In an area of shallow water, where drowning is not possible,...(and to lessen spooking other beaver) to have a live beaver in a snare or foothold than a visible dead beaver in a bodygrip?

I haven't made up my mind yet. At times, it seems after a "live" beaver catch everything shuts down for a while. But then other times I get multiple catches...no real patterns.
Now a dead beaver in a body gripper set in a channel I have had avoidance at times; so after a catch is made I will pull and move that trap and try to blend it well. But again when fur trapping I just reset the trap in the same spot and often times catch multiple beaver at that spot in that trap...no patterns. I guess it depends on the beaver.

Same experiences I've had..^^^^^

More often than not....I have had a snared live beaver (whether at a crossover, circle set, or mound set) shut the area down for a week or more. I think the initial attraction is great for beavers to get caught in nearby sets around the live beaver early that night but they realize something's up before first light and then they stay away.

I too have seen it go both ways but more often than not the live beaver is the draw for multiple catches same night. So I gang set the area in hopes of catching while they are milling around eyeballing the first caught one. Same with cages.

Past the first night all bets are off.

Beaver are not spooked by dead beaver at all.
We catch multiple beavers at den entrances and dambreaks with traps set all close together.side by side as well as in series.If the live beaver cannot move the dead one he will go around it or crawl over it to get where he is going.Also doubles are not uncommon on baited snare poles.
Beaver will shove dead beaver from deep water at a dambreak into the break and cover it with mud and sticks to plug it.

Live beaver splashing around probably a different story.I never try to hold beaver alive,that just trouble in a foothold when they get tangled,or fur damage in a snare.(I know not relevant for nuisance or felt market but limits marketing choice)
Poorly constructed sets is what educates most beaver in my opinion.

I think that avoidance occurs when other beavers come across another beaver in distress. Whether its a live beaver in a snare or in the vicinity when one gets whacked in a body grip. I think they associate the distressed beaver with danger. I'm of the opinion that the other beavers will then be wary of the location and any odors, such as lure, in the vicinity.

Beaver don’t necessarily tend to be spooked by dead beaver in channels. This was a week ago

Beaver stuck in footholds that don’t drown have attracted beaver before and other time spooked other beavers from that whole shore line. I think it depends if that beaver has been whacked by a trap before or not

FWIW, IMO, I think a Beaver would get spooked if it SAW a Beaver getting whacked as opposed to just finding one.

The challenge factor is that not all beavers react the same way. About the time you have something figured out, along comes a beaver and does the complete opposite of what you expected.

^THIS^

But back to the original foothold vs snare.

It is my belief that a long chain foothold is far less alarming than a snare.

I base this on what I see when I roll up.

Snare due being on a short leash the immediate area is disturbed with a good bit of chewed wood. The extension cable is liable to be twisted and kinked.

Long chain not as much if any disturbance, minimal to no chewed wood (probably as much due to no entanglement), and the beaver is often asleep on the bank or otherwise relaxed.

But down here a non entanglement situation is pretty much limited to subdivision or pasture pond dams and those almost always have deep water available.

I think a live beaver near a castor mound is a huge attractant. Keep one alive near the mound and have conibears gang set at every pinch point nearby and you’ll get multiple catches. I think it plays on their instincts wanting to protect/establish their territory from disadvantage competition.

Kind of like when you drop the boss gobbler and all the rest of the toms/jakes in the flock completely disregard the gunshot and start flogging their flopping brother.

Do that in a channel and it’s a different story.

Said like a politician but so true.

I think it’s the conditions in the equipment you have is good for those conditions is what matters.

I found the best trap for a beaver are traps that can be set side-by-side or as a single trap out in the water or on the dam in the water. It could be snares Conibears , footholds or Cage traps. Cage traps are good and that they don’t mess up the area around them. I’ve had excellent success using them side-by-side. I had a trap that I uscatch predators in my trap junkyard. I set it for beaver back in April. I first set snares. I just had a couple snares. Got a adult two-year-old. I set the predator trap of a design not seen before and caught 8 more in less than 12 days.
The whole family.
Conditions were just right for that set and the trap. I believe if I had another one just like it the trap. I would have caught them sooner. May be a properly placed snare out in the water may have done the same thing with other sets around it

They are an animal I don’t think they comprehend death but one in distress is another problem IMO and I am no expert just my observation from the ones I catch

I’d rather have one dead in a 330 than one flopping around slapping its tail. I set everything to kill….whether they are footholds, snares, or 330s

Rather have em dead for a multitude of reasons. However if theres a good spot that you cant set a 330 or a drowner, we'll do it live! unless its right by the road.

Reason I'm asking is there is a location I'm setting up in the morning. Today, when scouting, I saw a narrow (about 2ft across) funnel along dam edge. It leads out to where water is being backed up across a private road. The narrow channel is about a foot deep. It looks like a death spot for a 330...or a snare. 330 = dead beav with back visible above water and blocking that channel. Snare = live beaver and total destruction of that location. I'm gonna go with the 330. Should be able to totally submerge 330. Maybe turtles will go elsewhere for a couple nights/days.

Very limited set locations here. Got a plugged up culvert pipe that I MIGHT be able to get a little open. If so, two 750s in a tray there. I should be able to find a spot on the dam to make a scent mound/crawlout with a foothold or two (I'm eager to see how those Black Widow stands are gonna work. There are no crossovers here as the dam and the beavers are all on the upstream side of road in a huge (1000 acres) swamp.

Gotta get it done before 1000 hrs....heat index is reaching triple digits by noon!!

I'd catch zero beaver here in the deep South with sets like that^^^

These beavs down here don't play that fencing with a bodygrip at their dam.

Bears and wolves is a bad deal here. I like everything to die under water so I dont lose a trap. A wolf will eat on site, a bear will take the whole works to some impossible to find location....maybe a dog would help there...