Small pond, maybe 1/2 acre. Lodge in the pond. Fresh sign, tracks and plenty of peeled sticks. Very small dam at opposite end.

I punched two holes in the corners of the dam, put a couple footholds on drowning rods. Traps were packed over with mud yesterday, so I remade them. Checked today, they are just like I left them.
I also set a couple snares where the beavers, or beaver, had another small mud wall keeping water from draining out of a low spot in the field.

There are no runs anywhere around this pond, no real definitive spots where they are entering/exiting. No castor mounds.

I didn't want to start off with lure and castor mounds, nor any 280's/330's as I figured whatever was in there would be fairly spooky.

Should I try a couple castor mounds? Maybe set some snares in the pond on some of the trees with lure above?

Thoughts?

You setting for the front or back foot catch? If they are pushing junk to fix the dam the back foot might be a better option if you have the depth.

Pond beavers suck!!! Best success I have had is set a 7.5 for a back foot catch on a drowner with castor on a tree limb or make a small mound. Be very quiet and make sure there are no visible signs of a trap. Block it down with dead tree limbs being a subtle as you can.

ALWAYS have a pistol or rifle with you. They can pop up anywhere anytime. Shot two with a pistol and one with a rifle.

Pond beavers suck!!!

Trying for a front foot as the largest trap i have is a Bridger #2. The pond is well out of its normal banks, its several feet into the field. Its very shallow if you walk the perimeter.

I had a feeling this was going to be a tricky one! Their environment is so small, i feel like they are hyper-sensitive to anything out of the ordinary.

wade the perimeter and find a channel they made and set a submerged 330 under a dive stick.

I will start plopping footholds down anywhere that looks like something might of crawled out of the bank when I'm on pond beaver or muskrats for that matter.

I had a problem with one beaver doing the same. All I did was kick a smaller opening in the dam, maybe a couple inches wide so not a lot of water was flowing. Added bump sticks and had him the next day.

I waded the perimeter, no channels at all. Im sure there are by the lodge, but I don't want to get near it.

Ksp107 I wouldnt bother with the dam go up wind of the dam where you have at least 5ft of water (or deeper) step down with your heel or use a shovel to create a bed that goes into the bank for your trap make the bed just about 2x the size of the trap set the trap about 2in... back in the bed
from the pond and about 11/2in below water level then run your drowner find some smaller dead sticks to plug into the 2 in gap facing the pond so that they stick just above the water (there refered to as( jab-sticks) i take mud and rub the tips that are sticking
out of the water ..on the backside of your bed plug in a hand full of soft wood ..poplar or willow works well no thicker then your thumb and smear some castor this set is designed for a front leg catch and the jab sticks force the beaver to stop and lift his leg as
apposed to beaching him self and allowing his back legs to settle

Made a fake pull out with your foot....slick it up good.

Take some logs...brush...what ever is around ...and put it either side of the fake pullout

And guard it with a 330 in the water ...triggers on the bottom...and blend it in well.

Put some lure on a stick and shove that stink stick about 10 inches behind the trap..

Nose level...with the water.

Pond beaver are pretty much all I trap, they're not that bad. Make lured castor mounds and guard them with 330s or footholds. Set heavy

There is a flow out of the pond....or a dam stopping the drainage would not be there. This makes those beavs very catchable.

So, that dam is your control location. Those beavers will not let that water leave that pond so much that it exposes the entrances to their lodge. You may grab the beavs in another set but that dam is the key.

Stay away from the lodge in that small pond. Ive had them stay in the lodge 10 days b4 exiting once.....right i to a 330 at entrance. I don't do that anymore.

Did the beavs just push mud onto your footholds, but did not fire the traps? They should not be spooked yet. Your footholds were not deep enough. If dam is to mushy you need a tray for the traps and it needs to be in front of a breach in the dam and about a foot deep.

