...a beaver bend the pan up like this? This has happened twice in past week. Bridger 5 coilsprings.

I'm attempting to trap educated beaver(s)..(hunt club members have aggravated these for 3 or 4 years.) Have no idea what's left here.....but there is at least 1.

Last week, caught one large brood female..first night...thank goodness! (foothold in a tray with a castor-based lure on an artificial mound. That's it so far. Beavers already had a small mound nearby that I set. Have used the sac oil from her a couple times at both of these mounds. Beaver(s) have worked both of these mounds 2 or 3 times in a week and have missed traps each time. Thinking maybe very small beavers, I shallowed up the footholds...no results. Didn't want to loosen pan tension and end up toeing one.

Have limited access due to terrain in this swamp. There is a small dam in the ditch that borders this cypress bay. Water is trying to drain, slowly. I didn't breach this small dam until few days ago and put a B5 foothold there on a rod. EVERY night beaver(s) have plugged the breach...missing trap (and I shallowed it up)... dam is plugged mostly with mud and pine straw. I did block the ditch about 10 yds up from the dam with fence panels same day I breached the dam and dropped in a Belisle 330....totally submerged. 1st night = small otter. 2nd night = 330 fired empty. 3rd night = turtle. Last night = 330 fired empty. This ditch is narrow and belly deep...dug out with excavator while back.

I noticed the pan was pulled or bent up a few days ago on the B5 at the dam. I pulled it and saw it was bent. I replaced it with another B5. This morning that one has bent pan also. Trap's not fired or moved from bed...just bent up pan.....within inches of the dam breach that is packed full of mud/straw again.

There have been no humans there, so ruled that out.

I removed the B5 and the 330 at the ditch/dam and set up panels about 6 feet in front of breach. This morning, I put 330 back there...half submerged.

My theory is I'm dealing with a kit beaver or 2, but I dont know how those pans are getting bent upward. I'll swap them out with MB750s next...they won't bend that pan up.




Rascal is costing me $$!!!

No, I haven't seen this with the #5 Bridger coils.

If it ain’t one thing it’s another.

I'm at a loss for explanations. Mostly still setting in bed. Only way a beaver could do this is to be sitting/standing on levers(s) and grab end of pan. Neither trap was fired.

You have a beaver with psychic powers!!!

Maybe a dumb question but we’re the trap dogs on the bent ones both towards the beavers expected approach, away, to the side?

Osky

Front paws on loose jaw, nose head worked under pan to bend upwards?????

A turtle rooting like a hog? Not even sure if they do that.

I can't fathom something getting under a pan and having enough strength to bend it. Especially if the trap wasn't fired.

Closest to it I've had is a few bent dogs. But those always had a beaver in them.

No....dogs facing left or right depending on side of breach I placed trap on....
...perpendicular to expected approach. Lever pointed towards dam. Trap slightly offset from center of breach.

I've debated that idea...as the beaver is pushing mud......lucky rascal....twice now.

On my B5s, all the dogs are filed just in front of that factory night latch bump. I do this because I like a crisp click when setting. The pan won't easily jump backwards as it's lifted up. It will catch on the squared off edge and then the weak portion (where it expands outward) of the pan frame is gonna bend.

Not sure about the physic powers, but rascal does seem to know more about traps than me...

Set a trail cam up on video mode and see how it’s happening.

Yessir.....that's what I need to do.

Well that definitely gives it a solid point to push against but still doesn't answer the how whatever it was got to the underside of the pan without firing the trap in the first place.

A real head scratcher.

game camera on video mode.

You sure your nephew Savell ain’t messing with you or is he grounded

I have had deer step in front of the pan and do the same thing to a couple of 5 longspings

Interesting

How would that bend the pan up ?