Beaver Sets

Typically, drowning trapping systems are used to trap beaver.

• In late fall and early spring, beavers are trapped in open water.
• In the heart of winter, traps are set through the ice. Because fur quality improves as winter progresses, the pelts that bring top dollar are caught through the ice or just after it melts.
• Set all traps to ensure the beaver will die quickly. The beaver is powerful and intelligent and may escape if not killed within a few minutes.

When seeking beaver, make sure you have the proper equipment to set underwater traps and handle this large furbearer. You will need:

• Heavy coil-spring or longspring foothold traps
• Large bodygripping traps
• A long-handled ax for cutting bait and chopping holes in the ice
• A trowel for digging or building up trap beds
• Long-sleeved rubber gloves
• A trap hook

When using bodygripping traps in beaver sets, many trappers take the following steps.

• Twist the wire triggers together, and center the trigger. This reduces the risk that beaver carrying vegetation will spring the trap prematurely.
• Set the trap so that the trigger is on the bottom. This reduces fur damage.
• Use traps with bent corners. This also reduces fur damage.
• Use a stabilizer to keep the trap in the desired position. Otherwise, use sticks or poles to support traps in channels, in front of dens, or in other desired locations.

Beaver Slide Set

One set that works well on beaver is similar to the slide set used for muskrats. The set can be used at a slide or at any spot where beaver can be lured to a bank. It can be used even when the water surface is frozen if an opening is broken near the shore.

Follow these steps to make the set.

• Use a foothold trap attached to a sliding wire drowning system. If the water is too deep to stake the deep water end of the trap, attach the deep water end to a weight such as a cement block or a feed sack filled with rocks.
• Set the trap in shallow water, 8" to 12" away from the bank. Use a trowel to dig away or build up the bottom to the proper elevation.
• Attach the sliding wire on the shallower water end of the drowning system to the bank with an anchoring system. Toss the weight attached to the other end into deep water.
• Put a few pieces of food, such as freshly cut aspen branches, on the bank. Other suitable bait cuttings include poplar, willows, or whatever the beavers are cutting locally.
• Add lure to the branches.

Castor Mound Set

The castor mound set is a variation of the slide set. This variation is effective along streams where beavers are using bank dens.

• Beavers make mounds of mud and mark them with their scent glands. If you cannot find a scent mound, make one. Mound mud near the water’s edge. Add a few drops of lure to the mound.
• Approximately 3" to 4" into the water, set a foothold trap attached to a sliding wire drowning system.

Open Water Set

This set is made like a scent mound set. However, use fresh poplar cuttings or other food as bait, instead of using lure.