I live in the middle of the desert, but wouldn't you guess, everywhere there is water is overrun with beavers. I intend to target them this winter and I'm weighing the best course of action to harvest some fur.

I do not intend to take more than a dozen and I do prefer to keep the hides in as good of condition as possible. I have a few drowner sets though I have not nor have I ever set one. Its not rocket science but body grips seem to be a much more efficient way to harvest, at the expense of possible fur damage.

My question to people in the know is since I'm only targeting a hand full of beaver, should I stick to drowners or is the fur damage from body grips minimal or of no consequence?

I'll keep a couple for wall hangers and sell the rest. Total take less than ten.

I use foothold mainly because because of our total submersion law but when I have used them I didn't see any damage.

Put your bg triggers on the bottom. Run some of each (fh/bg) then you can be more diverse. Doesn’t hurt to have tricks up your sleeve down the road.

Life is a learning game. Why limit yourself? Those beaver cam from somewhere and you have no idea what thy have already learned.

Use both way not. A few castor mounds.

Use both.

Don't worry about damaging the fur with your 330's. As stated learn how to use both and decide what works best for you.

Maybe some high dollar cats around those ponds?

Water depth is needed to drown beaver! that might be your decision maker. I do like foot holds but conis are faster and the amount of damage is minimal either way. You can use foot holds with out drowning them, if the water is shallow or they can get on land most will not fight the trap much.......jk

The landscape will show You what to set.

Fur damage from 330s is almost minimal unless the springs are abysmally weak. Really you should be good with both. Yeah you can force things with a foothold or a BG in a situation where the other is better but why do that to yourself unless you're doing it just to do it.

Advice I’d give has already been covered, depending on how you can legally make your sets. You’d be surprised how many beaver don’t really want to go through a square, but they will eventually. I try and keep my trigger on the bottom in a T so it’s under the water, but you’ll catch whatever goes into it. Or keep the trigger straight and waaay off to the side. Gives rats and other stuff a chance of slipping by. A spot in a run with a big log or something where they always have to go under is a killer for smart buggers, until they start carrying a long branch in their mouth every time…..lol. I’d save the foothold for later, but that’s just me. 330-Trapper nailed it, the lay of the land should dictate the set. Don’t (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) around though, gang set and hit ‘em hard unless you want to leave some.
BGs will freeze to the fur and have to be thawed or damage from the dog/trigger when in the middle. When I pull them out of the ice here it’s instant frozen so I usually pull the 330 off while submerged. At minus 20 your bare hands are warm in the water, all changes when you pull them out. Not sure how your weather is but 2 years ago it snowed in Vegas the day before we got there…lol

There are a couple spots I want to target. Close to home the ditch is fed by hot springs and is deep enough for drowners and in many spots perfect for a 330. Farther from home I was duck hunting and scouting for trapping areas. The place I found is loaded with beavers to the point all the trees are caged with wire to keep the buggers from bringing down the few large trees that grow there. It gets cold here but not Minnesota cold. Body grips are a lot lighter than hauling in a drowning rig. Since many of the spots I was to set are several hundred yards walk, I think body grips will be the ticket most of the time.

Beavers are very beneficial to the ecosystem in the west. Taking all of them is not something any sportsman would aim to do

Yes there's some high dollar cats around and I'm hoping to connect with one or two this winter, being a realistic beginner trapper. Also the place is overrun with badgers, and just so happens to be an area with many species of ground dwelling game birds, so I hope to help them out by taking some badgers, and maybe a rooster or two.

X2

I don’t trap for sport, and when I say “get em all” there’ll alway be more to fill the void, at least up here. I don’t know of any trappers here that trap for sport or fun. Some try it as a hobby but they quit right away. I sometimes “get em all” in summer, and the next summer I’ll guarantee you I’ll be back…lol.
It’s about population management and maintaining a healthy balance…..and it’s therapeutic fun…lol
After rereading your OP I see you’re in a desert so thinning them out is good if you want to keep them there. If not, disease or eventually food source will get rid of them. But if you leave a couple, remember that they gotta eat too, keep the trees fenced off…
So are these ponds that are connected by a river when there’s water, or did they wander over to the nearest water hole to set up shop?

Their names have river at the end, but not what I would call a river. Long meandering ditches fed by springs along the way. The spot farther from home I could pressure real hard and not worry about depleting the population. It is a much larger habitat.

I say sportsman because I doubt there's many people that make a living by trapping. Like metal detecting for gold, yes I make money at it, but to me it's a sport. When I go to the ocean and come home with an ice chest full of fish, yes I'm saving a lot of money and have some real good food, but I do it for the fun just as much as filling my freezer.
If you're not enjoying yourself out there, what's the point?

*Edit. gold prospectors argue the same thing. They say it's not a sport. They say that because the laws governing the activity are aimed at peoples intent to make a living. If people look at as a sport, that gives govt a foot in the door to do away with the regulations altogether and put a complete ban on the activity.

If I can set a body gripper that's what I do. If not then I go to a foothold. Turn trigger and dog to the bottom.

Gotcha.... Once a guy's set up, I don't think it should cost him to trap......depending on one's location. I've got a few years before I break even....LOL.