2023/2024 Trapping Thread

NoWiser

NoWiser

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I think it’s time for the annual trapping thread!

I got a call from a farmer a couple weeks ago that needed help with some beavers. I finally found time to set some traps last week on Friday and on Saturday my son and my nephew came along to help me do the first check.

IMG_5420.jpeg

Sunday I did another check with my two kiddos. No photos because the only thing that found it’s way into a trap were the 4 fingers of my right hand into a 330.

Today I did another check. My dam breaks from Sunday went un-repaired and no beavers trapped. My bet is that I got them all that first night. The farmer was happy and I left with a box of burger and steaks. I did pick up a nice bonus otter as I was pulling traps. Overall a pleasant way to start the trapping season.

IMG_5454.jpeg

My neighbor has a couple beaver that need trapping so I may get those in the next few weeks as I find time. He also just restocked a pond with fish that the otters cleaned out last year, so the kids and I will try our best to protect it. In December I’ll head up north with the family for, what has become, our annual marten trip.

Let’s see those trapping photos and hear some stories!
 
NoWiser said:
I think it’s time for the annual trapping thread!

I got a call from a farmer a couple weeks ago that needed help with some beavers. I finally found time to set some traps last week on Friday and on Saturday my son and my nephew came along to help me do the first check.

View attachment 301918

Sunday I did another check with my two kiddos. No photos because the only thing that found it’s way into a trap were the 4 fingers of my right hand into a 330.

Today I did another check. My dam breaks from Sunday went un-repaired and no beavers trapped. My bet is that I got them all that first night. The farmer was happy and I left with a box of burger and steaks. I did pick up a nice bonus otter as I was pulling traps. Overall a pleasant way to start the trapping season.

View attachment 301919

My neighbor has a couple beaver that need trapping so I may get those in the next few weeks as I find time. He also just restocked a pond with fish that the otters cleaned out last year, so the kids and I will try our best to protect it. In December I’ll head up north with the family for, what has become, our annual marten trip.

Let’s see those trapping photos and hear some stories!
Click to expand...
Those are two lucky boys. Having a mentor to outdoor adventure is awesome! Or perhaps you are the lucky one. Well done!
 
Nick87 said:
Love that pic with the kids. That Blaze orange hat with the embroidered deer sent me back in time for a minute.
Click to expand...
Would love to have mine again. Seemed every kid in elementary school had a blaze orange hat with a deer on it. Of course they were usually three sizes to big and we all took them from our respective old man's coat pocket on the way out the door.

Wish I lived where I could run a trap line.
 
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Hunter4Life78 said:
Would love to have mine again. Seemed every kid in elementary school had a blaze orange hat with a deer on it. Of course they were usually three sizes to big and we all took them from our respective old man's cost pocket on the way out the door.

Wish I lived where I could run a trap line.
Click to expand...
I remember those days too.
 
I set traps at my neighbors place today. The main goal is to keep the otters from cleaning out his pond, but he also doesn’t like the beavers chewing down his oaks. I set an old beaver lodge on his pond where I know the otters will visit but, while doing so, I noticed some new beavers moved in since about a month ago.

He also has a nice creek that runs near the pond with some busy beavers damming it up. I set all the bank dens I could find as well as some bottom edge sets for mink and otter. What looked like the world record mink popped up out of the water about 10’ away from me. I’d love to catch him.

After setting the creek I decided to take one more look at the beaver sets in the pond and I literally watched 2 nice beavers swim into the 2 traps I set. They don’t last long in a 330.



I’m looking forward to taking the kids to check tomorrow. Im confident we’ll have some beavers. At some point, probably this week when things freeze good, there’s going to be a slug of otters in the traps. Stay tuned. IMG_5460.jpeg
 
Day one check was interesting. Had 5 of 6 traps with activity. One kitty and an opossum were safely released. The other two had steps all around the pan just not directly on the pan. They even dug the 1/3 mole out out of one, hole was a good 3-4”. Guessing it was a fox by the prints. Last trap had a deer in it for a brief min at some point.

Cancelled the opossum set and set a new trap a little ways away. Reset the kitty trap with some more urine.

See what tomorrow brings. Kids excitement was high and they had a good time.
 
Any advice for trapping beaver with leg hold traps? We have some that have to go and no Conibears.

We start setting a few over Thanksgiving, our line will be up on the ranch we work for about an hour away. Mainly coyotes and bobcats but beavers this year too.
 
wytex said:
Any advice for trapping beaver with leg hold traps? We have some that have to go and no Conibears.

We start setting a few over Thanksgiving, our line will be up on the ranch we work for about an hour away. Mainly coyotes and bobcats but beavers this year too.
Click to expand...
Find where they slide in and out of the water and place the trap there, in the water and about 8-12 inches away from the land. The depth matters a little bit but the idea is that they are swimming and will use their front paws finally just before leaving water and you want the trap back in the water so you catch their back foot.
 
wytex said:
Any advice for trapping beaver with leg hold traps? We have some that have to go and no Conibears.

We start setting a few over Thanksgiving, our line will be up on the ranch we work for about an hour away. Mainly coyotes and bobcats but beavers this year too.
Click to expand...
The neighbor uses a drowning set. He sets leg traps at caster mounds or shallow channels. That is hooked to a cable with a one way slide. The cable is attached to a chunk of iron thrown out into the pond.
 
Addicting said:
The neighbor uses a drowning set. He sets leg traps at caster mounds or shallow channels. That is hooked to a cable with a one way slide. The cable is attached to a chunk of iron thrown out into the pond.
Click to expand...
If you set them with your trap chain/anchor as far out into deeper water and placed like I mentioned above, they do end up drowning. What you mentioned works just as well too
 
Day 4 running our line and we extended it. I’m seeing that I chose spots that were too close to deer runs. Or we simply have too many deer. 2/6 yesterday and 3/6 had been set off by them today.

So I added some to hopefully less deer traffic areas.
 
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