From your experience, what ratio of: conibears vs footholds vs snares, do you run for beaver?

5 to 1 bodygrips to footholds in open water for beaver.
Half and half snares and bodygrips under ice for beaver.

Would have to same very similar to Boco. 5 conibear to every foothold and during the winter it really depends on weather and ice/snow conditions. I'd say mostly conibear under the ice until mid Feb and then 60% snares.

80% conis, 20% #4 dls. Is what I ran this year and caught 97 beaver

75% bodygrip and 25% footholds. Didn’t include snares because I only use them under the ice on occasion

Probably around 10:1 BGs. Haven’t had luck anchoring a cable with a long rod in the loon crap at the bottom, I used cinder blocks broken in half for an anchor, but you can figure out why I bring BGs in instead…lol.

varies place to place for me. I dont run footholds as much as I used to. Almost only run them on dams/crosshovers now. River trapping I exclusively run snares on private ground due to flooding and no exposed 330s. Public ground I mostly run 330s unless its a public lake then its about an even mix of snares and 330s depending on bank structure.

I'm the opposite, I'd say I run 5 to 1 footholds. Some is because I am old school and grew up using mostly footholds because I had several dozen of them and only a couple 330s (started out using my dad's traps when I was a kid) the other reason is because we don't have a lot of beaver trappers (or beaver) here and most of the guys who trap them set a few 330s (sloppily) to catch a couple beaver for bait; so if you run into an educated beaver, it is almost always square shy, not foothold shy.

Depends on the area. Some places to tough to get a 330 to work. But over all I would agree with 5 to 1 body grippers.

Down here in the deep South....depends on the temperatures.

Cold weather = minimal turtle movement...330s mostly effective in right locations.

Warmer weather = turtles in 330s every night.

Footholds keep catching beavers year-round in the South.

The areas I have trapped are more often rivers with bank beaver and not as many CB opportunities so I’d be the exception and be 4 to 1 foot traps to conibers.

I let the situation dictate what will work best. Over the years, I'd say that I used more footholds than bodygrips and snares. This is especially true in the later years, because it seemed like I ran into an inordinate about of bodygrip shy beavers. I don't recall dad having bodygrips in the 60's, so I grew up using footholds.

About an even mix, though like others it varies by location. Some sites have lots of woody stems making for better snaring while other more open might call for conis in channels or footholds on pullouts.

I've had jobs that called for all of one type or none of the above and cages get broke out.

My philosophy is don't pigeonhole yourself and skill level, learn as many dirty tricks as you can and use what they give you to beat them.

Though if I had to choose it would be snares, footholds, conis in that order.

Too many variables. Where I trap now it’s 10:1 foothold to body grip. 330’s have to be completely submerged or that ratio would be different. In states like minnesota where the law is half submerged, body grips are quicker to set and maintain. Footholds will pull higher percentages overall. This is for spring trapping with typical flooded conditions.

I use mostly footholds. The reason varies by the season and by the situation.
In warm water BGs will have a turtle more often than not just like Swamp says, often the same not-very-teachable turtle every night (even in deep runs the turtles survive underwater overnight, a little sluggish at first when released, but after a few minutes they perk up and off they go…).

People dont call me to do the job until fur trappers have worn them out with 330’s, so setting a BG is like putting up a neon flashing danger sign. I just assume they are wise to BG’s, especially on county ROW jobs and private farm jobs.

I use more snares than BGs. Sometimes a BG shy beav can be tricked into walking through a snare, but often not. Even so, when i see an ideal snare location I hang one. I also carry snares on my first recon of a new location and set whatever that looks good. I always wonder about trappers saying a beaver is foothold shy. That just does not happen to me. They can not avoid what they can not detect. A well concealed blind set foothold may not be the best way to catch big numbers fast, but it is the way to catch the last one. And last one is why they call me.

In the end, footholds can be set to avoid non targets, and as was stated by someone else on another thread a while ago, a beaver has no defense against a well concealed blind set foothold.

For me it is probably 70% footholds, 20% snares, 10% BGs. But in a different situation that would change.

Ok, thanks to all those that have responded. I don't do much water trapping, originally started trapping, as sort of self preservation, defending the sheep from running dogs and predators back in the day, so primarily a land trapper.

However, it looks like beaver and other water critters will be being some far money, so it may be time to retool. I'm looking to get some idea where to spend money to that end.

Thanks again and if anyone else has other experiences or opinions, I'm listening.

90% footholds

Brushy creeks with well defined channels, pinch points, etc....75% BGs, 25% 7.5" Footholds & Snares
Rocky streams with minimal silt....75% Footholds, 24% Snares, rarely set a BG
Silty Rivers that make it tough to keep pan traps working....75% Snares, 25% BG & 7.5" Footholds

Real waspy beaver....have had good luck with the .17 HMR set

can't shoot them here unless you're a landowner or family; but I bet it could be fun.

Can only be shot under a landowner permit here as well but MT FWP is very liberal with those.