No Profanity *** No Flaming *** No Advertising *** No Anti Trappers ***NO POLITICS
No Non-Target Catches *** No Links to Anti-trapping Sites *** No Avoiding Profanity Filter


Home~Trap Talk~ADC Forum~Trap Shed~Wilderness Trapping~International Trappers~Fur Handling

Auction Forum~Trapper Tips~Links~Gallery~Basic Sets~Convention Calendar~Chat~ Trap Collecting Forum

Trapper's Humor~Strictly Trapping~Fur Buyers Directory~Mugshots~Fur Sale Directory~Wildcrafting~The Pen and Quill

Trapper's Tales~Words From The Past~Legends~Archives~Kids Forum~Lure Formulators Forum~ Fermenter's Forum


~~~ Dobbins' Products Catalog ~~~


Minnesota Trapline Products
Please support our sponsor for the Trappers Talk Page - Minnesota Trapline Products


Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping #7463161
01/16/22 11:57 PM
01/16/22 11:57 PM
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,775
Amite county Mississippi
Wolfdog91 Offline OP
trapper
Wolfdog91  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,775
Amite county Mississippi
Looking for some insight on this. What's everyone that's been able to trap the north and south noticed about beaver ? From talking with southern beaver guys who really rack up numbers and northern guys who do the same there really really seems to be a difference. And I guess I'm talking more about the 20% that are more difficult to catch.Just curious what everyone thinks

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463175
01/17/22 12:11 AM
01/17/22 12:11 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
Trapping beaver in the north we have a 7 and a half month long season on beaver with marketable fur.
Thats the only difference I know of.
Also the better quality beavers are east of a line thru manitoba and minnesota and north of a line thru northern Ohio.

Last edited by Boco; 01/17/22 12:14 AM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463178
01/17/22 12:13 AM
01/17/22 12:13 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Yukon John Offline
trapper
Yukon John  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Where's the line?


Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463180
01/17/22 12:14 AM
01/17/22 12:14 AM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline
trapper
yotetrapper30  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
Only difference I can think of is down here we don't have to fight the ice. I've not noticed any difference between MS beaver and IL beaver.


~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: yotetrapper30] #7463183
01/17/22 12:16 AM
01/17/22 12:16 AM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
~ADC~ Offline
The Count
~ADC~  Offline
The Count

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,261
Iowa
Originally Posted by yotetrapper30
Only difference I can think of is down here we don't have to fight the ice. I've not noticed any difference between MS beaver and IL beaver.


The snakes in the south off-set the ice. lol

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463185
01/17/22 12:17 AM
01/17/22 12:17 AM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 5,849
ohio
Ohio Wolverine Offline
trapper
Ohio Wolverine  Offline
trapper

Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 5,849
ohio
Open water beaver are a lot easier to trap.
Under ice are a lot more work , but more satisfying catches .
Then as Boco pointed out the fur is better in the north .


We have met the enemy and the enemy is us!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463188
01/17/22 12:20 AM
01/17/22 12:20 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
330-Trapper Offline

trapper
330-Trapper  Offline

trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,661
Minnesota
A Georgia beaver Trapper. Told me the southern beaver are more laid back. grin
Truth


NRA and NTA Life Member
www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com




Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Ohio Wolverine] #7463206
01/17/22 12:49 AM
01/17/22 12:49 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Yukon John Offline
trapper
Yukon John  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Originally Posted by Ohio Wolverine
Open water beaver are a lot easier to trap.
Under ice are a lot more work , but more satisfying catches .
Then as Boco pointed out the fur is better in the north .


I can see this being true if you're one way or the other, but like here (and I'm sure there too) there is so much of...well, the next 3 days will be frozen, then the next week will be above temps! And the cycle continues, very hard to get a grasp on which way to go here.


Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463215
01/17/22 01:04 AM
01/17/22 01:04 AM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
S
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
Southern beaver do not respond readily to castor-lured sets during the hot summer months. You also are wasting your time using peeled sticks of any kind for "bait" or attraction.

Ive never trapped in the north, but Ive read many posts on here from northern beaver trappers that say "just use castor lure and a peeled poplar stick to catch a beaver any time of the year. I just shake my head down here in the swamps.


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Swamp Wolf] #7463221
01/17/22 01:21 AM
01/17/22 01:21 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Yukon John Offline
trapper
Yukon John  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Hmm, this is what I personally would like to read about...what works for YOU! There again, what is the line? I'm no expert, but here, if you use castor from another area you're pretty good. Once they get a grasp of you though, it's almost over. I'm one that I get the easy ones and wait for next year, beaver can be finicky, the first couple are easy, but after that, who knows!


Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463229
01/17/22 01:33 AM
01/17/22 01:33 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,493
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Paul Dobbins Offline
"Trapperman custodian"
Paul Dobbins  Offline
"Trapperman custodian"

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,493
Goldsboro, North Carolina
I've been fortunate to trap beavers in Virginia (3 years), South Dakota (3 years), UP of Michigan (6 years), Maryland (4 years), Alaska (3 years)and North Carolina (32 years). There are differences I've noticed between northern and southern beavers. Colony size is a difference. In the south, colonies can be huge. One 1/4 mile stretch of canal I trapped here in NC, I caught 56 beavers, all adults and none were cut up. I never saw anything like that up north. The castors smell different up north than down here in the south. It's all because of diet. Here we have two types of beavers. We have northern beavers imported from WI via PA, from what I heard, and we have southern beavers from Alabama. The WI beavers I found were in the Roanoke River basin and the Alabama beavers are in the Neuse River basin. I have seen where both types were in the same areas. The way I could tell them apart is that the WI beavers had food caches outside their lodges/dens and the Alabama beavers did not. The WI beavers still had excellent fur quality compared to the AL beavers.

Castor lures aren't as effective here in the summer as they are in the north. Peeled sticks do work for me to attract beavers, as long as I'm using a food lure. It may be the lure rather than the peeled sticks that are the attraction. Both northern and southern beavers are as dumb as a sack of hammers..... until they're not.



Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Paul Dobbins] #7463237
01/17/22 01:52 AM
01/17/22 01:52 AM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
S
Swamp Wolf Offline
trapper
Swamp Wolf  Offline
trapper
S

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 12,109
South Ga - Almost Florida
Originally Posted by Paul Dobbins
I've been fortunate to trap beavers in Virginia, South Dakota, UP of Michigan, Maryland, Alaska and North Carolina. There are differences I've noticed between northern and southern beavers. Colony size is a difference. In the south, colonies can be huge. One 1/4 mile stretch of canal I trapped here in NC, I caught 56 beavers, all adults and none were cut up. I never saw anything like that up north. The castors smell different up north than down here in the south. It's all because of diet. Here we have two types of beavers. We have northern beavers imported from WI via PA, from what I heard, and we have southern beavers from Alabama. The WI beavers I found were in the Roanoke River basin and the Alabama beavers are in the Neuse River basin. I have seen where both types were in the same areas. The way I could tell them apart is that the WI beavers had food caches outside their lodges/dens and the Alabama beavers did not. The WI beavers still had excellent fur quality compared to the AL beavers.

Castor lures aren't as effective here in the summer as they are in the north. Peeled sticks do work for me to attract beavers, as long as I'm using a food lure. It may be the lure rather than the peeled sticks that are the attraction. Both northern and southern beavers are as dumb as a sack of hammers..... until they're not.

Some interesting observations!!!


Thank God For Your Blessings!
Never Half-Arse Anything!

Resource Protection Service

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Paul Dobbins] #7463241
01/17/22 01:57 AM
01/17/22 01:57 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Yukon John Offline
trapper
Yukon John  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Originally Posted by Paul Dobbins
I've been fortunate to trap beavers in Virginia, South Dakota, UP of Michigan, Maryland, Alaska and North Carolina. There are differences I've noticed between northern and southern beavers. Colony size is a difference. In the south, colonies can be huge. One 1/4 mile stretch of canal I trapped here in NC, I caught 56 beavers, all adults and none were cut up. I never saw anything like that up north. The castors smell different up north than down here in the south. It's all because of diet. Here we have two types of beavers. We have northern beavers imported from WI via PA, from what I heard, and we have southern beavers from Alabama. The WI beavers I found were in the Roanoke River basin and the Alabama beavers are in the Neuse River basin. I have seen where both types were in the same areas. The way I could tell them apart is that the WI beavers had food caches outside their lodges/dens and the Alabama beavers did not. The WI beavers still had excellent fur quality compared to the AL beavers.

Castor lures aren't as effective here in the summer as they are in the north. Peeled sticks do work for me to attract beavers, as long as I'm using a food lure. It may be the lure rather than the peeled sticks that are the attraction. Both northern and southern beavers are as dumb as a sack of hammers..... until they're not.

Great info Mr Paul...when you reference food caches, are you insinuating that southern beaver won't cache? I'm not trying to be malicious, just wanting to get a clear grasp on "my" critters here. Like I mentioned earlier, I think I have the "best" of both worlds here, just hard sometimes to get a real grasp of what they want. Just tell me what to look for please (if you don't mind).


Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Yukon John] #7463244
01/17/22 02:00 AM
01/17/22 02:00 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,493
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Paul Dobbins Offline
"Trapperman custodian"
Paul Dobbins  Offline
"Trapperman custodian"

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,493
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Originally Posted by Yukon John
Originally Posted by Paul Dobbins
I've been fortunate to trap beavers in Virginia, South Dakota, UP of Michigan, Maryland, Alaska and North Carolina. There are differences I've noticed between northern and southern beavers. Colony size is a difference. In the south, colonies can be huge. One 1/4 mile stretch of canal I trapped here in NC, I caught 56 beavers, all adults and none were cut up. I never saw anything like that up north. The castors smell different up north than down here in the south. It's all because of diet. Here we have two types of beavers. We have northern beavers imported from WI via PA, from what I heard, and we have southern beavers from Alabama. The WI beavers I found were in the Roanoke River basin and the Alabama beavers are in the Neuse River basin. I have seen where both types were in the same areas. The way I could tell them apart is that the WI beavers had food caches outside their lodges/dens and the Alabama beavers did not. The WI beavers still had excellent fur quality compared to the AL beavers.

