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Post by Brett H. on Nov 23, 2012 17:51:31 GMT -6
I am here for schooling.... I have never caught a beaver beside in a pocket with a duke 1.5 I bought a couple of these just becuase I wanted to play with them.....ordering more now.... Well now I actually want to use them...... I literally know nothing about trapping beaver..... Looking for advice on... Sets? Lure? (do I even need?) Bait? (do I even need?) Thanks in advance Brett
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 23, 2012 18:59:56 GMT -6
I'm not a big time beaver trapper either Brett but castor mound sets with a dab of a good castor based lure work great and are easy to construct. Here's an old post I made on it... First make a little fake slide down into the water maybe 18-24" long. Then I dig a bed for my trap, I like it so the trap when bedded is 12-15" out from shore and offset to the right 3-4" to the center of the pan. I use the mud from the trap bed to make the large soft ball sized mounds and add a good beaver castor based lure to the top of the mound. I use about 1/2 a teaspoon of lure. A small peeled green stick adds to the eye appeal of the set. I shave the stick onto mound them place it on the mound, white showing towards the water. completed castor mound set... result... 60# beaver, them MB750's don't let go easy. lol... ~ADC~
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 23, 2012 19:40:53 GMT -6
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Post by trapping24 on Nov 23, 2012 21:20:08 GMT -6
Will this set work in the fall like this time of year??
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 23, 2012 21:28:56 GMT -6
Yes.
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Post by iawalleye on Nov 24, 2012 6:00:56 GMT -6
I trap alot of Beavers in foot traps I love the MB 750's. I will sets the runs where they go to get willows or corn. Make sure you have pretty hard bottom and dig the bottom perfectly level for the trap to bed in and twist it in place so it does not wobble around very important. Most important to me is tighten the pan to 4lbs pressure 5 or 6 does not hurt. I like 4 to 10" of water where I bed my trap. If you don't find good runs Just notch a spot against the bank and put a q-tip full of beaver castor on the bank above the trap. It works great.
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Post by jjdavis on Nov 24, 2012 11:31:33 GMT -6
i have been having luck with the crawl out or cross overs find these set ur fingers on bank and look to see where ur elbow is and that is close to where back feet will land offset to either side 3 to 4 inches like adc said to do cavens timber works great think thats the name anyways . Also i added 6 ft of chain to the trap gets them out in the water they either tucker out and drown or get wrapped up on shore but with the mb750 it holds um
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Post by bradphillips on Nov 25, 2012 13:00:46 GMT -6
I like the caster mound in the spring, finger to elbow measure, off set as stated. And a ten foot drowning rod. I like the MB 650, never tried CDR's or anything else.
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 25, 2012 20:38:24 GMT -6
Thanks for all the info.... I set out four traps friday morning... checked this morning and had a male #45 lber I also had a hind foot toe nail..... Then I just couldnt wait till tomorrow morning to check them again so I just went out and checked them right now.... caught this bad boy... just shy of 60 lbs What is consider a normal size beaver? What is huge? 60 lbs to me was just huge!! Any theory as to why I had a toe nail? is my pan tension to much to light? (the large beaver I caught tonight was also caught by two back toes) I also had a trap set off right in the trap bed? any advice? When I was resetting this trap I heard the ice behind the dam crack a little and thought nothing of it.... mind you this was only 4-6 feet away.... just as I am bedding the trap a beaver slaps its tail, splashing me.....I took off like a little kid screaming! I think I am probably setting the traps to close to the bank.... I will try to move them out and offset them a little more. When I think about the elbow rule I dont think I am near far enough.
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 25, 2012 21:01:52 GMT -6
Pee just a little in your pants? lol We have 4lbs of pan tension on the 750's. 60lbs is a big beaver (pictured below with a 330 on it). Doug caught one bigger last spring but I can't recall for sure on the weight. Seems most of the adult beavers we get are 40-50lbs. Don't give up on the one who lost a toe... ~ADC~
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 25, 2012 21:20:54 GMT -6
Pee just a little in your pants? lol We have 4lbs of pan tension on the 750's. 60lbs is a big beaver (pictured below with a 330 on it). Doug caught one bigger last spring but I can't recall for sure on the weight. Seems most of the adult beavers we get are 40-50lbs. Don't give up on the one who lost a toe... ~ADC~ I didnt have time to pee... I literally took off running! How does one test the pan tension? (I just set these right out the box.) How many beaver can one expect for a location? I mean how many days should I run these traps before I am wasting too much time? This beaver trapping is like a drug... I am now addicted!! Thanks Brett
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bg10
Shy Talker
Posts: 12
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Post by bg10 on Nov 25, 2012 21:26:58 GMT -6
Brett:
First things first- I enjoy the videos and photos you post from your coon lines so keep up the good work on that front.
