I'm not a well educated hard water beaver trapper, but take 20-25 per year in open water. I took on a CTDOT nuisance job (most of my beaver work is from DOT). Put in a couple baited 330s on good bubble trails in the black ice. Then I went to the opposite side of the lodge and discovered its only half a hut. It's a small lodge to begin with, but the side with the food cache looks more like a beehive oven. Like it wasn't finished. A nice covered spot to get out of the water, but not a home. I put another 330 in between the lodge and food pile anyway, which was tripped today with no catch.
Does this mean there is a bank den somewhere? All evidence looks fresh, bubbles, chewed sticks, hut smelled like beaver. I didn't find another cache or anywhere a beaver could climb out from under the ice. I'm kinda confused.
I took a few pics, but can't post them from my flip phone. I can send them to someone to post if interested.

I would guess there is/are bank dens. Your situation describes what we have here...they start with a bank den, then build out in front of it. Then they have smaller bank dens scattered about the shoreline

Wouldn't a bank den be above water level enough for air pocket? I walked the perimeter and dry ground is just barely above waterline. I've seen a few bank dens, they were always in a bank a few feet above water.
When I set up yesterday, I could hear chewing along the shoreline about 20 yards from the lodge but couldn't pinpoint the exact spot. It did sound like from under ice.

Here where their bank dens are the land is anywhere from a few feet above water level to just barely above water level. There is always a vent hole, but sometimes it's a small one and hard to spot. I would think there would have to be some sort of hole in the bank for them to retreat to.

I would think in CT they would need something complete to survive the winter weather
Sounds like a loafing type shelter so I would bet there is a bank den or even a full lodge somewhere nearby?

Down here I have seen bank den/lodge combos

Is that a possibility in your situation?
Partial lodge against bank?

Lodge is 20 yards from shore. It's a small area that was flooded, maybe 150 x 50 yards. I walked perimeter and found no second lodge. Didn't see where a bank den could be either, but not used to looking for them through the ice. No definite line of bubbles near shoreline. Next time out I'll chop a few holes and see if I can find a run near shore. It seems the cache would be near bank if den was there, not near an incomplete hut.

Curious, if dam is breached while 'pond' is iced over, do they move, try to fix dam, or just live in ice pockets as is? I made a small hole in dam just to get the water away from the road, but not to drain the pond. That will be done after beavers removed.

Here are Brian's pics

The pic with the opening looks like it has to be a run. I'd say the pic that looks like the back side, should have a run or two there somewhere. I don't have any experience with baited body grips so I can't help you much there other than to watch Johnny Thorpe's baited conibear set on YouTube, I may be able to post the link.

Thanks John, I appreciate it. I'll try to remember to take my actual camera next time. First two pics are baited 330s hanging in 3' of water. The sticks are basically pointing to the hut in the saplings 10' away.
As you can see, the hut is more like a pizza oven, and the feed pile is behind me in that pic.. The dam is built on a man-made spillway. The flowing water are small breaches to just lower the water a little bit becauseit was within two feet of the road behind me.
Those are the only pics I took.

I would chop a hole right in the opening of that pizza oven, and park a 330 in the bottom of the run.

Lol, I just watched the JT video last night.

I do have a 330 just outside the oven at my left knee where I took the pic. It was sprung yesterday, empty. It looked like a run from oven to feed pile. So we agree there. But, I wasn't thinking a run would go under the hut, and couldn't figure out how it would get INTO the hut with a frozen bottom.

i would think your den is right under that hut seen it often where the hut is built right over the bank den and actually helps the beaver in changing water depths those beaver willl not be far from the feed pile this time of year

K9, the hut isn't on the bank. Unless there's another chamber, which would be very small, under the hut is a solid base of sticks or water.
Thanks for the responses. I'll figure it out or come back after ice out.

Any chance that opening in the hut is like a covered porch and there is a den behind that opening?

Definitely odd

I would bet it's like a doughnut and he swims underneath and right up the middle. Is there a vent hole on top anywhere (It could be really small)?

It would be extremely small, it's the smallest hut I've ever seen already.


I thought I found a vent hole, but I think it's above the oven. I'll give it a second look tomorrow. There is definitely softer dirt on top that I would think would be frozen if not active.