In Pursuit of a Problem Beaver

My neighbor down the road had a problem.  A beaver problem.  I’d seen this type of problem before.  A beaver had moved into his complex of farm ponds from a nearby stream and decided to make his winter home there.

It was late fall, and this big rodent wasn’t wasting any time getting ready for winter.  The first objective was to build a home, which was accomplished by burrowing a tunnel and hollowing out a home under an island in one of the small riverside ponds.  After home was built, it was then time to establish a food base by doing what beavers do best: cutting down trees.

The tree cutting, in addition to plugging up the pond drain, was the main reason the landowner had asked me to take a look at the situation.  Sure enough, the pretty aspen trees that surrounded the pond were, one by one, becoming victim to this toothy engineer.

Since trapping season hadn’t yet begun, I spent my first visit to the site wrapping the remaining trees with chicken wire.  While the landowner had lost a number of cottonwoods to the appetite of castor canadensis, we were able to save a number of the remaining trees.  Now, if he decided to try cutting down the remaining trees, Mr. Beaver would have to chew through 16 gauge wire.

On opening day, I started up the truck and headed down the road.  I was loaded down with all of the necessities of beaver trapping, including 330 conibears, drowning rigs, cable snares, steel stakes, conibear setters; basically every imaginable thing Average Joe  trapper might need, and a little more.

I’d scouted out all of the beaver’s travel routes during my initial visits, and knew where I wanted to set traps once the season began.  So that morning, it didn’t take long to get four 330 conibears set up in travelways among the farm ponds, and between the ponds and the river.  I set up quickly that morning and headed off to work.  I was confident that I’d find that beaver in one of my traps the next morning.

Four conibears, but five trails.  That’s what I found out when I illuminated the previous night’s sets during my first check.  That gosh darn beaver had avoided all of my sets!  He had moved, though.  A trail that had been seldom used before now appeared like a major travelway.  It appeared as though the beaver had noticed the conibears and decided to avoid them.

I decided to keep the sets as they were and wait another day.

Next morning, I checked traps that hadn’t moved.  It was obvious that this beaver knew what was going on, and had avoided my sets again.  No problem.  I needed to make some new sets.

Instead of conibears, it was time to try something new.  I pulled a couple of snares out of the truck and started to set them up.  Two 3/32″ cable snares were hung two inches off the ground over trails that the problem beaver had recently used.  The conibears stayed where they were, and I waited another day.

On the third morning, I arrived at the ponds with great anticipation, but a bit of doubt resulting from two unsuccessful days of pursuit.  I neared my traps, shone the spotlight around, and saw movement.  There he was!  The problem beaver was caught in one of the snare sets.

I quickly dispatched the beaver and visited the landowner to display my bounty.  He was happy to be rid of the animal that was cutting down all of his trees, and I had a new valuable pelt to skin, flesh, stretch, and sell in the fur market.  I had also learned a bit more about beaver trapping.  When you’re going after problem beavers and conibears aren’t quite working, try setting a few snares.  You may be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Good trapping!