Can anyone suggest any decent books that address trapping and or snaring trap shy Beaver? Seems to me I'm running into them way to often, they can turn a decent man into a crazy maniac,don't know how they do it , but I loose sleep,and can't think about anything else but that d---- md beaver. Then once I get him I feel like I've killed an ole friend, damdest thing I've ever seen, any how any help would be appreciated.

Not a book but there is one vide called “The annihilation of trap shy beaver” . It’s got a totally different tactic that I bet very few people use. I have a copy but have never had to use his method. Not that I’m a great trapper , I just don’t have many smart beaver. I can usually get them with footholds or snares.

Go down to beaver trapping pics by swampwolf.theyve got some pics and dimensions to build the trays he's talking about.i have made some and used them and they do work.set them perpendicular to the dam with 2 foothold in the tray about 5 to 6 inches under water.when the beaver hits the frame with his chest he'll drop his feet right in the trap/s.dont need any lure just put a couple small breaks in the dam to get him swimming to check where it's leaking.

Thank you guys, I'll do some research, there's some really talented beaver out there.

Beaver are really easy to trap... until you get a trap shy one. They can make you pull your hair out, but I always liked the challenge. Usually they are only trap shy to footholds or conibears, not both. If they are shy to both they can be a real pain. Blind set footholds on the dam spillways are my favorite set and will pick up a lot of smart beaver, or if they are wise to that, if you can find where they are diving under something, stick a conibear there where they are diving and traveling fast and don't have time to stop. I've had beavers before where I had to pull everything and wait a couple weeks, then slip back in quiet and make a set without any disturbance, no pounding of stakes or anything, in order to catch.

There nor trap shy they are SET SHY.

More than that. I've dealt with beavers that will avoid anything new I introduced in their environment that wasn't there before. This could be a single guide stick or snare support, a new castor mound, a hole in a dam, etc.

As was eluded to before, beavers are dumber than a sack of hammers until they're not.

They’re getting like turkeys around here, more people dabbling and pestering them I have smart ones popping up. I can tell first night if they’ve been messed with then the landowner fesses up that that they or someone has tried to catch them. Pond beaver are the worst. I think they notice, like Paul said, sticks out of place.

I battled an old female last summer that was taking down mature hazelnut trees out of an orchard. Tried to snare her for over a week and she just would not touch one, I must have had 20 snares out in a half-acre size stretch of river I spent extra time and fashioned a floating log set that I hadn't done before. I'd even setup like a sniper at o'dark thirty to try to shoot her! One night she downed a tree but didn't drag it back down to the river, and I knew that was my chance. I blind set a #3 coil spring, and a #4 double long spring at the base of the tree. Bingo! got her that night, front foot in #3, back foot in #4. Backstraps were extra tasty on that one!

I used to catch my share of beaver's, but lately I run into older singles and they are SMART. I really appreciate all the feedback.

Gotta go ninja on trap shy beaver. Foothold traps on anything that looks like they've used to crawl out on and minimal disturbance.

For trap shy problem beaver go to discretely placed snares in tight travel routes or find a natural object they are used diving under on a regular basis, then place a BG trap under it leaving no sign of you or trap being there.

The book "OPEN WATER BEAVER TRAPPING MADE SIMPLE" by Kyle Kaatz is a good read

My world is trap shy beaver. One after another. It goes on and on. I just assume they are educated anymore.
Well concealed blind set footholds are how I deal with them. If you make no disturbance and just put the trap where the beaver is going to step, they have no way to avoid them because they do not know and can not tell they are there. The art is knowing where they are going to step, and then having to tools to put a trap RIGHT THERE without disturbing the area.

This ^^^^^^ and snares set in tight spots .

I dont run into too many trapshy beaver nowadays,but when I do I dont mess around playing with them I give them a load of buckshot right off the bat.

Sac oil seems to work better for those set shy beaver.

Snares are your friend , don't go light on them .
Set by tree's they are cutting down.
Set some off set and low for tail.

Had to bed and blend in a #5 once to get on once.
On dry ground by tree they where working on.

I see that a lot too. They stay away from ANY CHANGES in their environment. I sometimes tear a moderate breach in dam(s) when I first visit a site....then return a few days later and see what I'm up against. If the breach(es) are plugged....let's roll! If not, then it's one of 2 things....they care not about a particular dam OR they are extremely spooky. More thorough recon needed.....go easy....use foottraps only in backfoot water depth. Don't use guide sticks or lure...other than a drop or 2 of sac oil from a single beaver. Forget castor lures. Leave BGs and snares in the truck. Seems over the top.....but they are sometimes just this spooky.

Yep. Sometimes it takes a submerged 330 in channel or tight spot to get spooky beaver.

No POUNDING of stakes or support sticks. Just pushing them in