I caught one beaver in a run I had set up at this hut, after
that I was still seeing sign up until I set two 330s at the
entrances, it's been 5 days and there's no sign of activity.
Are the beaver holding up in the hut and how long will they
stay in there.

I would think that they have another way out...I am NO expert though. No sign does seem funny, but I've trapped a pond with similar indications, and they were still there when I left. Sorry I can't answer your question though.

Welcome to the club. Beaver are a lot smarter to danger than people think. The research I have seen shows bank dens being occupied by muskrats as much or more than the construction crew. If its a creek bank colony, don't be surprised if the remaining beaver hole up in a just a side bank hole for awhile as they may have equated danger at the lodge opening seeing a dead family member there. When the excavator drains the dam ist an eye opener as to the many holes that exist under the previous water line that had little sign by them. Dave Hastings has a story of a trap set for 7 days over a hole in a drained creek bank colony only to catch a beaver coming out on day 7. I have had the same experience. That is why ADC beaver killers get paid to clean up what the fur trappers leave. Both have their place. ................ the mike

I trapped this location and took 2 beaver the first night. Then I located the hut farther down steam. There was fresh sign In that area and I caught a few more beaver but I hadn't set the hut yet. Then things slowed down for a few checks. I was about to pull out when I actuality saw a beaver dive off the bank and swim Into the hut. Well I worked that hut and found both entrances and set a 330 In each one. I made 7 checks on that hut. I was trapping rats on that marsh area so I just stayed at It. On the 8th check that beaver had chewed a hole In the hut above the water line and escaped. It knew about those 330s and wasn't going through them.

I'll add to what the Wife said about muskrats inhabiting beaver dens....had a job recently where I found a bank den in a river with a lot of beaver activity. The water in front of the den hole was muddied up and stayed that way. So I set a 330 in front and staked it off so a caught beaver would kick away and leave the opening free. I set two other locations with footholds where the beaver were tearing trees up. Next day, I had a muskrat in the 330 coming out and two beaver in footholds. Reset everything and had a beaver in the 330 going into the den opening the next day. Reset and had a muskrat coming out the following day?? You just never know...

Had a sow female that stayed inside for 10 days. Timber company had breached the dam......drained the pond..Per my request as all activity had stopped...but I knew I had not captured the sow. Lodge was high and dry within a few hours. Set 330s at all entrances. Checked everyday. Had coons trying to go in. Killed 3. On 10th day big sow beaver got caught coming out. She was the last one of the colony....removed 9 beavers total there.


Tip: it's too late now for you, but stay away from that lodge!!!! Even be quiet if setting within 40 or 50 yds from it.

You can thank me later!

The lodge Is the last thing I set.
I did a lot of large pond trapping when I was In SC. Those pond beaver are the weariest beaver you can trap. Or I should say TRY and catch.
I would go In and scout the pond then wait a few days before I set It. In and out with little or no disturbance.
Sac oil out preformed castor just about every time.
There were times that the 12 gauge came Into play.

I second what the Beav stated about the pond beaver and how wary they can be.

I have had a couple jobs that the beaver will hold up and not move after a mate was caught. I was using live cage traps with one job.

The one most likely witnessed the other being caught and carrying on all Nite attempting to escape.

I had 3 cages set fairly close together with one end of the traps in the water and the other end exposed out of the water so they could get air. I had them staked to a 6 ft rebar and wired up.

The bank dam and bottom where I set up dropped off sharply, so the traps were at a steep angle. The client didn't want a lethal means of capture on this job, and I had permission to relocate them to a local river. I could see the bank den hut from where I set up about 150 yards back in the hollow of the woods.

That other beaver never moved from that bank den or where it holed up. I set up a few snares as I figured it wouldn't get near those traps again. I set Hancock and Bailey traps; they never approached them. I set up trail cams at several points of the pond. I never talked and made as little noise as I could on each trip there.

Never saw the beaver again on camera. On the 10th check I caught that beaver in a snare. It was set on a subtle mud slide I made with a touch of sac oil, fresh castor and a few peeled saplings I placed near the slide. I saw some shore saplings they had been feeding on previously. I had to run a long extension cable to an earth anchor to get that snare attached to something solid.

When I approached that snare set area on that 10th check, I couldn't see my snare. I figured it may have got knocked down by a deer etc. So, I am looking for the support wire or cable couldn't find either. I stopped and looked up to the small saplings growing on the upper bank to where I had placed by earth anchor.

I still couldn't see any cable or animal. I did see what I thought was a slight disturbance in the grasses and weeds just below the sapling patch. I kept scanning that area.....

Then boom, out of nowhere that beaver came charging down that bank as fast as it could come towards me. It was on about 15 ft of cable extension and snare collectively. I knew that snare reached the bank, so I knew he had lots of cable left to get me. It had been lying flat and still by an old, felled tree so I never saw it until it moved the first few feet. It was only about 10 ft or so away when it began its charge. It was one of those oh SHHH T moments. It was every man for himself reaction.

I can say, it nearly got me. I never saw one move that fast before. Don't think those buggers with those short legs can't move when they need to on dry land. I had hip boots on and rolled down halfway since I didn't know if I needed to get into the water or not.

Some kind of sprawling ivy, the kind that can trip you when walking thru it, was all over the area so, needless to say I stumbled a bit trying to get out of the danger zone. I think the old heart was racing a bit. The old man can still bust a move when necessary. At least this time....

Bob, I know what you mean about a beaver being fast,
I was checking on some beaver in a farm pond few years
back, I knelt down looking in to a dry bank den stood up
and about that time a beaver come flying out hit the water
and was gone. Did know beaver moved that fast.

Tomorrow will be day eight, I might pull my traps and
leave it be for awhile or until spring. Then go in with
foot holds.

Yes beaver can stay inside there lodge for considerable time and do become conibear shy. In one situation I had a bachelor beaver holed up for 17 days in its lodge. It had 4 entrances which I covered with 330's. One day I needed a trap at another location so removed one of these as there did not appear to any beaver in this lodge. Well when I returned to retrieve the other traps I noticed new active at at the entrance I removed the trap from so I reset it. On the next check I had the beaver, which was apparently out of the lodge when I reset the trap. It was nailed across the snout from nose to eye indicating it noticed the trap as it dove for the entrance but it's forward motion was to much to be able to turn before entering the trap. I have caught a few more over the years in this manner indicating that some learn that this type trap is dangerous.

The only constant in trapping is change so keep learning.

Your average lodge will have more than 2 entrances. Often times, finding all the entrances is nearly impossible either due to water depth or the opening being farther from the lodge than you would expect.

1986 I had two entrance covered with 330s on the snake river . I was in front of the lodge in the third entrance in waders a beaver shot out through my legs. I got up on the ice Quick as possible and looked down into the channel ...that Beav. swam fast bach inside. I quickly put a 330 in place. I had taken 4 beaver there before that day. The beaver was trapped inside for 17 days. it ate the lodge apart as evidenceof peeled sticks floating out progressivly getting smaller. day 18 i caught him coming out the left hand hole. it had 3 legs . one front one was gone.