Trapping small creeks near town within a couple of miles from the house. I am going to try to take 2 from each pot-hole and see if I can run about 20 a year, over 40 lb adults. Is that reasonable or will I run them down?
Most of the guys with problems want them all gone but for the most part I can drop in for a week and then move on.
I like to just take over 40 lb. beavers. I hate to kill next years fur. I try to stay back from the dams and pick up the big patrollers. In several area’s there is no sign, just been successful there for the last 4 or 5 years.
My annual numbers are anywhere from 8 to 31 and a couple of spots this year I am coming up dry (they tore out a beaver blocked culvert and put in a large box culvert). I am wondering if I am running them down or if somebody else has come in. I figured it was reasonable assumption but figured I would ask it here.
I started a new area and found that nothing would go to a 330 but I took down two large ones as soon as I went to footholds. Property owner thought I was the only game in town.

I'm not a big beaver trapper only traping them for friends when they have had issues. In my limited experience in a few places on creeks they were tearing up I will catch around 7 on average. Usually the entire family group. The next year catch will go down some as does the sign but will generally be around 3.

This is primarily small creeks several miles from but feed into the Ohio River. More always move in there. Lots of variables on what's sustainable specific to your location I would guess. That's never been on my list of concern because I am there to solve the problem and that means take them all.

I'm sure some of the big beaver guys will be along shortly that have caught more in a few days than I have In my life but that's been my experience not just with beaver but everything. Hit them hard in a high population area and the catch goes down some the next year as population gets to healthy levels all the wild life in the area benefit.

If there's a lot of similar good habitat, on nearby creeks, with existing beaver populations, 2 year old beaver should keep moving in as their parents run them off.

Keith

Minz, I like your style. What I do is set on fresh castor mound activity almost exclusively and after two checks move on to the next area. I catch a minimum of kits that way and can hit the same areas pretty much yearly with equal results. My kit to adult ratio is about 1-9.

Two out of an established colony is where Id stop if you're in an area that you can farm beaver.. a week is long time to run traps in those scenarios unless you have extended check laws

1.5 minimum and 2 maximum per live house and you are good.

2 and leave unless you're under contract

Depends on the drainage and habitat. Around here, many of our ponds run in a series with the colonies stacked back to back. I believe these colonies are related by blood judging by the lack of territorial mounds and beaver that aren't too beat up. You can take as many as you want out of one or two ponds, and the next season it's business as usual. Many of these areas have been logged in the last 20 years and are wall to wall in young poplar. More isolated established colonies (adults, 2 year olds, and pups) 2 to 3 is a good rule of thumb, but it's never a sure thing. Taking 3 young beaver may have little to no impact, while catching 1 breeding female can disrupt the entire Colony. Managing wild rodents is somewhat of a crapshoot.

Not a crapshoot at all,
beavers have been managed on rtls for decades by taking minimum 1.5 and max of 2 per live house as surveyed in late fall.
Many lines here have been in the same family for 60+ years and the same amount of beaver are harvested every year based on the live house survey.
The one line I have managed since 94 produces 55 beaver year in and year out.

In the temparate areas of their range,Underharvesting beaver in a managed area is as bad or worse than overharvesting.
The reason it is worse than overharvesting is beaver that get too dense in an area damage the habitat by using up all the feed making the area a dead zone that cannot support healthy beaver pops for a very long time.
Areas that are overharvested will still have feed sources so can support beaver sooner.
When trying to manage beaver in an area open to harvest by anyone,you will have to know who else is operating in the area you want to manage.

Regardless of circumstances,2 per live house like others here have incicated as well is a good rule of thumb.
If you have 5 live colonys you can safely take 10 beaver,it doesnt matter which house you take them from.You could take 6 from one house and 4 from another and leave the other 3 untrapped.They will fill in the cleaned out houses as they disperse in spring.

Boco, I understand where you're coming from, but stuff happens. Last week I set up an isolated mediocre pond through the ice with 5 sets that I considered a borderline waste of time due not being able find any clean runs. 2 days later, go back and have 5 beaver. I had no intention of doing that, and that pond will be dead for the foreseeable future. Hence the crapshoot.

Why will it be dead?Unless you or someone else trapped out all the beaver for a few miles around it it will fill back in.

We have 2 types of drainages here. Most beaver ponds are part of a running water source, but a few of our ponds are simply low areas that collect water from snowmelt or the occasional downpour. The pond I referenced earlier is one of these. Eventually beaver find these ponds, but when they leave or get trapped out, it may be several seasons before they are reoccupied.

This pond is completely dry as of this fall. I trapped it for 2 fall seasons when I started trapping. I took 4 & 5 the following fall. Me, combined with the odd other trapper that may not see my evidence may hit it, bear hunters in spring setting for beaver. I’m leaving it alone. The ponds on our line will be left alone for a couple years too. One thing I learned quick, if you’re going to make 5 sets, be ready for 5 beaver. If you only want 2, set for 2.

Some of you might recognize this photo. Wife took it on her first beaver trapping adventure. It’s on the main page of some FB trapping groups.

Nice pic Jake

For me I take 2 beaver every 3rd year from the ponds.More from the river colonies

They are just not as productive in the frozen wasteland.

What's a beaver colony? I'm blissfully unaware of them where I trap. It's wall to wall beavers the length of the river.

I guess you have to have rivers that freeze?