Blind set footholds on a drowning rig, with the drowned beaver not right in a run, if at all possible. Is the least likely to spook other beaver in my experience. Castor mound sets can be deadly and you can rack up the numbers with them fast, but they wouldn't be my first choice if I am trying to clean out all the beaver. Walking over bank dens, too close to lodges, pounding stakes, moving stuff to build trap sets, etc., basically any disturbance can spook, spooky beaver. Most beaver are easy to catch, but you get a spooky, trap wise one and they can be as hard or harder than any animal out there. Years ago, when I would run into trapwise beaver they were practically always foothold shy and a bodygrip was the way to catch them. Nowadays most trapwise beaver I run into are square shy and it is the opposite, a foothold is the ticket.

I've seen them a time or two where they were so spooky that if you came in there and made any disturbance you would swear they packed up and left, they'd hole up and not move for a week or two. The way I caught beaver there was to pull everything I had set, and look for a channel or two where I could set deep bodygrips, where they were diving under something. And where I could get to without walking close to any bank dens (you may not be able to see every den, but you can figure that they have to have ground high enough for them to have a living chamber above the water level, within a reasonable distance of the water, in order for there to be a den). Then in two or three weeks I would slip back in there and quietly place a bodygrip in those spots without driving any stakes or making any disturbance. I never cleaned the beaver out of those sites, even though one of them was on a guys place where he wanted them all gone, because the entire colony was wise (the guy gave me a shed full of traps the former owner left there, within fifty yards of the colony, when he moved. Giving me a pretty good explanation of why these beaver were so spooky). By the time I'd caught a couple beaver I'd used up the good blind set opportunities for hidden bodygrips. I got another one or two in footholds that were covered with leaves and blended underwater as carefully as I would a canine set. But getting them all was going to be more difficult than I was capable of, or willing to expend the time on as a favor for a friend of the family.

I've seen exit points on the river where beavers are climbing a 2 foot vertical bank as frequently or more frequently as gentler slopes nearby. I actually find castor mounds set near fairly steep banks more often as well. The first beaver I took in 330s were on a bank as well.

And here I thought swan nests at muskrat lodges was sketchy. Alligator nests? Yikes.

Good stuff there BC2!

FishingHoleFind,
You'd struggle to catch a single beaver here with that bodygrip slide/mound set in your pic.

Not one of these beavers here will fall for that. I'm envious of those dumb Alaska beavers....lol

Swamp the only thing you got down there that I'd want is the flat land. Maybe the sand if canine trapping.

Honestly I didn't think it would work here and yet I nailed two the first day I put out my sets. A real high to start my trapping career. I don't think I've taken a easier beaver than those first two.

I think it's a combination of low pressure making them less spookable and big game making enough noise that they get somewhat used to it. I actually run into beaver a fair amount while kayaking in the fall. They don't even slap their tails untill you're within like 15 feet and they'll surface and go back to their work within minutes.

I'd love to do a season with an ADC trapper I bet the experience would be a rewarding challenge but also an amazing learning opportunity.

About a 90% sand to 10% clay down here....does make land trapping much easier.

Those exposed 330 sets are illegal here. Must be totally submerged. With our NWCO license, we can't use drowning sets either. Which leaves us the submerged 330, or cages. Snares are illegal too. Our state likes to tie one hand behind our backs.
During the general trapping season, we can use the drowning sets. I can still use foot traps out of season, so the long cable method is interesting to me.

I also work in RI, 330s and cages are the same as CT, but foot traps and snares are both illegal. It would be nice to have the other options.

Serious restrictions you've got to overcome. My ADC charge would reflect those restrictions.

That’s it in a nutshell. I always steer clear of bank holes and lodges.

I charge hourly, including travel time, unlimited catches. As long as I don't educate them, which can be hard not to do sometimes. And will I even know if I did? I try not to run up a bill, but sometimes the beaver doesn't cooperate. The hardest part for me is trying to determine the number of animals present. 90% of my beaver work is for the state, so I get a little more leeway than if it's for residential or HOA properties. Either way, I try to be efficient and get it done, and move on to the next job.

Are you allowed to shoot them? I would think becoming a night owl with a thermal might be more effective than working within those restrictions. Here we get more options with a NWCO permit, not more restrictions. For instance with a NWCO permit we can use 280s on dry land, while regular season fur trappers can not use anything larger than 220 on dry land. Those are some serious handicaps you are forced into!

Yes, shooting is an option if distance restrictions are met. Usually a last resort for me, but I've shot a few.
Not exactly a trap friendly state (very blue), slightly above the cage only states like MA and WA.

I've got rough, impenetrable swamps to deal with and you have idiotic equipment restrictions to deal with. Not sure which is worse.

No gators or venomous snakes in my waterways. That's a plus.

No closed beaver season.

No trap restrictions.

But, we sure could benefit from a 48 hr check on drowning or lethal sets.

We currently have a 24 hr check on all traps.

In that DVD, dang near every beaver was super square shy. Out here I’ve got em swimming right in on vid with my phone. It hesitates a bit by set….then whack! I’ve shared it a few times.
Here’s a shout out to Dobbins Woodchipper from a few falls ago. Had em within 5 minutes of cracking that jar open…..lol.

Alabama is 72 hours. But they don't have our ten foot rule and anything coni larger than 5" must be in water.

72 hours in our heat isn't pretty but dead is dead when it comes to NWCO work.

Georgia's bodygrip reg of anything larger than 9" must be in water or within 10' of water is easy to work with.