When using beaver footholds, majority of my sets have a lure involved. I never use a bait per se but will throw some peeled sticks around for eye appeal. Freshly peeled sticks by local beavers or my knife that show up nice and white really add eye appeal to a set location.
I use MB 750's regular laminated jaws. I prefer regular jaws rather than offset because beaver can do weird things in the transition from swimming in the water to walking on land. I have caught numerous beaver by a back tail or barely a front foot that would otherwise been a snapped trap in an offset.
You can bring beaver to YOUR set location when using lures (especially castor based lures) as a beaver will come a long way for a fight if it thinks another beaver is intruding. ADC shows a great looking castor mound setup with a drowning rod and as he said they are easy to construct. Not much blind setting for me with footholds, so you can be limited in some regards but if you use lures the correct way you should make up the difference in ease of set locations by bringing beaver to your traps.
What I mean by that is I use a lot of blind setting 330's in the middle of streams to take beaver and otter but in doing so I have to go at the terrain whereas just beaver trapping I can use castor mounds, fake slides, and occasionally bait sticks- different lures applied to each- and bring the beaver to me. Might not have to walk as far or hardly get in the water.
If fur trapping, castor mounds would be the ticket when you can take the majority and run. If nuisance trapping, you will have to mix it up a little bit as beaver will get castor shy. Blind setting can be your best friend in certain situations but like I said earlier that is a little tougher using only footholds.
I fiddled with long chaining beaver but drowning rods are the ticket. I will use drowning cables if I have much of a walk. No wire here.
Set types- dam breaks, crossovers, slides and castor mounds. Set your traps back a little further and offset just a little bit as back foot beaver catches are a little different than coons and canines. Mine are typically in 12-15 inches of water... you might be a little different as you deal with more ice.
A 60 lb. beaver is a big dude... but beaver are big furbearers in general hence one reason you are investing in serious hardware.
Backbreaker and Timber are outstanding castor based lures. My food based lures revolve around Woodchipper and Bounty Beaver.
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Post by trapping24 on Nov 25, 2012 21:37:16 GMT -6
Brett last spring i caught 3 beaver just in one spot where i know beaver pass though all where in these type sets they are talking about, also caught 2 more near where the beaver were working on some trees but in the spot i caught 2 beaver a guy trapped it a week before me and caught 5, so out of one small 300 yards on a river where beaver were at i know of 7 beaver taken out of there!
I'm learning about this beaver trapping thing still but i would say to trap an area for a week for sure and thats if you got traps to cover the area good, I got my first beaver of the year today in a snare set on a run going into the river, he was right at 50 lbs.
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 25, 2012 21:47:13 GMT -6
Brett: First things first- I enjoy the videos and photos you post from your coon lines so keep up the good work on that front. When using beaver footholds, majority of my sets have a lure involved. I never use a bait per se but will throw some peeled sticks around for eye appeal. Freshly peeled sticks by local beavers or my knife that show up nice and white really add eye appeal to a set location. I use MB 750's regular laminated jaws. I prefer regular jaws rather than offset because beaver can do weird things in the transition from swimming in the water to walking on land. I have caught numerous beaver by a back tail or barely a front foot that would otherwise been a snapped trap in an offset. You can bring beaver to YOUR set location when using lures (especially castor based lures) as a beaver will come a long way for a fight if it thinks another beaver is intruding. ADC shows a great looking castor mound setup with a drowning rod and as he said they are easy to construct. Not much blind setting for me with footholds, so you can be limited in some regards but if you use lures the correct way you should make up the difference in ease of set locations by bringing beaver to your traps. What I mean by that is I use a lot of blind setting 330's in the middle of streams to take beaver and otter but in doing so I have to go at the terrain whereas just beaver trapping I can use castor mounds, fake slides, and occasionally bait sticks- different lures applied to each- and bring the beaver to me. Might not have to walk as far or hardly get in the water. If fur trapping, castor mounds would be the ticket when you can take the majority and run. If nuisance trapping, you will have to mix it up a little bit as beaver will get castor shy. Blind setting can be your best friend in certain situations but like I said earlier that is a little tougher using only footholds. I fiddled with long chaining beaver but drowning rods are the ticket. I will use drowning cables if I have much of a walk. No wire here. Set types- dam breaks, crossovers, slides and castor mounds. Set your traps back a little further and offset just a little bit as back foot