Trouble trapping beaver in small lake.

I set the dam made a hole for water to run out. They wouldn't fix it. I pulled the traps they fixed tit. I have caught 2 in runs with snares. I did catch one in a #4 dls. But it didnt do down drowner got out. I got some 5/8 5 ft rebar going to make a castor pole set. I put castor out with a leg hold no luck. I am running out of ideas. Can ya help? Someone trapped them before I got there trap shy I think.

I like to start plopping footholds or snares on every trail I can find.

Find the lodge and go nuclear when all else fails or come back later. Pond/lake beaver can be a pain.

I set every trail. The beaver was coming out putting mud on house. In 2 different places. I put a snare in each. Made a fake castor mound set. Havent been back. Going back to look for more trails. When it stop freezing rain here.

An old Charles Dobbins trick for looking for skittish beaver...go out as early in the morning as you can and look for wet spots on the banks, logs, rocks where they've pulled out before the sun can evaporate them.

Good advice^^^^
Make the dam hole bigger and make two of them. Snare between the holes. Sometimes you can catch them going from one hole to next.
Try just a mound of mud, no castor
Sometimes just sac oil works

Yes to very subtle with sac oil. Put the castor and rebar away. Stay away from the lodge. Go find different beaver and come back later.

Accidentally lean too hard on your walking stick while you are on top of the den. They do not like sunlight coming into the living room and will bring mud to patch it ASAP without fail.
I prefer snares for this . Volley ball size, 1 inch off of the ground.

Make sure there is some castor on the stick going into the lodge........Beavers will be in and out looking for the intruder.

A old timer once told me the fastest way to catch a beaver is put snares in front of the entrances then take a spud bar and shove it down into the den and wiggle it around to spook them out I've never tried it but have considered it a time or two he said you better really be hanging onto the snare because they hit them hard and put up quite the fight.

Holding onto the snare? there's a rodeo I could do without.

I built some h stands for 330s to set in the runs. But have had time to do it. I thought a fake castor mound set with a snare guarding it would work. I fixing to order 3 #5 beaver traps. I got the rebar to make drowning rods. Give them a try.

Have you had any sprung 330s? They can get shy just like coyote. Have you tried any lures and if so, what kind? Did anyone trap there before you?

as others have said set all the trails you can find. I stay away from the lodge until i'm sure there is only one left thats when the sac oil comes out.
Dam break usually gets em but sometimes it takes a few days

No sprung traps for me. But the owner did. I think that's why there trap shy. Yes on lure backbreaker, build a dam ,timber.

trap shy no. 330 shy yes,castor shy yes. try to leave very little disturbance when you make sets I'd stick with footholds and snares.

Check on regulations. If you can find some pull outs away from lodge, take a hoe and get rid of all the debris and make a muddy run up to the bank. Now continue to pull mud up a foot or so up on the bank. Set a 330 out in the water in front of the mound about 25% under water. Like I said, check regs. Now with cattails, pond weeds, etc., do a good job of boxing up and blending in that 330. Trap must be stabilized and tied off securely with t-bar. Beaver will not only smell fresh mud, he will be drawn to the opening in 330. Use wide subtle guides (2). Use Dobbins woodchipper (food) on chewed/plain sticks and stick in mud. Make sure he can see all the way through that boxed in conibear. Get ready.

any sign of fresh cutting? You could blind set their trails or make a caster mound near there.

I had problems with smart beavers in the past. Where they go up the bank to get some cuttings ,set a foothold in the water where they go up.where they go to on the bank make like a V the wide part is face the water and the close part on shore and not to close together on the shore. Just set the foothold in the wide part . but fix it that they still see it open on the bank but narrow down .use no lure or anything. I got them that way. I had one this season that was on a river and must of seen the mate caught in a snare and it would take them down and kept it up . What I did is took a blood up coyote foothold trap that is 4x4 and set it that is about 12" away from where it gose up the bank .and stake it with a (2) 4' of 1/2" rebar and put it in the deep part away from shore that way it will not be able to get on shore to dry off. and took to sticks like I stated in a V like and got it the next day after the set day for it .Just a idea .

Ok today I snared 3 beavers at the small lake. One on house beavers putting mud on top. Then 2 more in the otter crossover. That crossover I have taken 3 otters and 2 beavers. I have picture of them. One big was big!! The kill poles dont kill them. But I love the set up.

If the rebar didn’t have cross pieces then they weren’t what I consider snare KPs, they were just poles.


Did they have cross pieces? If so, please tell us more.

Hi I have have 5/16 smooth rod cut for each. But haven't had time weld them on. Would a different type snare lock help? Like a mini cam lock? I am using slim and mini pro lock now. I watched one Clint L video his killpoles dont have the cross on them.

are you sure it wasn't an otter?

I'd make my own slides and feed beds in several places around the small lake
DO NOT use lure, set them all blind with snares and 330s and footholds
make sure to blend in the 330's and snares, just break up the outline

you'd be wise to ask the guy what sets he used and what lures?

explaining that it will help you be successful, to NOT try the same as he did.

In my experience, for a snared beaver to be dispatched consistently, it has to stay under, consistently, and that means having a crosspiece for the slack cable to catch on. In a pinch, you could wire a stick or bar in place of welding or drive a stick at an angle into the substrate.

I want to know I can depend on entanglement. Having a 8” minimum crosspiece is ideal. Having 2 in the shape of an X would be as close to perfect as I’d ever expect to get, but it isn’t necessary.

The guy I am trapping for is the new owner. The old owner sold the place. He left a few 330s by the pond. The new owner give me the 330s. They r little rusty. But needs new triggers. So I dont know what sets he used. I caught 2 big beavers yesterday 1 small one. The snares r starting to work. The small beaver was deaded. I get time I am welding a piece of smooth rod on as t. I going to try a x on a few. I like the idea. I can only use a 1 piece lock on land. But in water can use a 2 piece as long as I keep in water. The biggest beaver . My loop wasn't almost big enough. How far down from top should I weld the smooth rod when I do?

I suppose it depends on height of the pole. I'd probably put the cross piece a little over half way up the pole, maybe 60%.

I personally would avoid the X design & just go w/ a straight cross piece. The top of each side of the x would create a fall hazard (unsafe) in my opinion. If you do the X, maybe weld 2 small washers to mitigate the danger of impailment if someone fell on it.

I weld it about the #9 wire and loop I made on rebar?