Colorado Fur Trapping

Hey All!

New guy here on the forum from Colorado. I'm 25 and last winter was my first trapping season. I'm trying to get into trapping for fun and the build the skill. As I'm sure you know, all gripper and kill traps are illegal on public land in CO and so I'm basically handcuffed to box traps (until I can get permission on some local ranches). Due to where I'm at I'm primarily targeting beavers and muskrat.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for box trap sets in and around beaver ponds? My approach this last winter was to tear a trench in an active beaver dam, wire my box trap in the hole (opening facing the pond) and hang a few carrots in the back of the trap. I didn't catch a single beaver or muskrat this last year most of my sets were either ignored or filled in with sticks and mud overnight.

To make it more complex, the area I'm trapping is near a heavily trafficked road and I am only able to put out my sets after work (4-5pm) and check them before work (7am).

I appreciate any insight or tips from anyone familiar with box trap sets for beaver and muskrat. Glad to be on the forum!

Muskrat are easily caught in colony traps set in the runs, or trails, they make through the vegetation in the water. Set the trap in the run, making sure that h the entire trap is submerged in order to drown the muskrats. No bait needed. Search the words colony trap on the forum and you’ll find all kinds of info

Beaver are a different story. There are people who do catch them in special made cage traps, but from what I hear it’s difficult to do and the traps are expensive. I’ve never even attempted it so I don’t know much about it at all.

I've had a few recommendations for the colony traps but I'm not sure if they are legal in Colorado since it drowns the animal. The wording in the regs isn't very clear, I might call the local office and clarify.

I know some guys in Washington catch quite a few beaver in the "suitcase traps", Koro is a popular brand. Super expensive and bulky though. I was talking to a guy who started trying to trap there last year and he was using regular cage traps with no luck on beaver. Did catch a mink and a marten though in small cage traps. Might throw one or two out baited for mink where you are trying to trap beaver and muskrat, virtually anywhere those two are a mink will at least pass through occasionally.

Colony traps are not legal for recreational trapping in Colorado. For your beaver set up, How big of a cage are you using? Carrots are not beaver bait. Cages are very effective for beaver but there is a learning curve.

The cages I'm using for beavers are 10"x12" and 30" long. If not carrots are there other baits that are more applicable? Or is it better to stick to caster scent baits?

Welcome. Lots of great guys in your State fur harvesting association that can help you out. Good luck

Here is the Legal definition of a "Live Trap" or "Box Trap" in Colorado

“Live Trap (Cage or Box)” means a mechanical device designed in such a manner that the
animal enters the trap through an opening that prevents the animal from exiting.

This is consistent with the Silly law made in like 97 that states, "It shall be unlawful to take wildlife with any leghold trap, any instant kill body-gripping design trap, or by poison or snare in the state of Colorado."

As long as the animal enters and is prevented from escape there is no regulation or law that dictates the manner of place, nor the condition of the animal when inspecting. "Live Trap" is a loose definition on purpose. Us trappers prefer it that way

I use box traps with pretty consistent results I am not putting up the numbers of those trappers back east where the regs are more reasonable but I take enough to fill my freezer every year

I can post pictures of my DIY muskrat and beaver traps but I did steal the design from this site sooooo It might be more prudent to search for them.

I also trap snapping turtles on the Front Range in Colorado and oddly they are classified as a fish so you don't even need a small games license to harvest them you can take with small games license and or a fishing license. the traps are pretty simple and I make mine collapsible for easy storage. There is also a naturalist website where citizens record sightings of animals called inaturalist. It is a handy tool to see if you're in the right habitat for your target species (it is not always helpful but it is a helpful resource. I also contact the local city managers to get permission to trap on the city owned public land (it varies in each city)

You shouldn't need to bait traps too much, but if you do poplar or aspen sticks are their prefered food. Set in runs, at choke points, den entrances, feed piles, and that should take care of the need. I have made and used castor lure (and bought it too) but I have had better luck with thoughtful prap placement. Look for peeled sticks at the entrance of the den and that will tell you if it is frequently used as a den or feed site.

All animals captured in a live are meant to be alive when the trap is checked. Without an exemption permit colony traps and swim through(fully submerged) beaver traps are not legal for use in Colorado.

Really? Because DOW seems to think otherwise. I would love to see the law or regulation that states that as DOW has told me on several occasions that the swim through traps and the box style muskrat traps are legal for use as they do not fit the definition of instant kill, snare, or body grip. They HAVE said that it is not wise to place them in places where lots of people can see them as we do not wish to draw the ire of activists. I hope you are wrong, but I am not all knowing! I have not seen anything in state statutes or the DOW regulations which would make me think you are correct, Please link the reg or point me to it because I have been using both for years and DOW absolutely knows what I am using and how. I HATE breaking rules and extensively research and ask in order to be compliant with current regulations.

Here is the line from the secretary of state

"Furbearers
1. Any rifle or handgun.
2. Any shotgun.
3. Handheld bows and crossbows.
4. Live traps, limited to cage, box, or Snead-design colony traps

That seems pretty clear to me but again, I am not a lawyer.

here is the link https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/GenerateRulePdf.do?ruleVersionId=854

A Snead design colony trap is a colony trap placed on a float, the original design has a hole in the float with a drowning cage beneath it. under Colorado law you cant have the hole or drowning cage.

Where are you finding the rule that states no colony traps or underwater sets? It is not in the 1996 trapping ban law (Amendment 14), it is not in the sec of state regs, it is not in DOW regs, It is not in anywhere that I can find. Nor in asking DOW officers. The only mention is that you MUST kill or release animals. But this is not a regulation about set placement, it is only a regulation about not transporting live animals for relocation. I would really like to hear more about how you came by this knowledge. Thank you for your insights!

Here are the regulations from CPW, am I missing something? as far as I can tell it mentions nothing about where traps are placed (except distance from a road) and there are restrictions on trapping in lynx areas/ regulations about bait and lures.

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/RulesRegs/Regulations/Ch03.pdf

With the understanding that this thread is 2.5 years old, I guess I was under the impression (as someone who has never lived in or trapped in CO) that all footholds and BG traps were banned in Colorado. Is that only on public? You CO guys can use those on private land?

So, only cages are allowed on public and non-ag ground.

Agricultural exemptions may be made, but first the land must be zoned agricultural, then,

Damage must be taking place, no preventative trapping is allowed.
Landowners must employ 2 means of deterrent first ( shooting, lights, noise, barriers, etc)
after that a warden may issue a 30-day exemption, good for 30 continuous calendar days per year.
With that permit we are allowed to use traps, snares, body grips as long as they meet the states criteria.

Interesting. I've never heard it explained in detail, thanks. I just thought that all footholds and BGs were banned completely and only cage traps were allowed in CO. Which....does sound like the general standard, I didn't know about the exemptions.

Bear in mind this, these laws were written to prevent people from using the fur. They were not written to prevent destroying the animal, the law states when you catch it in a cage trap, you let it go or kill it on the spot. This promotes mainly summer damage control trapping when the fur is of no use.