Went to old friends place yesterday with my son set dozen Beaver traps. He called recently said beavers had creek behind house all dammed up again. It was at least 25 years ago or more since I was there took beavers out.
The boy and I dug out some iron ran up there yesterday set few traps. I haven't set for beavers in several years and last time was all 330s. Haven't used the old #4 Blake&lambs doubles springs on drowning rod in 10 or more years. But I dragged a couple of them out and set them up. What little beaver trapping I have done over years has been mostly under ice. So no great need for lure. When I do use lure it was mainly Tom Olsen's mound master. Of course I also have the Boss man lures in my bag tricks too.
Anyway I set the drowning rod up with the boy watching as he never has done one. When I ask for lure he pulled out the Wood chipper handed to me, I said that will work. This morning when checked got this little guy as first catch and was the Wood Chipper fell for. Certainly not big by any standard but is a start. We are only really trying catch enough beavers to make a batch sausage. Of course want catch them all if can or at least harass the enough they move.
Oh and got hard lesson on what not to tie a 330 off to. Boy put a 330 in a slide. Says dad I think I should pound a T-iron on this stakes aren't great. Me being lazy not wanting to hump back 50yd to truck. Told him cable it off to big limb about 6 inch thick 20ft long laying on bank. Not one my better moves thinking anything in330 never drag it off or not far if do. Get there this morning logs gone trap and stakes with it. For sure wasn't no beaver in the 330 did it. Must have been one climbed bank in another spot pulled that all back in creek. The two wooden stakes that held trap were just down steam in little trash catcher. No idea where the trap or dang tree was cable to is probably part of one of the dams??
And of course snowed just enough after we set to cover up any clues to crime scene.
I flipped coin on that anchoring deal beavers won.




Mac

If that beaver backed into the trap you may have him by the tail. Walk the bank looking for the log. If cable is long enough you may have to dig him out of a bank den.

Pete
It wasn't very long cable about 3ft but was pretty long piece wood had wrapped on. Was actually a small tree long enough to lay always across creek. We looked up and down steam no site that tree. I knew was little to green to be tie off to. Just never thought could hind something that big on me if did make off with it. Jesse pulled open a culvert in tractor path up stream of that spot dropped the water about 2ft tractor path out water now. Think I'm going take couple picks with tomorrow. Land owner said ok to pull dams if we can. We do that drop water enough trap might laying there somewhere. Like most folks not first trap ever had pulled lost. Just been a while and totally my lazy mistake. The bigger the iron more hate loosing them.

Mac

If it was a good strong spring bodygrip,that beaver will be down in the deepest hole near the set.

I've tied off my 330 with cable around some some tall twisted grasses before...and that held a 50 poundah. Yup...too lazy to walk back to the truck

Any bear tracks around.....

Too lazy, or too tired

Been there

I have several long steel hooks made out of 3/8 bar stock and some 3/8 rebar for feeling around the bottom when stuff like that happens to me. I drag the bottom of the river with the hook up until i hear the "click" of metal, then turn hook over and pull up the trap. I'm pretty sure you could find your gear that way. Ram it up any underwater holes you can find if you don't find it out in the open.

I love catching critters in double longs.
Nice catch and story. Hope you find the trap

No just I've become lazy and play the crippled card too. Used to hop over Barb wire fence with full pack gear. Hump threw Marsh in Waders with ridiculous heavy pack. Now I try decide if going under or over dang fence. What going do if get hung up can't get myself out. Buzzards get me..Lol never fell down yesterday and only once today. But I would tripped on that vine years ago so give myself that one. Kid say do ya walk much ..
Just walking in my waders look about like them little gangsters with pants half down. Ain't for sure running even if was buck naked .. so that's my excuse for not going back to truck for the T-iron. Even told kid he could come back across creek crawl up bank, hoof it to truck get it himself. Before I'd even get to truck. He says we'll on you then if goes MIA.. guess he was right lmao!

As for finding that trap... Pretty dang sure if I decide I want put the time in I could find it. People forget finding thing is kind of a sport for me. I got metal detectors, underwater cameras, magnets drag bars years practice. Also can go there anytime to look so can even wait until spring if feel like it. Only lack motivation and again that's on me.
But the dang thing doesn't float and blends in really well with trash..

Mac
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great post , I like it when people aren't afraid to talk about mistake we make on the line , we all do

I have found that half of the fun I have now, is making fun of myself for stupid or sophomoric things I do in my old age... If you can't laugh at yourself when you get old, better get out of the game early on.

Garry-

I too used Olsons Moundmaster #2 exclusively. Sounds like Tom isnt planning on making it anymore, so I will give Dobbins a shot.

