I don't belong to the CDR club and I hope I never do. I saw what my friend's finger looked like after he got caught in one. Setting 330's and 280's doesn't stress me like the CDR's. I belong to the 330 club and am confident I can get out if it happens again.

I respect the CDR's greatly and I am probably just a little bit afraid of them. I set and use them when needed but I am especially nervous if I am by myself when using them. I occasionally trap some beaver with a friend or a friend may ride along with me here and there but I am usually alone when trapping beaver and sometimes I am way off the road on an oil well road or farm lane.

When I use them I pull the pan up high so that I can safely bed them. Once satisfied with the trap placement, I pick the trap up and pull the pan down into the set position. I then replace the trap carefully into the spot where I bedded it. Obviously the water is muddy and I don't mess with them any more at that point.

Does anyone else do it differently or have any other suggestions? Is there a safety device of some sort that I haven't heard about that can be used.

I actually think the CDR is the safest of the beaver footholds to use. I'm never nervous about setting and placing them. I like the way the pan wants to stay in the up position until it's pulled down past the button on the dog. I can easily do this under the trap, and not on the topside.

I definitely pull the pan down from under the jaw.

I have had to start using my CDR's more and more the last few years. I would rather catch them in body grippers but it seems like I am running into more and more educated beavers that know what a 330 is.

They make one hand setters for them.

Except if you sit down on them, lol.

How do you anchor them? Do you use rods or cable? If you use cable or wire, maybe carry a cheapo pair of cable cutters in your pocket so you can cut it if you do get caught? Be easy to get out of once up on dry land.

Yup, push the pan up and flip the loose jaw up under the pan and it's safe to carry anywhere. Set them at the truck and don't pull the pan down until it's in the trap bed. With the nightlatch bump it can be done safely under water by feel.
I don't know any other beaver foothold you can do that with.

Best beaver trap on earth

Who sells the CDR? Thanks

Wildlife Control Supplies as the WCS Pro. They bought out the design several years ago. This is the third generation of them now.

Big thing on the CDRs is making sure that the bump on the dog isnt too close to end of the dog. Ive had to file a few back as it made the traps pretty hairy.

Yes, I have dressed mine with the file, because the traps are old now.

I have been using drowning rods the last couple years.

I was back in an old strip mine today 1/4 mile off the road. There were no good 330 sets and the ice was too thin to walk over to the lodge built by the high wall. I put in 2 sets with CDR's and got to thinking, what if !!

Randy and Les, I wondered if a dogless CDR would be possible and as efficient?

THE BIG THING, is make sure you have several pounds of pound tension. I set the trap and I just had to go back and check the dang thing, to make sure it was bedded securely. I pushed on the leavers and due to low or no pan tension the pan fell and set the trap off. One minuet I have a great set the next I had a great catch. My dang finger. This was when I quit using CDR's, which I have started using again. Dang trap is really fast and you have better have some setters to get yourself or, or some critter.
It's a really great trap. I only use two trap beaver trapping. I have no time for misses or pull outs. CDR's and No - BS extreme Beaver traps. Ones dog on pit and the other dog less.

I set my cdr s put them in my backpack and go…..

Best beaver trap

These have become mandatory on my beaver gear both footholds and conis. Push come to shove I can unhook and walk out.

Now there's a good idea!

Jakes are dogless. The way I set them with my hands, they would be hard to safely set, if even possible, under the jaw. I have never tried to set them that way. NO WAY would I want to set a CDR the way I set Jakes.