I have used Hancock traps a few times in the past, on loan from F&G when a customer, usually municipal, wanted beaver removed from an area where there was some public visibility. They worked fine and I was able to extricate the beaver without giving anyone too much heartburn over the removal.

I’ve been toying with the idea of using a Comstock or Z trap style but have no experience with them. I have access to some Washington ground nearby that have beaver but am restricted to cage traps. I appreciate any input and experience you can share on cage trapping beaver with box type cage traps for beaver.

I believe Comstock has a Youtube channel you can learn from. You can also to comstockcustomcage.com and click on the video section to gain information about using them for beavers. Hope this helps.

https://comstockcustomcage.com/videos/

Thank you sir.

Not sure what a Z trap Is but the city bought me 2 of those beaver cage traps. $400.00 dollars each. I set one and caught a coon. Never caught a beaver in a baited one on the bank. But I did call Jim and asked how he used them and for the most part he was setting them in shallow runs. Where I was trapping, I didn't have that option. So, a snare worked to perfection. You could set just about any location. And once the beaver wrapped up it was fairly easy to remove it alive from the location. Sometimes they didn't wrap up, and it was a real chore to get them In NAFA bag.
But I membered my days of live trapping coyotes and fox. I would use a dog crate and just shove It up close to the critter and for the most part they would run right into the cage. Close the door pull out the foot remove the trap and lock the door. It worked really good on beaver. Put dog crate on the jet sled and haul it to the truck.

No experience with Z but I like the Comstock's. I set them in runs or behind dams just like a body trap. Works great. You can brush them in and pile stuff on top of them and they work fine. Beaver go in them readily.

I like the Comstock beaver traps. There are downsides to them. Getting a big snapper out of them is a chore. As is a full cage of branches. And I don't like the stock wire trigger, they break to easily, but you can replace with rebar wire. Even though they are bulky, I prefer them over 330's.

Larry, can you go into MORE detail about setting traps BEHIND the dam? thanks