I usually start with a castor-based lure or a poplar bait set. When that no longer works for that last trap shy beaver, it's time to switch to my secret weapon: Woodchipper. They are a sucker for that lure. Every beaver trapper should have it in their arsenal.

Pat, I do hope to make Moundmaster again. But a couple things need to happen. I need to live long enough to see castor prices drop to a reasonable level.
While high castor prices are great for beaver trappers,they are awful hard on those that make lure.
You have no idea how I miss the house smelling like one big castor mound. Heck,my wife got to where she didn't even complain about the odor.
Tom

Tom
I'd still have more than a part jar Mound Master if I hadn't got so liberal with it on bear baits. Didn't realize wasn't going be able get more. Jesse is one bought the big jar Wood Chipper from Paul. Not sure why didn't get Back Breaker too? Might been Paul was out already when Jesse bought this jar Wood Chipper back in 2019??

We got to the creek this morning and kid finds just a toe in set had beaver yesterday. Water did drop a lot over night..but I had him do the remake on that set yesterday. Way the rod was pulled up. Look to me like maybe he didn't shove the deep water end in enough? So I put that miss on him lol. Was another small beaver in 330 at pinch point just up stream. He still has all his toe nails so was one got pinch. Rest the sets were untouched.
Boy and I both took quick walk threw search of
creek from first trash pile down stream where lost trap yesterday. I'm relatively sure that 330 isn't in that stretch. Would take using metal detector now to prove me wrong. But been wrong before.
Was thinking last night about boy and I on creek bank going back forth about going to truck for T-iron.
I call him the boy, or the kid all time. He really is a young man lol. I realized last night that when I was his age. I would have been the one in the creek setting the trap. If it wasn't a school day. Boy would been 10 year old up in bank watching. So he still would been the one had to run to truck get the T-iron. Lol
I will say that he was not with me much for that kind of trap setting. More well versed in setting for rats from the boat. Most well versed in land trapping coon not to bad on K9s.
Just lacks field time and experience.
Training kid is kinda like training dog. Get them on lot birds or what ever is you hunt. Best training there is..

Here is the boy and buddy his that tags along, with monster we caught today in 330. Going take half dozen or more this size if we're going to make batch sausage. Lol



I got more pictures I tried to post. Keeps saying file to big?? Not sure why except doing this on phone. Computer I know how charge file size. No idea with phone smarter than me.

Mac

Well we found our missing 330 today. I said yesterday thought it would take the metal detector to prove me wrong on one piece we searched.. Didn't think could have walked past it. But it didn't take the metal detector to prove me wrong. Water dropped enough over night trap was laying right on edge with beaver in it. Funny part is was maybe 10 ft up stream from where my son went in water yesterday looking for it. I went in just bit down stream of him. Trap and beaver were on the inside shallow side of a turn. Both of us went in the deep side on outside turn. Water was muddy enough yesterday we never seen it. Mystery solved trap and beaver removed. I'm positive that the beaver that was in the trap did not pull it self loose. Had to be another beaver moved the small tree it was cabled to.
What is strange is the other day the boys kicked a hole in one of the down stream dams. My son also pulled some trash out of the culvert under the tractor path farther up stream. Today there were whirlpools above a couple dams and the water had dropped a lot. Makes me wonder if the beavers have those tunnel in place for when it all ices over?? Wouldn't think they would let the water out them selves? But it almost seems that way. With the water dropped we had to pull some traps that were high and dry. Move them to better looking location.

Here's my son with the beaver and the missing trap. Is no way that little guy caught that way pulled our stakes and the tree was cabled to. Had to be done by another beaver after this one was caught. Started snowing right after I took this picture. Going look different there in morning.




Mac

Good job finding beaver and trap.What kind of trap is that? It looks like an old series 1 victor.
Those traps had very little clamping force.

Boco
I would have to say that my traps are probably Victor. I bought most my 330s back in Late 80s all of them were used and from estates of older trappers. So my guess is their from the late 60s early 70s. I think I only ever bought two new that I can recall. They were I believe victor's too. I know they had this clip on the spring eye with the idea that if you got caught you could let yourself out by releasing the clip. I don't know if I sold those two or if they were stolen? I didn't see them when was digging traps out for this deal. I did loan out 20 330s to friend doing damage job?? Ive never been big water beaver trapper. So have maybe 3 dozen 330s. Couple dozen #4 jumps and couple dozen #4 dbls. Think got couple #5 bridgers most my traps I own are set up for fox, coon and coyote.

Mac

Glad ya found him Mac.