beaver catches are a little different than coons and canines. Mine are typically in 12-15 inches of water... you might be a little different as you deal with more ice. A 60 lb. beaver is a big dude... but beaver are big furbearers in general hence one reason you are investing in serious hardware. Backbreaker and Timber are outstanding castor based lures. My food based lures revolve around Woodchipper and Bounty Beaver. I appreciate the reply and all the information you have shared. Thanks for the positive comments! Coon trapping is much different than this beaver trapping! Quite a change of pace and such. Just like coon trapping I enjoy the footholds and bait/lure at my sets... I am not a conibear/snare/blind set kinda guy. Like you mention...I am not here to catch every last beaver so I think I will keep my sets pretty consistant. I like to bring the beaver to me! Castor mounds are what I am doing now but am willing to try other sets too.. I just need to learn about them first. I need to invest in some drowning rods obviously.... I am currently using Chain drowners but I only have 5 ft ones for coon/mink and then are not long enough to get the beaver deep enough to drown... both beavers I have caught so far were alive yet.... that or I need to make some chain drowners longer... but I like the sound of drowning rods! Do you or anyone else have pictures of "dam breaks" or "Crossovers" I guess I am having trouble with understanding these... I think I have the slides and castor mound sets down well enough for now. Or do you care to explain the "dam breaks" or "crossovers" in more detail? I am having trouble getting the trap under that much water... doesnt seem to be deep enough at these two particular locations. I will work on that and getting them farther out and offset. I have some backbreaker and timber arriving tomorrow. I will order the other two you recommend also. When do you use the food lures? same situations as the castor lures?? Do you use both at same time ever? Again thanks for the reply and great information... appreciate it very much! Thanks Brett
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bg10
Shy Talker
Posts: 12
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Post by bg10 on Nov 25, 2012 23:17:02 GMT -6
Brett:
Beaver trapping is a very different beast no doubt. At times I feel as if it is literally back breaking having to haul beaver out of a swamp but for whatever reason I love it man.
Starting out I would definately try and keep sets consistent. Castor mounds catch the most beaver anywhere no doubt regardless of what trap is in front. Depth of trap placement will depend on the situation but seldom am I any shallower than 8-10 inches. It could very well be different for you.. You want that beaver to be swimming and once his chest hits land he will drop those back feet and start walking. Picture it in your head how far out that beaver will be when he stops swimming to start walking and then set your trap offset a little to one side. Not much distance between beaver front feet but a considerable difference between back feet hence the offset. If you already catching beaver don't worry too much about placement yet.. sounds like your on the right track as is.
I would certainly invest in some drowner rods, all of mine are 6 ft or 8 ft. and I have a short chain on the trap. I paint my drowner locks a bright color (flourescent orange) so I can look down and see real quick if trap is there or not. I can't always see drowned beaver... You may not want to do this if theft is probable. Live beavers thrash around quite a bit.. drowners will keep a set location working much longer.
Gang set beaver as well. I will never just drop one trap in a location. Doubles are quite common and I even get triples on occasion and when they do it's almost always the first day traps are out.
A dam break is simply a small break you put into a beaver dam with a trap in the proximity so when a beaver comes to repair it he gets caught. Breaking dams is usually a last resort for me but when I do I will break it about 2 foot across and allow enough water to trickle out and beaver will come to repair it. Do not tear out the whole dam or tear it so deep waters totally drains out or your traps will be high and dry come morning. Set traps at each end or "corner" or the break on high water side with drowners attached. Beaver will get to stomping around fixing that dam and be yours next day...
A crossover is simply a place where a beaver crosses a dam or similar obstruction. They are usually very easy to see as they look like a trail right over a dam. Beaver use these to cross dams getting upstream and downstream. Otter will use them too...
Wish I had some photos of these sets but my camera took a dive in the water... sorry bro.
No need to go out and buy a ton of lures but I would recommend some food lures to have in your arsenal as well. I don't "mix" food and castor type lures but will use them closely together at times. I may set 2 castor mounds say 6 feet apart and take some Woodchipper and put on a tree real close by about 3-4 above water. I'm not a beaver but I do believe lures can help each other out at times. Especially in winter with some small peeled sticks at those castor mounds. Basically when you hit a drought mix it up. If they hit castor mounds keep at it but if you know beaver are there then appeal to aggression and the hunger if you aren't connecting.
