I may have the opportunity to trap beaver the last week or two of the season whare a landowner wants them out of their pond.I don't have much beaver gear except a few duke #4 and two vic #3 jumps. I am on a budget here so I will buy a few bridger #5 coils to be set on drowning rods... Would you choose to spend 20 bucks and get a conibear or would you get a dozen snares to supplement the footholds?

Have you done much snaring before? If not, i would go with 330s. Just easier to use.

Unless you put the snares on a drowning system you will likely have live beaver to deal with once you catch them. You won't have that issue with a 330.

I’m a bit biased, as I’ve never successfully snared a beaver, but I’d go with the 330s. When I started setting snares for raccoons, coyote, etc it was a bit of a learning curve. Beaver trapping is also a learning curve, but I think it would be much easier for you with 330s. Be careful using them and stake them down good.

I see snared beaver pelts at our local sales sometimes. Most snared beaver get downgraded for clipped fur. That's why I never went with snares. Of course in this day and age beaver pelts are mainly going into the hatter market so it probably doesn't matter much.

For me 330's

Buy the Bridger5 coils. Can use chains and brake rotars for drowning rig or use 1/2" rebar 9 or 10 feet long.

Use that extra $20 bucks and get a good beaver castor lure. Save the sac oil from the ones you catch to finish off the others.

Wow, I'm surprised by these answers, there is no easier way to catch beavers than with snares. So simple a child can do it. The last beavers I sold they didn't even look at them other than to size them. Its a hatter market and a snare mark makes no difference what-so-ever. It's not too tough to shoot one either IMO. I'd advise buy all snares and not bother with the footholds either.

I agree to a point, but snares are designed to be used set blind with a few exceptions based on location. Beaver will get snare shy.

Snares are easy to set up and no problem with live beaver...unless public area.

Snares can be used at most places a bodygrip can be used if anchoring is available. Its all location-dependant on what will work.

Beaver buyers now just want a nose count....snare marks, bites, dont matter.

They may get wary of lures or who knows? But I don't think they are going a notice a snare as anything more than the weeds and sticks they pass by all the time. It's not like it snaps in their face to scare em. If they miss getting caught in a snare it just drops to the ground like any other weed or stick.

I'd sooner think they can smell where the people have been than notice that thin loop of cable and determine it's something to avoid.

Also 99% of the snares we set are set with lure or bait to entice the beaver through the snare, not blind sets.

Snares give users more options than 330s. 330s are great beaver traps but if my choice was to get a single 330 or a dozen snares for a brief adventure, I’d get the snares.


Buy premium snares, not mystery manufacturer snares, some support wire, and read up on setting them. My preferred beaver snare is big enough for a 10-12” wide loop of loaded 5/64” 1x19 with a swivel then 36-40” of 3/32” extension with an earth anchor on the end. If you make the earth anchor loop adjustable or large enough to pass the snare back through, you’ll have a rig that can be used anywhere. I do use other configurations at times because I already had them made or have a specific use in mind. Bullet locks, newts lock, and slim locks are probably my favorites, but I use an assortment.

Generally speaking, beaver are not difficult to snare. When I can help it I like to keep my sets in the water, because it reduces my chances of non targets that I do not want to catch but there are situations that land trail sets are the better choice.


If you’re beaver trapping on a tight budget, snares are definitely your friend. When you use snares with a swivel immediately following your loop, you’re able to clip and reuse almost everything. Without a swivel, you’ll be throwing away more cable.

Snares in that case

If you are going to use or sell the pelt to the fur market a live caught beaver will be damaged.
Under ice or drowned beaver in a snare=no damage.
Junk beaver(nuisance) it doesnt matter if they are damaged.

I agree with ADC. If I were in your shoes I would be gearing up with snares. Light, cheap, easier and safer to set than large footholds and body-grippers, and most importantly they just plain work.

If these are the only beaver you plan to ever trap, buy snares. If not, buy 330's or footholds but don't forget about the snares. Try them next season. Much easier to carry two dozen snares than two dozen 330's or footholds.

If this is the only time you are going to trap beaver I would use 330's. If you never use them again you will have no problem selling them. But not all area work with 330's. Get in there and look before you spend the money. I always go into a area and look before I pack the truck with equipment.

Since you said pond bvr I'd go with quality snares. Your 4 dukes or even your jumps on drown rods would get you by. Unless you have located channel, den or dam at the pond the 330's would have to be lured. Less chance of scaring bvr with lured snares imo. This is per your op . I catch majority of my nuisance bvr in the south with 330's but I'm in creeks and flooded timber. Ponds are oh so much fun. Good luck.

His choice is ONE 330 or a dozen snares. That is an easy choice. Go with the snares.

That's the point right there. Get yourself acclimated with the beaver using snares (I'm in the process of that myself), then grab some 330s (i have 4), then some big footholds (I currently have 0). I didn't get into trapping to catch beaver, but round here, seems like that's the easiest way to get permission! I haven't caught many, but I do enough good to keep after them. Take all this FWIW from a greenhorn.

My comment was more based on the OP not having a lot of time to catch the beaver. Personally, id skip the footholds starting out and using 330s and snares.