Dang! Tame beavers!

Interesting post, and that muskrat lodge like thing is an alligator nest? WOW......jk

We also have a 24 hr check, and need to get a permit for every out of season beaver job. I have a stack of them in my clipboard. Permit is for two weeks, can get extensions as needed.
Can also set traps within the normal 10' restrictions of lodge.

Yes....sow gator lays her eggs there....covers them....protects them...covers them some more...daring any coon to bother the nest.

Those of us in free states don't realize how good we actually have it.

Sure Swamp, rub it in.

Agreed, no complaints on our bodygrip rules. My beef was with Alabama was 220s for coons. Doing NWCO work a 220 is a useful tool for coons in attics. I don't think too many free running dogs are going to be on a roof. Always thought there should've been some sort of work around like other states have done. Heck, we can do 220s on dry ground and it's not an issue.

Some of these state to state comparisons just leave you scratching your head.

swamp, we have an advantage over you southern guys, when the ice first forms and there is no snow one can see their trails, both bubbles and there runs, over the years I've learn that the beaver even during winter check their pond nightly, the same route every time, so it stands to reason that they did this in the summer, and over the years, I have found that they have a travel route just 4-8 feet from the dam, when I check out a new pond I will look and feel with a pole for this route, if I can find a place that they are going under a tree, great!!, if not I will set up a log and leave for a few days maybe a week, and then come back and set it, I found over the years that the adults, more often do this route nightly, sometime I find a few place where it's like this on a pond, just what I have that works most of the time,

This is a good thread Swamp. Reading thru i have learned a few things.I did not realize a beaver was that fickle about certain things.I do agree that most game or predators or more wary in the Deep South than other places I have hunted.

Didn't consider the ice up there. There would be a learning curve for me to trap in ice and snow.

I wonder why these deep South critters are so wary?

I only have north Missouri to compare them to, but its very noticeable difference.

Maybe because we'll eat anything down here, lol.

I love hitting the water at night with a flashlight. You can see straight to the bottom in ten or more feet of water, see all sorts of interesting stuff. Don't always find a useful trapping spot, but it's pretty interesting anyways.

Not always a wise move down here if you don't know our swamps. Check some of Swamps pics, he's down south with blackwater swamps. That's not hyperbole the water is black.

Critters move at night down here, including the ones that bite. You gotta know the terrain and if you smell something like cucumbers DON'T MOVE.

Swamp also has all six of our snakes that'll send you to the ER in his area as well as gators.

Great post.Very interesting to see beaver trapped in diffrent areas.Here in Maine trapping under the ice I have had alot of beaver poop on the backs of beaver caught in conibears set in channels.Trapping in open water you get a toenail in a foothold and that beaver is not coming back to that set and is much harder to catch.

Great thread Swampy.
When I first read the topic and who started it, I thought “why is this guy asking? He should be telling us!”….lol.
Like wolves, it’s crazy how they all behave differently in different areas. Time of year is also crucial. Reminds me of Hemo Korths wolf demo in Escanaba a few years ago. He kept stressing “ Keep in mind, these are my wolves, way up there. Yours are probably different.”. Rings true for lots of species.
There’s certain trappers (and they’re everywhere) where it’s their way or the highway. These trappers will never reach their full potential being stuck in their ways. These guys are the reason my phone rings to deal with beaver, and recently wolf.
Sometimes new trappers are great for picking up new tricks too, they’re usually thinking way outside the box. It just sucks when they ask a “stupid” question and get ridiculed for it, doesn’t happen often but it does.

I like to hear other trapper's ideas and experiences.

Sometimes you just lucky. Today's luck pictured below.

Was 58°F here this morning....nice temps for May.

Originally Posted by Swamp Wolf
I'd like to be able to consistently catch beaver in exposed 330s like some of yall do (as in your pic). That set is totally useless here.

Even beaver here that have never been trapped are reluctant to stick their heads in such sets.

Might be a deep South thing as even our whitetail deer are much wilder than those I've hunted in the midwest....so could be a regional thing.




It's not just a deep south thing. But here we have either the USDA ,or everyone else, setting non brushed in #330s. With that, I've watched muskrats suspend under water face to face with drowned rats in traps. I'm confident beaver to the same thing, studying what's attached to the necks of their kin, no matter how far, or deep, you get them out away from the set site.

Often times I have to foothold beaver with the same care we trap coyotes as I personally don't see much difference between a smart coyote and a smart ol female beaver, at times.