any tips for setting leg holds for wolves on beaver houses...wolves are always checking out beaver houses old and new when they pass through in the snow....seems a hard place to set with my limited knowledge...any tips or tricks? thanks

I chop a bed as best I can in the top of the lodge and haul in waxed dirt to bed in. I use a drag and usually hook it on the lodge. I put a little dab of castor near the trap under a frozen in stick to keep them interested and their feet moving. Generally try to set right before a snowfall if I can. I use it for coyotes and fox, generally use a #3 so that the wolves will release themselves.

Snow is usually deep up here. Walk a path from one side up to the top and down the other side. Put in 3 big traps. One on top and one at the bottom on each side. All 3 traps on long chained drags. Stomp a bed into the snow, use wax paper, two sheets down one on top, kick snow over, drive away. NO lure for wolves. I try to keep coyotes out of the wolf traps. Top trap should be 20 inches off the vent hole that is kept open by the beavers breath. They will stick their nose in the vent hole. Use that for trap placement. Be prepared for cats and wolverine if you have them. Use a 3 foot dead stick jammed into or wrapped into the chain, then you can tell from a distance if you have a trap missing or not. Use bino's from across the beaver pond to see if your 3 sticks are missing or not. Stay away and let them be wolves.

Do this over and over. No lure. You will fool many wolves. You will catch other stuff anyways because of the den. Or add lure and play stupid reindeer games! You said wolves, not coyotes, beaver, mink and whatever else.

Then if you really want more wolves, use dozens of snares hundreds of yards away from the beaver den.

I've not set on beaver houses, but I've set on slashpiles using the same bedding method as Superwide. Wait until there is enough snow to set in the snow. I also often use the indicator stick in the chain trick. If you use lure I would recommend sticking with urine, scat, or at most glands. I'd stay away from food or curiosity lures to try and avoid nontargets and to keep the wolves less wary.

I have limited success at getting wolves to follow my trails personally. So I would probably not stomp out a trail like he recommends, but many in the north have success with it.