A little castor can go a long way. I caught 20 beaver off my first 1 oz. bottle of Timber.. no joke.
Same as coon trapping... beaver numbers come with good traps in good locations with good lure. Down here smaller beaver leave tons of sign and the larger ones don't. Pretty sure those smaller guys have huge stomachs and eat everything in sight. I always assume at least 2 beaver in the area if there is sign (that will be the breeding pair) and figure possibly 2-3 juveniles and 2-3 kits. That is the typical beaver colony here. That equates to mom and dad and essentially two years worth of offspring at anytime. I have pulled 11 from one colony but that was abnormal. It usually is 6...
Larger beaver are caught farthest from the dens/ lodge. The closer you set to the denning area the smaller beaver you will catch as the small ones don't venture far from home base.
Hope this helps...
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bg10
Shy Talker
Posts: 12
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Post by bg10 on Nov 25, 2012 23:34:54 GMT -6
Oh and Brett.. don't get too hung up on depth of your traps really. You can tinker with it but if it catches beaver then keep at it. Those 750's on drowners will catch them by the front or back foot and dead as can be. Beaver front feet at very nimble and soft and twist offs can happen if they get to fighting that trap leaving you with a front foot. That's why drowners are the way to go I think...
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bobafett
Hyper-Active Trap Talker
Posts: 146
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Post by bobafett on Nov 26, 2012 10:51:31 GMT -6
Caven has an excellent tutorial on beaver trapping with the 750 on his website
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 26, 2012 18:06:10 GMT -6
Caven has an excellent tutorial on beaver trapping with the 750 on his website I cant seem to find it...
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 26, 2012 18:07:49 GMT -6
Brett: Beaver trapping is a very different beast no doubt. At times I feel as if it is literally back breaking having to haul beaver out of a swamp but for whatever reason I love it man. Starting out I would definately try and keep sets consistent. Castor mounds catch the most beaver anywhere no doubt regardless of what trap is in front. Depth of trap placement will depend on the situation but seldom am I any shallower than 8-10 inches. It could very well be different for you.. You want that beaver to be swimming and once his chest hits land he will drop those back feet and start walking. Picture it in your head how far out that beaver will be when he stops swimming to start walking and then set your trap offset a little to one side. Not much distance between beaver front feet but a considerable difference between back feet hence the offset. If you already catching beaver don't worry too much about placement yet.. sounds like your on the right track as is. I would certainly invest in some drowner rods, all of mine are 6 ft or 8 ft. and I have a short chain on the trap. I paint my drowner locks a bright color (flourescent orange) so I can look down and see real quick if trap is there or not. I can't always see drowned beaver... You may not want to do this if theft is probable. Live beavers thrash around quite a bit.. drowners will keep a set location working much longer. Gang set beaver as well. I will never just drop one trap in a location. Doubles are quite common and I even get triples on occasion and when they do it's almost always the first day traps are out. A dam break is simply a small break you put into a beaver dam with a trap in the proximity so when a beaver comes to repair it he gets caught. Breaking dams is usually a last resort for me but when I do I will break it about 2 foot across and allow enough water to trickle out and beaver will come to repair it. Do not tear out the whole dam or tear it so deep waters totally drains out or your traps will be high and dry come morning. Set traps at each end or "corner" or the break on high water side with drowners attached. Beaver will get to stomping around fixing that dam and be yours next day... A crossover is simply a place where a beaver crosses a dam or similar obstruction. They are usually very easy to see as they look like a trail right over a dam. Beaver use these to cross dams getting upstream and downstream. Otter will use them too... Wish I had some photos of these sets but my camera took a dive in the water... sorry bro. No need to go out and buy a ton of lures but I would recommend some food lures to have in your arsenal as well. I don't "mix" food and castor type lures but will use them closely together at times. I may set 2 castor mounds say 6 feet apart and take some Woodchipper and put on a tree real close by about 3-4 above water. I'm not a beaver but I do believe lures can help each other out at times. Especially in winter with some small peeled sticks at those castor mounds. Basically when you hit a drought mix it up. If they hit castor mounds keep at it but if you know beaver are there then appeal to aggression and the hunger if you aren't connecting. A little castor can go a long way. I caught 20 beaver off my first 1 oz. bottle of Timber.. no joke. Same as coon trapping... beaver numbers come with good traps in good locations with good lure. Down here smaller beaver leave tons of sign and the larger ones don't. Pretty sure those smaller guys have huge stomachs and eat everything in sight. I always assume at least 2 beaver in the area if there is sign (that will be the breeding pair) and figure possibly 2-3 juveniles and 2-3 kits. That is the typical beaver colony here. That equates to mom and dad and essentially two years worth of offspring at anytime. I have pulled 11 from one colony but that was abnormal. It usually is 6... Larger beaver are caught farthest from the dens/ lodge. The closer you set to the denning area the smaller beaver you will catch as the small ones don't venture far from home base. Hope this helps... I appreciate you sharing the info!
