I used to run a lot of video on beaver locations and I noticed that herons would always walk around protruding sticks. After seeing a few herons get a little too close for comfort on those sandy bottom dam break locations, I had an idea to put a stick angling over the foothold so it was about 2 feet above the trap and the end was plumb with the far side of the trap. I am probably not the first person to have the idea, but I now have enough video of herons walking around those sticks to say that it works like a charm. It keeps them well away since they dont even seem to like to get within a foot or so of the stick end.
Beavers will often swim to it and rear up to inspect the stick, and several times they have plopped down and were caught by a front foot. Occasionally one will try to pull the stick or chew it off and be caught in the process. Then others will work the dam break under the stick like normal. But of course, some of the spooky ones wont come closer than ten feet. Those are the tough ones but I almost always find another way on those before they skip town in search of safer waters…
Had a monitored location send a photo earlier and it gave me the idea to share in case anyone else finds this useful. Note the two angled sticks, one just behind the heron. This heron has been walking all over in front of the dam (off and on) for two days, everywhere except under those sticks, and I took the first of what I expect will be a pair of beavers today.