Friday I set up a beaver job for an old couple, I had been waiting for a permit for about 3 weeks. It came Thurs. Got seven sets in. First night caught the pregnant female in both mb750's in a tray at a small dam upstream. Great start, I like getting her first.
I showed up the following day and the first words through my mind were "WHERE'S THE WATER!". The water level was down at least two feet. Most of my traps were high and dry. The tray was still under water. I took a walk downstream to the big dam, which was on the neighbor's property to see how big of a hole was removed. The neighbor was sitting in a small backhoe on tracks.
I talked with him a bit, admitted that a few minutes earlier I was cussing him out something awful. lol.
Apparently his yard was getting flooded with the water going over the end of dam, so he rented the machine the day before and emptied the river.
His house sat way up on a hill, so didn't bother him about the trapping, even though I should have asked to set the dam. He didn't know I was attempting to fix his problem, I didn't know he was about to make my life worse.
330's have to be totally submerged here, and having a hard time finding a spot deep enough, yet narrow enough too. Had three 330's tripped with nothing in them, and one of the 750's tripped and just out of the tray since.
Adjusted some traps today, incl. Comstocks and a Hancock. I expect success tomorrow.
All of this while working today, I had a couple questions pop into my mind.
I've heard some trappers claim that coyotes are right footed or left footed. Do you think that beaver are as well. For example, when they swim a branch to the dam, do they hold it on their right or left? I tend to set my trigger to the side, to avoid otters and to give the beaver room to get their head deep into the trap. If they tend to carry on one side or the other, it may alter trigger placement. (none of the tripped coni's had a stick in them, btw).
My other thoughts were just about how a trap, foot or BG, is tripped but not moved or other indications of what tripped it. I'm 99% sure it's beaver on the foot traps, but coni's tripped and undisturbed puzzle me.
