I've been trying to catch a nuisance beaver for a week. Not exactly sure why it's a nuisance, it hasn't plugged the 14" culvert pipe...but anyway.
Three 330s and two 750s set. First night a 330 was tripped at a castor mound. Third night a 750 was slid down the wire with not so much as a hair in it, (maybe hit his chest?) and the same 330 held a turtle that was heading into the water down the slide. First time catching a turtle at a castor mound. Four of the last seven nights, a 330 at a lodge entrance was tripped with nothing in it. Two days ago the triggers on that trap were pretty mangled. Do you think a turtle is using the lodge entrance? It just doesn't make sense. I guess a muskrat could be tripping it, but the twisted triggers says something else did it. So, six tripped traps, plus the turtle and no beaver. The other 330 and 750 have not been touched. And there's basically no running water at all, and the spot that it would run hasn't been touched (about 5 inches wide and 1/2" deep).
What the heck is going on? Ideas? Did I educate it?
Landowner saw the beaver after I set traps, so pretty sure it's still there.

Turtles are likely the 330 problems. They're crawling out at most eveey opening to lay eggs on the hill.

The 750 at the end of the drowner.......that was the bad boo-boo.

You may have to leave for a few weeks and return....but not sure that'll work.

I'd remove those 330s and replace with snares. Only set the mounds and crawlouts the beaver made......don't create any yourself. Leave the lures in the truck.

Good luck!

Thanks Swamp, snares aren't legal here unfortunately. I have a few more 750s I can put out. I did pull the 330 guarding the lodge today. I'm sure there's another entrance to the lodge, but the water is very dark stained and deep in the suspected spot. May just sit with the .223 an see if he shows up.

I had issues like you have with the foothold. are you setting them so the beaver steps between the jaws? I was setting so they stepped over, not good. Set so they stepped between the jaws and a bit off to one side of your set not centered.

I think it was like a 10-4 angle, not 12-6. But I think my mistake was centering the trap, and also not deep enough.

If is under water you are fine. Off center a bit and set so the are stepping over the lever not the jaw. Maybe put a couple of bump sticks on the leading side of the trap also.

The super-power of footholds is that when blind set and well concealed with little or no disturbance, beaver have absolutely no defense against them other than luck.

And the achilles heel of footholds is that you absolutely will have misses and toe holds - more than with snares or BGs in my experience. That is because a big beaver’s back foot puts down a 9” long pad total length. Think about that - the front of the rear foot can easily be on the pan, amd the back of the foot can be across the levers or the jaws and be pushed up even on a big 9” trap - center of the pan to the jaws is only 4-1/2” on a 9” spread. So bigger is better for back feet. And doing summer nuisance work, setting for front feet invites non-targets. So I want a big trap with a small pan, and I accept that there will be misses.

My experience suggests that Swamp is right - to catch it at that location you may have to wait a while, and in some cases it may never come to that location again, and it will probably be extra wary of anything unusual everywhere it goes. But it still has to go about the business of living and being a beaver, so my next move is to find where it IS active and set another foothold there in full stealth mode. And it may even get lucky again, but eventually its luck will run out. Probably. Rarely but not never, one will just leave for happier waters after a few pinches. But that also solves the problem at the location where you are being paid. In those instances hopefully you are being paid to solve the problem, not by the beaver…

Good posts....hot weather beaver can make a trapper question everything he does...lol They simply don't move like other times of the year...even in situations of a dam being pulled. Turtles, small muskrats, carp etc can set traps off without leaving any evidence. Check pan tension on your traps, adjust accordingly. I just finished a job where I didn't have access to the big dam (maybe DAMS?) upstream from the site where I was trapping. I caught a single beaver after checking traps for 8 days. We had two storms blow through and I was hoping that MAYBE the beaver would move with the rain...like in the Fall, Winter and Spring...nope. Pulled traps and told the supervisor to let me know when he finds out more about the land owner and getting permission. Frustration!

MChewk, I've noticed it tends to be more frustrating in the summer. Even worse when there's no water moving.
I try to keep telling myself, it's not me, it's the beaver.
It's amazing how many tricks are needed for beaver, when the basic sets don't produce (my fault or not).
Thanks for the replies, always learning.

This is experience talking ^^^^

Working a problem now. Crack the dam open and he might return for 3 -4 days. My water is to deep at the dam so I have a set just a couple of feet away with a couple of popel sticks and popel oil for lure. He comes within inches of the set when he plugs the dam but never works my set. The set has always worked in the spring but not now. I have dropped the water level down and now have moved the trap for back leg catch. We'll see. Patience.....

I wonder if one of those “beaver trays” might be the ticket.

^^^ sounds perfect situation for the tray. I wish my present situation was that.
I caught two last week with the tray at a different location, a front foot 47lb, and a back foot 27lb.

When Swamp Wolf brought the tray’s up in that thread it was like he reached through my IPad screen and slapped me alongside the head! What a great idea!

Seldom,
I wish I could take credit for the trays, but the original idea was not mine. I just tweaked it and shared what I came up with.

But, the trays sure make beaver foothold use easier and more productive.

Educated no more, .223 took him out.
For an animal that smartens up to traps, he wasn't too bright coming back after I missed him twice.

Starting a new one tomorrow.

Did he have a skint leg or a twisted toe?

If not, don't count your beaver b4 they're all caught.

Funny you mention that Swamp. That is the first thing I check....toes, feet and look to see IF it was a female. Getting hired to trap into some areas that haven't been trapped literally in decades you find ALL sorts of stuff....and some big ones too.
Good job Brian!

Don't know, he (it) is still floating. It was just before dark and I wasn't going to wade for it. Only one had been seen, I'm cautiously optimistic that it was the only one. I know there are 3 more that were sighted in a pond half a mile away, but way off the property.
I may swing by this evening if I go to my cousins farm to shoot a crop damage deer.