I got some permission to trap some beaver today. Been eyeing the spot for about a year. It’s a river about 25-30’ wide with banks 8-10’ kinda steep. Looks to be a dam about 3-4’ tall an a feed bed about 20-25’ from dam. A lot of bank trails upstream from feed bed an even more down stream from feed bed. I have never done any water trapping. I can use 330s fully submerged a snares only for beaver an of course footholds. Do I need to blind set the trails going up the banks with foothold or do I need to put the traps in the water before the go up the bank trail? Keep in mind I’m not a beaver trapper. Ok to catch otters as well.
Traps I have available for beaver are 330s, mb 750os. Sleepy creeks #4dls

Sounds like lots of options. But with activity above and below the dam there has to be a crossover at the dam. That is set #1 and #2 at both ends. Use the trap that best fits. Usually that's a foothold on drowner upstream as you have the water depth and a 330 downstream in the channel. I'd rather not snare here as I want to preserve the crossover.

Other options are peeled sticks Woodchipper lure near the feed bed guarded by a foothold on a constructed pull out.

If the trails are active it won't hurt to hang snares on them, no lure at the snare. If you lure a snare do so away from the snare so the beaver is moving to the lure at a good pace. Any lure at the snare will have them stopping and milling around looking at the lure.

That last can be used in the water, usually in standing timber, when you want them swimming in circles through snared pinch points. The lost lure set.

We are going into their breeding season so castor will get hit but fair warning castor is easily abused and they get wise to it so pick your set carefully.

No heavy activity I seen below dam

There are always crossovers on the dam. What I grew up calling spillways usually. A bit of a low spot where the water runs over the dam. Sometimes it is obvious the beaver are using it, sometimes not so obvious. Set as warrior describes. I prefer the foothold and drowner, but use either or both, whatever fits the situation best.

Thanks, that’s what I’ll try. Just didn’t want to make them smart. Figured asking was the best way to start this. An hopefully I don’t mess up an make em smart

Oh you're going to smarten one up, it's inevitable and we all do it from time to time lol. Just don't make it a habit.

Especially on a job where they all have come out.

And of your tools I find that snares do the least harm. A knocked down snare doesn't hurt when they knock it down. 330s hurt when they pinch. 330s are also the most visible if you have to set anywhere other than fully submerged.

If there's only one dam, I wouldn't expect to see a crossover that beavers are using. They will tend to stay above the single dam.
What is the shore like? Is it rocky, muddy, wooded. What's the water depth? Can you safely access the shore down the steep banks? Are there any feeder streams coming into this river on this property?

I’ll get a few pictures today. No feeder streams

DON'T FORGET TO DISENGAGE YOUR SAFETIES (safely, of course)!

Tuning your 330s (see archives) to fire crisply with minimal swing will go a long way to preventing pinching. You'll know when you get mostly clean behind the head hits and not suitcases.

At the bottom of a bank trail, not sure if their is a bank den there or not


Feed bed


Several of these bank trails up stream from dam


Dam, deepest part of the river right about dam looked to be 4-5’


Looks like they’re trying to build another dam. About 20’ above lower dam


Most activity on large stuff I seen, several of 1”-6” saplings been cut down

I'd guess the upper is older and blown out, lower the replacement. That creek looks to get pretty good flows, probably blowing out dams.

Take advantage of the gap in the upper one. They have to pass that point.

On those steep bank trails set your snare or 330 perpendicular to the slope.

First pic, stomp in a slicked up pull out one beaver wide. Make it visible from the water. A drop of sac oil or castor, just a drop, slicked into the mud. Guard it with a foothold one cubit out and a handbreadth left or right of the centerline. Be sure to punch in a solid bowl of a bed with a ridge on the water side to protect from flipping the trap. Turn the trap with levers fore and aft so the foot comes between the jaws not over the loose one. You will need a bare minimum of one hand width of water above the trap but two is better.

Alternate to sac oil or castor, fresh peeled thumb sized sticks that "match the hatch" of what they are currently eating scattered and visible a foot or so up the bank. Season it with a dip of Woodchipper.

If there's a crossover on the main dam I would suspect it is at one if the two bank ends, maybe on the bank itself. That also looks more like a snare than a foothold.

The feed bed area looks like a possible bottom edge set with a few strategically placed vertical stick blocking.

Those bank slides/trails are BEGGING for snares. I say snares plural because those slides look active enough to set multiple snares if you can get them off the trail once caught. Set the crossover/gap on the upper dam like warrior said. Between that and a couple well placed castor mounds you will be collecting beaver in no time

Thanks for the info.. I got a dozen snares on the way with 10’ cable extensions. How do the snares need to be hung? 4” Off the ground with about an 8” loop?

https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/847076/2

Shoot Buzzard a PM, he used to have some really good pics explaining snaring beavers, that's where I learned it from but I can't seem to find them right now

Another set that I see is on the main dam. Go out where the water is running and create a noisy leak. Not a breach just a small leak they will want to repair. Set the upstream side but be advised they often arrive with stick and mortar in hand to make the patch. 330s often end up with a stick shoved in them. Heck, I've had 330s buried by the repair, lol. Footholds are good here as are sets, snares or 330, flanking the leak left and right set perpendicular to the dam if they run the face of the dam.

Ok I may try that too

Snares came in today. I’ll set em tomorrow an some 750s. Hopefully can show some results Sunday

Got one today. 48lb

Good job!