Need some advice for first time beaver trapping. I have some flooded timber/swamp on my property with a small outflow creek. Beavers dam up the creek and eventually water expands into fields. Someone else used to trap this and now I’m stuck doing it. Dam is not high in the least. After watching a few YouTube videos, I’ve been making dam breaks that are only about 2x the width of the 330 trap I’m using. But if I put the trap directly across the mouth of the break (half out of the water) with sticks stuck in the mud on each side of the trap, the beavers just use the sticks and trap as something to plug with mud and more sticks to fix the dam. I then put the trap out further into the pond (about a foot or so beyond the dam and fully submerged) with the sticks at an angle from dam break edge to trap to prevent them from going around the trap. All they did was pull those sticks out and use them to fix the dam behind the trap. So far I’ve only caught one turtle swimming up the creek. I've heard that foot traps are better for dam breaks but so far I've just been guided by YouTube videos that show 330s being used. What am I doing wrong?

They tend to come at a break from the side so you might have better luck setting 330s a few feet away and perpendicular to the dam on either side with a little blocking

Sounds likw your breaks are too big for the trap you are using. With 330s and setting directly in front of the break, you want a baby break in the dam. When you do big breaks of the dam, footholds side on the sides of the break are the way to go.

I had the exact same problem last year. Trap would be set off by the beaver carrying mud & sticks and would end up being used to repair the dam…lol. Foothold worked. But I’m going to try two 330s each side set perpendicular to the dam break, plus footholds. My small dam breaks (just big enough to get some water flowing) usually worked up to that point.
If you’re trying to get em all, I’d throw everything I’ve got at them the first night.

330s at a dam break are best used at the low side of the dam...not in the actual break at the top of dam. If the beaver has a reason to travel further downstream from the dam you've breached then he will likely be caught. Submerge it if possible.

If beaver doesn't have any reason to travel further downstream then footholds on drowning rigs at the breach are your very best option. Use a trap support if mud is too soft to bed foothold.

I had the same problem with beavers on my place. Thats how I got into trapping so be careful! I use MB750 foothold and drowners on my property. Get them cleaned out in a couple days.

Swamp, can you go into more detail on your down stream 330s placement and thoughts at dam breaks? ....Thanks

If the beaver are going down stream to feed then you can set the cross over. No need to make a dam break If they are crossing the dam.
The other thing you can do Is make 330 castor mound sets at the corners of the dam . Or use the 12 gauge.

If they're crossing over the dam....it's just the simple channel set at the downstream base side. But, I do prefer the 330 to be submerged, if possible. Use a dive log...not a small limb. Set for square-shy beavs on day 1.

Even if they're crossing a particular dam, I try to determine if that dam is a primary dam (one holding water around the den/lodge). If so, I will always do a dam break set there too with 2 footholds and also put that 330 on downstream side in the channel near the dam base, if possible. It's usually shallow enough there that you can get down there. Down here in the deep South, the low side of the dam is where you need to really pay attention to where you're reaching in warmer weather....be careful!

Sometimes, I will make a mound set with a single foothold on drowning rig at one corner of the dam too, but rarely use castor lure. I use just a drop or 3 of sac oil at the mound set.

I set heavy like this at many locations and it pays off most times.

I don't fur trap beavers. It's all control trapping

Thanks....thought you had a special set you utilized. I use the same tactics mentioned but at times... no visible crossover and no downstream channel....just a bunch of jumbled up debris. Love the crossover sets and I am sure to at least get that caught beaver away from the original set area.

The funny thing about crossovers is that the beaver dont use them as much as we think they do. I think they go UP the crossover more. Seems like they do down the dam at random spots. Watched them do this too many times.Yes theres a reason why that wear spot is there but they dont use it all the time.

I've caught enough coons, opossums, otters and turtles on those crossovers to understand just why they are the beaten path. But beaver do use them enough to go ahead and set it.

If I can I'll set both top and bottom.

I don't like dam breaks as a go to set. I much prefer to slip in and set up in full stealth mode as you only get the element of surprise once.

Then when I do go to breach I do so by only a trickle, just enough to make some noise. Then I set the upstream dam face ditch with snares or 330s turned perpendicular to the dam. Beaver often create a channel along the face from scooping up mud and they'll run that channel when doing dam maintenance.
If in a wooded bottom I'll run up and downstream setting the routes and pinch point leading to the breach.

If all has gone well I've picked off the colony before ever having to do the full breakdown of the dam. Because once the dam is broken and the water is down its a whole nother ballgame. Sometimes easier sometimes not.

Can’t do this set in MI unless you have a permit for nuisance work can’t break dams to set. Wish we could at times but it’s not legal here. When I have had permits for nuisance I always loved a dam break TS85 on drowners one on each side of the break set off to side for back foot. Never did huge breaks 12-18” wide maybe 4” down enough to get their attention. This has always gotten the trap shy ones for me. Good luck

A lot of good advice here. I have caught beaver in all the sets mentioned. If there is a cross over that is a great spot. I also used a dam break set along with this away from the cross over and I keep the break small with a foot hold up against the edge with some bump sticks in front of the trap just under the water level. You can clean out a pond quite fast this way.

No problem catching beaver on top at a dam break.
But you have to set the 330's well out in front of the dam in deep water or they will just plug them up when set too close and shallow.
Set several traps,you will catch beaver both coming to the break and leaving after.

This dam proved difficult to catch a beaver on . In three weeks I never caught a beaver on either edge nor on the cross over. Less than 50 yards below this dam was a small dam that I caught two over 50 pounds in a week .
Half a mile down stream this dam produced 8 beaver of all sizes including a 58# sow, in the crossover and on the sides of the dam .

My point is , set the crossover, big or small .

My point wasnt about not setting the crossovers. They just arent the be all-end all set for beaver.

Don’t get me wrong , they use other places too .

Thanks for all the advice. Got my first beaver today. I didn't weigh it but not that big. My grandson has been helping me bust holes in the dam and gather sticks to stake my traps so he was happy as can be that we got one. I did get to watch my daughter skin it out as it was something she wanted to do. It was the first animal she has ever skinned out and I was surprised how well she did.

Great that you got the daughter and grandson involved.The little guy is really geared up for the beaver trapping with his chestwaders.