Well it's been two days and not a thing.I know their there.They repaired the dam where I broke it just a little and also freshly chewed sticks.I have two castor sets and a blind set.
These are shallow water beavers,maybe 4 feet at the deepest and muddy stained water.No way of seeing den entrances.Also both sides of the creek is choked full of briars and no way of scouting other trap sites without getting in the water.
And also,there is no crossover on the only dam,now there is a spillway,but no evidence of them using it.I believe they are spooky.
It won't take much longer before I get bent and start ripping holes in the dam to get the water down and to get them coming to where my sets are.They are set close to the dam.Any suggestions? Dale

1) wait and see. get there befor dark and see what they are up to.
2) cut a path out of the briers. A mock slide with a big ole foothold on the bottom.

Never had much luck with castor this time of year. Curiosity lures may work.

Did you have a big foothold set at the dam break you made?

The spillway is a crossover.

they have castor mounds everywhere.On the spillway,I don't see how their using it.There sticks and other things in the way.Correct me if I'm wrong,but aren't cross overs made for them to cross over easily.Just too many sticks in the way for that.No evidence of anything smoothed out over the dam.
How often do you think they check their dam(they only have one)?

Here is a spillway with sticks all over it.


The male will check their dam every evening. Female most likely has kits inside the house.

The castor mounds were made this Spring.

What are you using for traps?

In this heat they are fickle, some im trying to catch live off the property so it's a waiting game for them to return to repair their dam, hate those the worst!

Id cut a hole in the dam and set a large foot hold trap out in front of it, quickest way to get their attention! Just cut it deep enough they have to bring some material to repair it, not just shove some mud into the hole.

Id get the water shallow enough i could walk along the edge's in the water and find their den holes, plug them with 330's and be done with it!

I don't have any large footholds.Only 330's.Do have a few snares that I could set when I break the dam.
I believe after tomorrows check if no action.Then I'll bust a section out of the dam.Once I do that,do you suggest sticking a 330 in front of the break on a H-Stand?
I thought for sure with all of the castor mounds they made,they would be mad as heck smelling castor from an intruder.Just wait and see I guess. Thanks, Dale

Setting a 330 in front of the dam break will just get you a sprung trap filled with a stick. After the water goes down some from your dam break find the active dens and runs. Set your 330's in these places. The new smelling castor would have worked a couple months ago.

These summer beaver sure are fun, aren't they? lol

There's a good chance those beavers know more about a 330 than you do. That's the first thing our beavers get knowledge of because its the most used tool in this area. If I don't get action from 330s in the first couple of nights, I put them back in the truck and pull out the footholds.

oh yeah ... they definitely have multiple seasonal personalities

I have a similar situation right now to Dales, and I'm just about pulling hairs out about it because I should have been done caught them days ago and be through with the job now. I need the money for gas, darn it.

I learned a set from Paul where you drive a post/log into the water above the dam, with just enough room between it and the dam to put snares on it or 330's.
Then you stomp a hole in the dam so the beaver will come to check the dam. You don't stomp out a lot, just enough to make the mlook.

This was Paul, right?

Will have to see what tomorrows check will bring.Guess I need to invest in a few footholds.

Hey Paul,ok to use your Backbreaker this time of year or do need to use something with less or no castor? Dale

Now ya know why they sell high dollar fancy foot traps for beaver, lol.

Yeah,I knew there was a catch to them high dollar traps.What gets me is,here in SC,I'm only allowed a 6.5 inch jaw spread.It could be worst,but when I see those big 7.5 or larger traps.I start drooling at the mouth.Just not fair.
Anybody use snares at castor mounds with success? Dale

There's a lot of weak #330's being used out there. It only takes once for a beaver to get wacked and escape and chances are he will be very tough to get into a 330 again. Did you try a bait set with some Woodchipper or other food lure? Also, try just setting the existing castor mounds, preferably with snares or footholds, without adding any new castor, sooner or later one or both will likely freshen up their own mounds. Also, sometimes making an artificial mound with strange castor, guarded by a 330, next to an existing mound with a foot hold or snare will trigger the beaver to freshen up his own existing mound. If he is 330 shy, this often works.

Yes you can use snares at castor mounds but it don't sound like your beaver are interested in castor mounds.

Id slick up a spot along the bank, dig a channel into the bank, hang a snare in it it, chop down a pretty good sized chunk of hardwood and shove it down at the end of the channel you cut, peel the bark off on the side towards the water, beaver are curious animals.

But as i said before, if it was ME, id cut that dam out and drain the place down to where i could find the den entrances and 330 them there and be done with it!

Break the dam sit back and bang 22 Mag

Will do just that tomorrow.We'll just see how them little buggers like that. Oh yeah,before I forget.I need to take along my doans back pills.LOL