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 26, 2012 18:09:11 GMT -6
I caught two more this morning!
Going to go check them again here in a bit.... I am not going to know what to do when I actually have empty traps! I feel like I should go get a powerball being this lucky!
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Post by hvtrapper on Nov 27, 2012 5:53:19 GMT -6
Brett, Congratulations on your success so far. You're a good trapper so not surprised. I haven't seen anyone mention using a bump/poke stick to get the beaver to drop their feet when they transition from swimming to walking. I rarely set a beaver foothold w/o one. Just shove a peeled stick into stream bottom in the beaver's path so the tip is where you believe it will hit the beaver in the chest as it approaches your set. As to the finger to elbow measurement, that depends how steep the bank is. The measurement is correct to target a back foot, but remember that you are trying to visualize where the back foot will be. Sometimes that will be an almost vertical instead of horizontal measurement in deeper water.
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bg10
Shy Talker
Posts: 12
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Post by bg10 on Nov 27, 2012 8:45:38 GMT -6
Brett:
I'm glad your having some success. I keep my mouth shut and listen to most threads but figure when beaver trapping I can more than chime in. Get some catch photos rolling....
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Post by furstalker on Nov 27, 2012 9:19:29 GMT -6
Why do more guys not use long springs for beaver? Don't they bed more solid and the added weight prevents twist outs? Is it mainly b/c they take up more space and a pain to lug around?
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Post by bradphillips on Nov 27, 2012 18:39:59 GMT -6
Why do more guys not use long springs for beaver? Don't they bed more solid and the added weight prevents twist outs? Is it mainly b/c they take up more space and a pain to lug around? For me the mb 750 is easier to set, and can be bedded in a smaller area.
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 28, 2012 16:40:53 GMT -6
Well I have learned that my coon/mink drowning setup does not work well for beaver. Would someone be will to share some pictures of their drowning setups? I am most interested in the drowning rod setup.... I have never seen it so dont know much about it. I also got in some more traps today.... couple are Long Springs... call me a sally or whatever you want but I cant get them set ....any advice? Thanks Brett
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Post by notimeforit on Nov 28, 2012 17:09:47 GMT -6
I put the long springs traps on my knee then push both springs down with my hands and upper body weight. However when there is a 50 lb beaver attached this can be cumbersome! I have never used a rod but have thought about trying them. I still use just a wire slide with a concrete block in deep water or a nylon sand bag filled with rocks and a wire ran through and wrapped on a stick.
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 28, 2012 17:13:09 GMT -6
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 28, 2012 19:19:14 GMT -6
Here is the variety I got in today.... I cant get the DLS's set over me knee or standing on them.... I think I am going to have to sell them.... I had to use some clamps to compress them! I want to know how some guys are setting these! Jayme, What size rerod do I need? length? I believe in your picture I see a stop on the bottom end of the rod? How far up should that be welding on? Home made drowning locks? purchased? Bought a variety of lures also....
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Post by ~ADC~ on Nov 28, 2012 19:27:37 GMT -6
Mine are 8' of 1/2" rebar. I can make two and two 24" stakes for the top from one 20' stick of rebar. I've made my own locks. My favorites are ones I got from Furgood on here. They are 1" square tube about 2" long with a 45* angle on the end. I put a big washer on the top for the rod to go through and another 8" or so in from the bottom end. Did you have to stand on that CDR to set it? I bet you can use the DLS once you figure the technique to setting them. ~ADC~
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Post by Brett H. on Nov 28, 2012 19:43:48 GMT -6
Mine are 8' of 1/2" rebar. I can make two and two 24" stakes for the top from one 20' stick of rebar. I've made my own locks. My favorites are ones I got from Furgood on here. They are 1" square tube about 2" long with a 45* angle on the end. I put a big washer on the top for the rod to go through and another 8" or so in from the bottom end. Did you have to stand on that CDR to set it? I bet you can use the DLS once you figure the technique to setting them. ~ADC~ Thanks again for the info. haha... I have to stand on all of them to set them except the TS-85's which are two coiled! I am searching hard for the technique on the DLS.... very frustrating!
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