I have caught beaver in foot holds but have never been great at it. I guess my main issue is when using Bridger #5 or MB 750 is that I check them and more often the trap is at the end of the drowner with nothing in it. I usually set castor mounds or cross overs. I use bump sticks. With these big traps is it better to set the trap so the beaver steps between the jaws or over a jaw??

Between the jaws for back foot beaver!!!!! A full grown beaver puts a flat foot pad on the ground that is around 8 inches long. Very easy to have that pad across both jaws if stepping over them, and actually difficult to not to have at least one jaw under the foot when the trap trips. This is true even for full size 7.5 to 8.5” beaver traps.

And offset left or right of the centerline. Beaver have wide backends.

Yes.
For me a backfoot pan placement is about the length of my fingertips to my elbow from shoreline or poke sticks.

I might add placement consideration for backfoot can depend on angle of terrain of course.
Also you can sometimes see a depression where the backfoot is settling down.
For front foot placement you want the beaver putting it's feet down first (poke sticks, etc)
As Loosanarrow said - always between the jaws

I set the trap where the beaver will be walking,fairly shallow and a berm of mud in front of the trap dug out from the trapbed.
A couple of guide sticks to line up the beaver on approach so the trap will be offset from the center of the approach.
I dont worry about front or back foot catches(i catch them both front or back with the same set) with drowning sets since i will only make them where the water is deep enough for beaver to slide the lock down the wire into deep enough water.
Set the trap with the dog at 3 or 9 to the approach so the beaver steps between the jaws.
I also like a fairly light pan.
If you watch beaver work these sets and get caught you will find a surprizing number of beaver getting caught leaving the set when using lure.

Offset your trap and have about 4 pounds of pan tension.

between the jaws and light pan tension, offset.

Thanks everyone, I really think this will help.

I'm with Boco on the berm in front of the trap. I stomp down a bed so the top surface of the trap is at or just below the level of the surrounding bottom and use my hand to mold a berm to make a protective rim so shuffling feet don't foul up the trap. You want that foot coming straight down on the pan not tripping over levers or jaws.

I'm guessing you arent offsetting your traps enough. Set them just like this and you will rarely have a snapped 750. .
https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1707388/beaver-footholds-with-pics#Post1707388

X2 that is an excellent post!!!

I use poke sticks. Set my foothold in the bed, with trap offset from center. Then I will use 2 or three finger-diameter sticks jabbed in the mud pointing out at an angle from the trap, but pushed in deep enough that they are below the surface of the water. Beaver swims in, sticks poke it in the chest, it starts to flail and try to put its feet down to climb over the debris, and steps right in the trap. Also when set deep, it helps keep the tail off the trap so it doesnt get tripped.

Never had repeated success with poke sticks or bedding traps in the muck at beaver dams and many crawlouts.

Since I built and started using trays to hold traps the success rate has increased to near 100% visit to dead beaver ratio.

I use the trays as a trap platform. No more worries about poor bedding in muck, fired traps, low grabs, etc. The beaver swims up to break or crawl out bumps into wooden edge of tray....climbs over and steps into trap(s)....rolls off side of tray and down drowner rod or chain.

Trays are another item to carry in but are so effective at enabling solid trap stabilization that I now grab them nearly every time I need a foothold for beavers. The only time I don't use trays is when there is a firm sand or clay bottom....and that isn't very many areas here.

Yup, bottomless muck is a problem. Fortunately up here it's georgia clay for the most part. Some places I almost need to break out the trowel to dig a bed.

In some places I've run into muck bottoms I've been able to firm things up with waterlogged sticks, logs or scrounged up rock.

Do you have any pics of these trays?

Those trays were supposed to be a secret! Shhhh

kidding!

A Tray?,you trapping him or serving him lunch,lol.

I've had better luck with bowls....

I've explained the concept on here b4.

It's not my idea, even though I've modified the original idea to fit my needs.

I've shared the concept with a couple beaver trappers that now rarely set a beaver foothold without a tray.

The original idea was from the mind of a fellow named David Lafforthun. He has a DVD...."Annilahation of Trap Shy Nuisance Beaver" that describe his original ideas.

I won't post pics on here again as Boco (and a few others) might get offended because it works good....lol