am just dealing with the wise ones, which are wiser than this guy. I was called by one of the land owners where the dam is on. But went for a walk and got to an area where I could see a ways. These beaver been doing work on all the landowners properties all around.

Finally struck, big male on a castor mound tonight. Set for a front foot up tight to the mound end ended up with a rear foot catch. Either way its a catch. Switched traps to a #5 Bridger coil spring.

It must be being overlooked as no one has mentioned bedding your trap,I don't mean just wiggling it down like you would a rat trap, dig in a big bed for that big trap. make them step down keep that pan two inches below grade and you'll stop catching their bellies. Don't be afraid to go even deeper at steep climb outs or shallow trenches, and go easy on the waterlogged leaves one or two over the springs if you must do it. Don't get discouraged keep at it and keep track of what works so you can do it that way again and again, A little luck don't hurt either, so Good luck

If youre getting rear toe catches its because the beaver has most of its foot on a jaw when the trap fires. I use at least two guide sticks 13" apart, with the trap tight against one of them. This offsets the trap the proper amount and the sticks guide the beaver and the foot right between the jaws. I rarely get toe catches, most always the foot is buried perfectly in the trap.

Morse Obertos beaver trap basically had no pan. He probably had lots of misses but no toe catches or sprung traps do to the foot being on a jaw and the pan.

It doesnt always go as planned. Caught this 50 lb nuisance beaver today in a 3 Bridger set for a front foot. Caught everything except the toes.

It’s great when it works.

Is the TS-85 as good as, about the same or better than MB-750s for beaver and why?
Own some of each and appreciate the thoughts of the many good beaver trappers on this forum.

For whatever reason I could not explain I had too many sprung and empty TS 85's at the bottom of the drowning rod. That simply does not happen with my MB 750's so you can guess which my favorite trap is,

I can't completely answer your question because I've never used a TS-85 before. I do, however, run a few dozen MB750's each year and my experiences echo MnMan. If I have an empty trap it's because of my mistake.....toe catch (didn't properly off-set or trap wasn't placed at a correct water depth) or snapped trap in the trap bed (pan tension/night latch wasn't properly set). I can't remember ever having an empty trap at the end of the drowner rod. MB750's have made me look like a better trapper than I am many times.

I don't have any to look at but I think It has something to do with poor lock up.
I had some at one time and I had all kinds of empty sprung traps. I think they are still In some swamp In SC. LOL
There are more then a few of us on this forum that have had the same problems with that trap.

Thank you, gentlemen. Think will stick with 750s.