Here is a pic of the trap tray, but 5 beavers were already taken out in 2 nights and the water here has dropped about 8" to 10". Tray location is no longer optimum. Water here is very clear and pic makes traps look even shallower, but you should get the general idea.

Nothing against this set, but I can guarantee you that WILL NOT work on beavs down here.....it might in the Op's state. I wish it would here as that is an easily made set up.

Is this blended well? To me it is a 330 trap thrown in with no blending.

That set would cause more harm than good here. Better leave that in the truck. 330s have a function but not top pick for most jobs.

You should be able to find where the beaver is setting when feeding or resting in the water even if no pull outs. Set blind, if not spooked trap will hit fairly soon if you in right spot. S-hook or quick link a second trap to chain of the trap attached to drowning rod. 2 traps at an open set will hit higher percentage. If spooked, minimize noise and scent near set when checking (don’t get too close). You may have to wait him out but he will move eventually.

What makes this set so deadly ....is that white Dunkin Donuts coffee cup lid.

Listen to yukon John.

Beavers are in love right now. Castor mounds catch jealous males and will catch cheating females.

Another quick effective set...at the edge of the dam..

Stink stick ..10 inches behind the trap .

In and out in no time

If you're going to use lure at your set forget about castor and use sac oil. I found that a non-aggressive lure works better in these small ponds.

X2

The tray system Swamy is talking about is worth a shot. I’m definitely building some for my beaver “tool box”.
I’ve only watched about 10 minutes of Dave Lafforthuns DVD before I had to take off last night, but that video is already worth the $$.
Like Dave mentioned in the beginning, caster is a mood set. If it ain’t in the mood, it ain’t going there.

I may shoot a video with my phone today when I go to check them. This will give you all a better perspective of what I am dealing with. I don't have any sac oil, but I may go ahead and get some. I'm on the clock, as our season ends at the end of the month. I've refrained from any body grips or any lure so far, just because I wanted to try at first without them.

Swamp Wolf, one of the traps was fired, the other had mud packed over the top. I remade them after the first check, when I went back yesterday they were just like I left them. What I'm referring to is actually more of a "mud wall" than an actual dam. It is serving the same purpose, keeping the water from escaping where it is normally meant to. Since the water is well out of the normal banks, its just flooded field, maybe 5-6 inches deep all the way around. Those traps at the dam were shallow, as they were #2 Bridgers (largest foothold I own) I don't do much beaver trapping and my experience has been in larger creeks/floodings where I used 280's and 330's.

If I don't have anything today, I'm going to change tactics and use some of the suggestions posted on here.

Sounds like a nightmare. Best of luck. May want to post up and choot em.

Beaver food lure and some sac oil ordered.

This Is what I do when trapping these small ponds. First, I go in and scout the area I don't set any traps but after the scout I know what I'm going to do. Then I'll let it rest for a few days then go in and make my sets.

I did the scout, but i set the traps 24 hours later... I've got 8 days to make this happen. I had one beaver about 10 years ago that I could never catch, I gave up on him..

I did the scout, but i set the traps 24 hours later... I've got 8 days to make this happen. I had one beaver about 10 years ago that I could never catch, I gave up on him..

Is the season closing? If so and if those beaver are doing damage, you should be able get a permit to take them out.

For beaver you're asking for trouble if all you got is #2s for footholds. Don't mess around and hit em hard. Clean the pond out within 3-4 days.

Yes, season closes on the 28th. Im sure the landowner could call KDFWR and it wouldn't be a problem to keep after him after the season goes out. I hope I can get this resolved.

Agreed, I've never claimed to be a beaver trapper. I'm using what I have at the moment. 99% of my beaver trapping has been body grips and snares. A buddy of mine has some TS-85's, I'm going to snatch a few of them up

Beaver trapping is easy and fun, until you're getting paid to remove the last one or two that the owner and 3 other trappers have targeted. A lot of small time trappers in the area only know one set, so even the smart ones get pinched quick.......... usually.....lol

Im going to change tactics this afternoon after work....