Hi all. I just joined this forum the other day. I am 62 and I live in Lewis County in NY. I trapped muskrats, coons and fox when I was a young man growing up in Western NY. I moved up here 32 years and I own a 94 acres parcel on which I hunt deer. There is a small trickle of water that moves through a marsh and my ATV trail goes through part of it. When I first bought the property the trail was high and dry except in the Spring. Around 15-20 years ago some beavers moved in and did some damage to my trail. I caught a couple using 330 conibears and shot two and the place was beaver free until last year. I went back in late Spring last year and beavers had moved in, excavated part of my trail and extended from the dam that they had created years ago. What a mess. I bought more 330s and over a couple months I caught 8 beavers. I was able to trap them right near my trail and I didn't need to go deep into the marsh. I was again beaver free until about 2 weeks ago. I had placed a cell cam at a spot they would always plug up so I could watch for another invasion. It's about a 10 mile drive to my hunting spot and I didn't want to have to drive there all the time to watch for them. A beaver plugged up a small channel through my trail, although that and a small chewed off tree was the only real sign of them (besides seeing one on camera). A later picture showed two beavers together so I know there's more than one.
I set a conibear just beyond a spot where they were obviously crossing the dam. I put a cell cam right on the set. I saw a beaver come over the dam and go up to my trap (which was about half submerged). But he wouldn't go through the trap. I figured I had a conibear-wise beaver. I bought 3 #3 Bridger DC spring traps from the only trapping supply guy within a reasonable driving distance. I think these are maybe too small but that's all he had except for MB750s. I couldn't set those and the way you set them scared me! I walked back into the marsh a ways and there are channels cut into the bottom and the water was muddy. I found what appeared to be castor mounds in a couple places. Other than the channels and maybe right in the middle of the marsh, the water is shallow. In the past the beavers have plugged up the cuts in the original dam and extended beyond it. So far, except for the very first day, they have not done that. I made 2 castor mound sets and the first day I had a sprung trap but no beaver. There had obviously been a beaver in it but he had easily moved the gallon jug filled with sand that I used in my drowning rig and escaped the trap. Next day I went back with cinder blocks and replaced those jugs. A few days later and I've caught nothing.
Today I was looking at my sets. Even though the travel channels are deeper than surrounding water, I don't think a large beaver would drown in them. I'm pretty sure a large beaver could stick his head out of the water even if he was all the way out to the blocks. I have to believe that eventually the beavers will have to try to re-plug the dam. It gets very cold here in winter and thick ice would make travel very limited for them. Is my only option to wait for them to repair the dam? I did find the house from last year and I can walk out onto it right now. If the water deepens that probably won't be possible. I stood atop the house today and I'm not sure they are using it. There are no new branches or sticks on top. But I an certainly no expert on these rodents so maybe they are using it. I tried to determine where the entrances are but could not. There is a place where something has been coming up to the edge of the house but it could be muskrats. I'm not sure.
My archery season begins next week. Right now I can still get my wheeler through there but if the beavers flood my trail again I will be stuck. I walk back when hunting but I use the wheeler when I get a deer. I apologize for the long story but I'm hoping I can get some advice from some real beaver trappers. I admit that I am not! Thank you.
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