Dale
another set ive had luck with in late spring/early summer is find a spot where they can come up on a little flat along the bank smear off a spot for them to crawl out and at the top on the flat i use about 2-3 drops of beaver oil and smear it around the flat they'll smell the oil and come out to there new grooming spot. sounds like a job for a 4 coiled #3 to me .

12 GUAGE #4 BUCK

NOT!!!

five will get ya ten that's one potential reason for your spooky beavers (regardless of the time of year) ... never fails ... seems thats the mentality that every yahoo with a gun and a "problem beaver" resorts to ... thus making one hellaciously spooked beaver

that's one of the first things I ask when scouting/evaluating a beaver job ... "anybody been shooting at 'em or trying to play trapper?" ... some hesitate others don't but more often they say "no ... no ... none of that" ... heard that so many times I don't even belive what I hear anymore

cant tell ya how many "never been shot at" beavers I've skinned only to find various size shot under the skin ...

I like to slip in and be very subtle at first ... setting only on their most recent sign ... not monkeying with the dam or adding lures to make them semi cautious ... if the low profile approach doest get'em in a timely manner ... then I'll step up the aggressiveness ... been there seen it enough to draw my own conclusions

everybody has their prefered method of approach ... as long as it works for you go for it ... keep on rowin' your boat brother ... just make sure you're rowing away from the waterfall and not towards the fall

ray a`s got the idea thats works for me but i`ve always used legholds for summer beav`s, as skinner says, most have been shot at around here or 330`s placed poorly for them. hang tough dale, you`ll get them.

that's one of the first things I ask when scouting/evaluating a beaver job ... "anybody been shooting at 'em or trying to play trapper?" ... some hesitate others don't but more often they say "no ... no ... none of that" ... heard that so many times I don't even belive what I hear anymore

cant tell ya how many "never been shot at" beavers I've skinned only to find various size shot under the skin

Glad im not the only one that deals with that, lol. Amen brother!

dave, i can take some photo's but our water is so muddy colored you can't see where the trap is!

A dam break set is a set id like to use last if all else fails but sadly more times than not it's the ONLY set i have to work with since the terrain/water depth around the area won't allow me to go anywhere other than on top of the dam.

Normally just use one trap per set but you can set two in tandem at such a set if your having problems not catching them while they repair the dam, I do that from time to time as well.

It's just slow going on summer beaver, nothing like fall/winter beaver trapping when they're actually active! Is mostly just a game of wits, why ive not got much hair on top of my head anymore, lol.

Here's a good little set i use alot in summer, just smear some lure on the stick leaning against the tree, 330 or snare between stick and tree. Simple but very effective when it heats up and they don't like to leave the comfort of the cool water.

J, where would you put a set like that? Can it be just out in the middle of the pond, at the dam, or what? I might be able to use that set.

Well,just got back from the woods.They will have to work overtime tonight.Tore out a 4 foot section,all the way to the bottom.It drained to where there was about 1 1/2 feet of water left and its still draining very fast.Did set a 330 in slide where I did notice after the water went down and I was able to get around the bend.They have been cutting trees and using the slide pretty good.Also set a 330 in the the deepest part of the channel I could find.I thought about putting 330's out in front of the break about 4 foot.But no way,the bottom is solid rock.Either way,will drain again tomorrow and set den entrances.The holes I bet will be out of the water after it drains.Looks more like a little creek now,about could use knee high boots to move around.Either way,they will get caught or move down to the main river.Sure has opened up alot of coon trapping area now.All kinds of natural pockets sets. Dale

Wesley that set will work anywhere, just pay attention to wind direction so the scent carry's across their travel way. Use it alot in the big cypress swamps here, not really any other sets to be had in those places. Beaver starts swimming around trying to locate the odor and gets caught.

i use the set jackie mentioned too ... along with wind direction remember to always put your lure on the leaning stick/limb ... not the tree

on them big flared bottom cypress I've started using eyescrews ... twist'em in below the water line and hook up your snare etc. using a quick link ... works pretty good on them extra large fat bottom swamp trees

One of my sets connected.But not what I expected or wanted. One very large angry snapping turtle.Not very happy to see me.Let him go,to catch him some other day.Maybe have a beav tomorrow. Dale

Good luck. Im having a time of it myself right now also, lol. Conibears are not out though so not having to worry with the snappers, slow going this time of year.