Spring beaves

[Random guy]

Ok I'm so sick of hearing about dogs in the fur forum I want a new topic to talk about. Lets talk spring beaver.

Who's gonna be dodging icebergs and playing in the pond for some spring beaver and what is your favorite spring beaver set?

[picksbigwagon]

Johnny, I don't trap but I would love to see a "how to" post on trapping. Complete with pictures and descriptions, etc. How do you set a trap, why do you set in that spot, what is a drowning rig, etc.........

[Gordie]

That would be a great how to to have Jonny.

I have never trapped for paddletails they were never in our area so to speak where I grew up and never really wanted to bother with it.

I would really enjoy seeing how its done.

[Random guy]

We could start with what not to do to your ice auger. I was drilling in ice beaver sets and found mud/sticks instead of the beaver run. Amazing how hard it was to get the auger out.

[swamptiger]

Quote:

Who's gonna be dodging icebergs and playing in the pond for some spring beaver and what is your favorite spring beaver set?

Was thinking about making some sets through the ice, but water levels are so low around here, it looks like most of the houses in the spots that are easy to get to are vacant this year.

[swamptiger]

If you guys are interested in trapping, there's a wilderness trapper from the Northwest Territories in Canada who has some great videos on youtube. He posts under the handle "The Wild North".

[Ybone]

I was going to set a couple of beaver traps yesterday then realized that I needed a new license, expired on the 29th.

[Ray1]

Yep its almost time. Its time for beaver. I had to open up some castor the other day just to get a good wiff. Oh it smells so good.

[Random guy]

I just love spring beaver trapping. Getting back in the boat, dropping into the water in waders and my favorite is realizing the pile of hard work is now the pile of fur in the front of the boat. That and its kinda nice to pay some bills.

[swampman]

I am getting pumped. I have had just about enough of handling skunks in my coon sets, ready to get back in the water.

[Todd Caswell]

I agree time to get off and away from the dog theme, it's been beat more times than a dead horse. So from your favorite "dog" guy my fav. set was a slide or run, snare set. Lost to many 330's from thieves, snares were easier to hide and more fun to set. Most of my spring beve were trapped on small streams, ponds or lakes, on dry land. My largest was a 63 pounder (live weight) caught on a trout stream. Didn't have a knife with to skin and to say the least it was much more work than dragging a deer out.

[HunterLee]

Hoping to hammer them this year also, but we do have some very low water so it could be tough. I plan to put in more snares on drowners this year to cut down on theft as I am sure there will be some "other trappers"/ thieves out this spring. Had 4 conibears ripped off in the end of December set for otters so I wasn't to happy.

So for sets it castor sets for the most part. I do tend to run more footholds and feel I get more of the trap shy ones and bigger ones.

[swampman]

Thats terrible about the theft especially in a low population area like yours.

[FCspringer]

When ever I set for beaver it was always 330 run sets in the channels leading to feed or chews. Thats the only way I was taught and never had the gumption to trap the ice for them like above. Sound like harder work, but sounds productive if you keep that auger un stuck, LOL. Never went after them for the most part unless a quality one was close to something else I was trapping, or the land owners requested they wanted them gone. Gotta keep them farmers happy weather you want to be out there at that time or not, LOL.

[JBar]

330 in front of a castor mound for spring beaver.

[FCspringer]

I caught a couple in foot holds and that was just no fun. One such set was actually a #1 jump rat drown set. Needless to say when I pulled up the chain I was standing in waist deep water, with an angry beaver a foot away. That was exciting for a bit.

[Trapper J]

you got me by a pound todd.went out yesterday with snares to do some under-ice sets and then good sense took over:fish now, trap in a few weeks.