A dock owner reached out to me about a problem with otters on their dock as well (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) beavers the otters i know how to handle but what about the beavers I was thinking about a float but ill take any suggestions

Is there ice? You mentioned a float, so I’m guessing it’s open water. Why not a castor mound set on the bank?

Is there a lodge with feed pile?

Is the den or lodge under the dock and can you see runs where they are coming out?

All rock shoreline like football sized rock or bigger so cant really bed a trap feed bed in the floats 30ft of water and again all rock so runs are out of the question trapping is fun in the Ozarks

This is a crude drawing of a set a high numbers otter trapper showed me. He was trapping mostly boat houses and private docks where otter were a problem. I used it on a couple of occasions for both beaver and otter. It’s an L shaped shelf the trap rests upon. For beaver just a dab of castor or a food/curiosity lure on the top edge. The beaver or otter gets close and sets a foot down. When it pulls away the weight comes off the nail and because the chain won’t reach the bottom they are suspended under water. I did use more weight than the 5-10 pounds shown in the drawing. 15-20 pounds for beaver.

Sweet little set up for docks Marty.

The trapper who showed me that set was taking scores of otter every year from mostly boat houses and private docks. I don’t know if he ever used it for beaver but I tried it a few times and it worked. In my case the dock was a private dock on the Columbia River. The rip rap along that stretch was gigantic boulders and no place close to the docks to get in any sets. Beaver were clipping the few willow shoots that cropped up just above the rip rap and were making feed piles under the docks. I took five beaver out with that set and used a rake and a pitch fork to clean out the feed piles. That was a big job.

I also used it a few times at fish hatcheries in conjunction with other sets to take a few otter. It’s another tool in the arsenal.

this looks like a great set and is almost dog proof as well maybe not 100% dog proof a lot better than a 330 or a leghold on a drowner at shore

I always warned the yacht club manager to make sure people knew to keep their dogs under control while I was doing the control work. Never had an issue with dogs getting into any of these sets.

Nice setup, I bet it would work under the dock too and would be even more dog proof.

How long is the vertical board 3-4ft?

No just 12”. You can make them a little longer if needed. You want the trap around 8” under water.

marty weatherup
Good share.
thanks

Mac

Thanks Marty!

2 years ago I had beavers putting castor mounds on a log in the middle of the river. I made essentially this same set up. I put a hole in the bottom of the platform so the trap would lay flat and not rock. However I did not use a weight. I used a drowning rod. Screwed the platform to the log and ran the HAGS rod down the side. I tied the rod to the log w/ paracord. It worked perfectly. I got 2 off of that log.

Not a bad idea but the docks here are floating both of them are in 50 ft of water

Your situation is a little different. Have you thought about suspending a drowning wire about 6-8' underwater w/ a bag of sand or rocks hanging from it? I've never done it but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Wire will always be tight and the lock should slide right down.

Ive had some tinker time. Pretty simple with a #3 jump

i think you would want the dog toward the vertical piece of wood

I was curious about the setup. I really just wanted to see how the jump worked stuck in the slot. Im also leery as these jumps have no pan tension but that might not matter

Thats what im doing now #4 on a 8ft drowning cable