If you have a beaver dam about 10 ft across would you make two breaks in the dam or just one?

If you make little baby dam breaks, a couple is fine. If you make a big break, you're traps will be exposed too quickly unless it's a very large body of water being held.

i made 2 small ones on a 10ft (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) connected on both first night and they still rebuilt after 2 was already caught (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) was fixed next morning. took awhile to catch that 3rd and never did catch the 4th i know for sure was still in that creek.

i should add that last year was the first year i ever tried trapping beaver im just sharing what i did and its success.

Thanks, guys.

My partner and I have sets out on some pretty big dams, but we're only making sets at their crossovers that we open up a little bit. Had one plugged right over two traps this morning, try again tomorrow I guess

Sneaky if it is a true crossover place your snare or body gripper on the down stream side and...sharpen your knife.

Kevin, idea for you to try....make a dam break then go up stream and find the best pinch point and set a 330 (on a stand if deep )cover the top of the trap heavy. Set two traps if necessary...if pinch point is wider than a 330.
If that isn’t practical...I like making a single dam break set but I have tried setting two breaks at times.
The combination of a 330 set up down stream and a foothold at the dam breaks is a killer.

I pulled most of my sets til I get caught up on skinning, fleshing and boarding. I don't need anymore lol

I prefer not to alert them of any disturbance and blind set cross overs and channels.

This^^^^

If I do a dam break set(because no other set seem workable I do two smaller ones a few feet apart with BG placed perpendicular to dam as close as possible to dam that beaver will swim along, fencing out to deeper of trap. Beaver senses water loss and often comes to investigate with branch in mouth. It puts it into one break and swims over to check out second one before going for more wood. It passes thru BG with nothing to interfere with trap. Put two Bags side to side and catch doubles investigating already caught beaver. Some times dam face is hard to work with though.

I made two dam breaks on one dam and one on the other yesterday. Had 3 beaver this morning. And caught one on a slide and another on a castor mound. Both with that Backbreaker stuff. 5 traps 5 beaver. Kits and 2 year olds. Now see if I can get the bigger ones.
Thanks

Either/or, but, if possible, more than one trap would be used.


I would either make one wide, but shallow break with footholds bedded firmly on the corner of the breaks right on the edge of the drop off’s slope. This will generally be the perfect distance for a back foot. Visualize a beaver working on repairs with his front feet, angled from the side of the break with the back feet landing on your pan.

Or... two smaller breaks with the trap positioned the same way. To reduce other options I would either place the traps facing each other or on opposite sides with some sort of obstacle to ensure the most favorable location for them to work from lands them on a pan.

Remember the edge of the drop off’s slope.


Also, as mentioned, well used crossovers are deadly. Honestly, I’d rather set these first. When being used, a 330 on the bottom end and a foothold where they’re pushing off on the deep side should seal the deal.


With this said, it’s always important to look the area over to weigh your options. I’m still learning like everyone else, but this is what I’ve experienced so far.


Good luck

I use a lot of dam break sets to take both fur as well as nuisance beaver.Both submerged(under a diving pole) sets as well as swim thru sets.
A good dam break will take multiple beaver in one check going to as well as leaving from the break(multidirectional).
It is also one of the best sets after ice puts shore sets out of commission but before the ice is solid enough to walk on to set the den entrances.

90% of my dambreak sets are with 330's,the rest are combination 330 and foothold.
On rare occasionally I will incorporate a snared pole to take the beaver at a dam break.the snared pole can be used as a swim thru or submerged(either under ice or under a divepole in open water)

Same here, especially on large dams.

I do one break and use a 660 , have less miss's with them.
A.D.C. work they pay for them selves.

Got 3 more today. One bigger one at dam break. A kit at the slide. And other big one at a castor mound.

Good job Kev!