Castor lures aren't as effective here in the summer as they are in the north. Peeled sticks do work for me to attract beavers, as long as I'm using a food lure. It may be the lure rather than the peeled sticks that are the attraction. Both northern and southern beavers are as dumb as a sack of hammers..... until they're not.


Great info Mr Paul...when you reference food caches, are you insinuating that southern beaver won't cache? I'm not trying to be malicious, just wanting to get a clear grasp on "my" critters here. Like I mentioned earlier, I think I have the "best" of both worlds here, just hard sometimes to get a real grasp of what they want. Just tell me what to look for please (if you don't mind).


I've found the AL beavers here do not have food caches. Probably because over the eons, they never had to go under ice to retrieve something to eat during the winter.



Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Paul Dobbins] #7463249
01/17/22 02:15 AM
01/17/22 02:15 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
Yukon John Offline
trapper
Yukon John  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4,926
Aliceville, Kansas 43
I should have mentioned that our beaver tend to make a cache, but I don't think it's every lodge, just the old guard...but I could be wrong.


Act like a blank, get treated like a blank. Insert your own blank!
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Swamp Wolf] #7463252
01/17/22 02:22 AM
01/17/22 02:22 AM
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,775
Amite county Mississippi
Wolfdog91 Offline OP
trapper
Wolfdog91  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,775
Amite county Mississippi
Originally Posted by Swamp Wolf
Southern beaver do not respond readily to castor-lured sets during the hot summer months. You also are wasting your time using peeled sticks of any kind for "bait" or attraction.

Ive never trapped in the north, but Ive read many posts on here from northern beaver trappers that say "just use castor lure and a peeled poplar stick to catch a beaver any time of the year. I just shake my head down here in the swamps.


Swamp and bossman dobbins what yall say is a prime example of what I was referring to .

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Paul Dobbins] #7463267
01/17/22 06:09 AM
01/17/22 06:09 AM
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,897
Wisconsin
E
Eagleye Offline
trapper
Eagleye  Offline
trapper
E

Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,897
Wisconsin
Originally Posted by Paul Dobbins
I've been fortunate to trap beavers in Virginia (3 years), South Dakota (3 years), UP of Michigan (6 years), Maryland (4 years), Alaska (3 years)and North Carolina (32 years). There are differences I've noticed between northern and southern beavers. Colony size is a difference. In the south, colonies can be huge. One 1/4 mile stretch of canal I trapped here in NC, I caught 56 beavers, all adults and none were cut up. I never saw anything like that up north. The castors smell different up north than down here in the south. It's all because of diet. Here we have two types of beavers. We have northern beavers imported from WI via PA, from what I heard, and we have southern beavers from Alabama. The WI beavers I found were in the Roanoke River basin and the Alabama beavers are in the Neuse River basin. I have seen where both types were in the same areas. The way I could tell them apart is that the WI beavers had food caches outside their lodges/dens and the Alabama beavers did not. The WI beavers still had excellent fur quality compared to the AL beavers.

Castor lures aren't as effective here in the summer as they are in the north. Peeled sticks do work for me to attract beavers, as long as I'm using a food lure. It may be the lure rather than the peeled sticks that are the attraction. Both northern and southern beavers are as dumb as a sack of hammers..... until they're not.

Paul- any idea when (time period) the Wisconsin beavers were introduced, I found your insight on the food cache interesting- one would think they would evolve over time and years of seeing no ice to abandon the food cache as a survival necessity. It must be innate.

Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463287
01/17/22 07:20 AM
01/17/22 07:20 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,253
Port Republic South Jersey
N
Newt Offline
trapper
Newt  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,253
Port Republic South Jersey
I'm also with Paul on how many beavers there can be in a Southern colony.


South Jersey Trapping and Snaring School
January 19-20-21 2024
NEWT -----------------OVER----------------









www.snareone.com
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463291
01/17/22 07:28 AM
01/17/22 07:28 AM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9,917
Arkansas
J
J Staton Offline
trapper
J Staton  Offline
trapper
J

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9,917
Arkansas
I've only seen a food cache once here in Arkansas. I wonder if they were a northern import?


James 1: 19-20
Re: Southern Vs Northern Beaver trapping [Re: Wolfdog91] #7463304
01/17/22 08:17 AM
01/17/22 08:17 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 8,294
Louisiana
Aix sponsa Offline
trapper
Aix sponsa  Offline
trapper

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 8,294
Louisiana
I’d be willing to bet Northern trappers don’t deal with the number of turtles and alligators that we do here. Also northern trappers develope methods to deal with ice, and that’s something that just isn’t needed this far South. We’ll see a thin ice layer for a day or two at a time every few years.


Paul’s experiences are about as real life hands on nationwide experience as you’re going to find anywhere.

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread