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Post by 4fur on Apr 4, 2011 20:49:31 GMT -6
I'm back to trapping a familiar spot. It's a secluded spot in the middle of a section about a quarter mile from where the spring fed creek intersects a main beaver travel way. So it's an ideal spot for beaver and I get called on it about every other year. Last spring I caught the female and a couple yearlings the first night. But that was it. I dropped the water down to almost creek bed level and there was NO sign anywhere so I pulled. Figured I'd flushed the male and took him in a set down stream. While spraying across the fence in July I noticed the dams had small plugs in them so I kicked holes in them which weren't repaired when I went back a week or two later. After harvest, I went in and caught a very big beaver, but again, that was it. Friday morning had a big, pregnant female but no action Saturday morning before going to Gene's.  So in comes the excavator.  He dropped the water down to creek bed level but there was only one single track I could find after walking up the 200 yard ditch. I walked it again this morning and the beaver had been out in just two spots. I found a hole behind a previously submerged tree and set a 1216 there and a snare up and down stream about 10 yards.   No smoking, no Rolling Stones, no door slamming, no lure. Unless this beaver has wings, he has to be in that hole. So will I have him tomorrow morning? I doubt it. So the waiting game begins... |
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Post by LLLTrapper on Apr 5, 2011 5:31:45 GMT -6
Sometimes they seem to have wings. You'll get him. Sure hope it's not to far of a drive for you or he may cost you some money to check on him. LLL  |
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Post by 4fur on Apr 5, 2011 6:22:33 GMT -6
This spot is less than 4 miles counting the drive through the field. Thats probably the root of the problem, too convenient. So I didn't have the sense of urgency that comes with a long drive job. Here are a couple old pictures of this spot   It sure looks a lot different now! |
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Post by x-demoman on Apr 5, 2011 6:26:33 GMT -6
Have one last female to catch. Being a real pain. Like riverrat says they hole up and just seem to disappear or use their wings to fly around the pond, LLL. She must go cause is plugging the drainage out of the city of Stuart. My bag of tricks is about played out. Have one more last ditch effort Wed if she is not waiting on that check. Then it is drain and  Gene |
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Post by Austin K on Apr 5, 2011 9:02:44 GMT -6
good luck wayne ;D
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Post by 4fur on Apr 5, 2011 12:53:44 GMT -6
When I have problems, it's almost always the female or, occasionally in the summer/early fall, it will be a little young one that isn't big enough to trip a foothold and swims through bodygrips and walks through snares without getting caught. So this hard to get male is unusual on my line. I'm pretty sure I haven't had a trap tripped without a beaver here, either. Until this morning...  One snare was pushed out of the way but don't know if that was the beaver, wind or NT. I'm not very good at snaring under water but that will probably be tomorrow's set of the day. I replaced the bodygrip with a #9 today...  I doubt the foothold will work but it might create a diversion when I slip a snare in there. If I catch the beaver by the front foot things will go from bad to worse I'm afraid. My day certainly went from bad to worse. Had a lot of wind blown debris throw snares and plug bodygrips. And then there was my last stop...  I knew it would be close but thought it would work. Trap caught a rivet on the steel girder when it tripped allowing the beaver to escape. Bet it was a wild ride, though.  The dam in the tube was plugged, though. Also at this location I had a 14 at the end of a drowner with what appeared to be beaver belly fur in it. Pretty pathetic check. One beaver...  ...which paid for a tank of gas and wages of about $1.50 per hour.  Tomorrow will be better because I KNOW it can't be any worse! LOL |
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Post by ~ADC~ on Apr 5, 2011 14:02:04 GMT -6
Jeez Wayne, you really suck.  ~ADC~ |
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Post by iowatrapper on Apr 5, 2011 14:17:09 GMT -6
The only way is up from here. |
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Post by BigT on Apr 5, 2011 14:34:44 GMT -6
Wayne, you caught 1, it can get worse!!!!!!!!!!! ZERO!!!!!!!!!  |
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Post by dspree on Apr 5, 2011 20:46:34 GMT -6
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Post by hvtrapper on Apr 6, 2011 5:42:30 GMT -6
Nuisance beaver + Murphy = |
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Post by 4fur on Apr 6, 2011 21:11:41 GMT -6
I don't even want to talk about today. The was no joy in Mudville. Unless the Ghost Beaver died of old age, he is still alive. A contractor friend, who gets me a lot of work, talked me into pulling some dams for him because he didn't have time to haul his excavator over there. I had trapped the colony out last week and lowered the water considerably so I figured "easy money" and agreed. If I had time it still would have been a stupid idea! Here is a colony I called in the back hoe on but had left 4 sets there just in case. He pulled the dam without getting any of my traps. You may be able to see a couple drowning rods in this picture...  This set took two beaver but was high and dry today...  This 330 produced a kind of unusual catch...   Dont know if I've ever caught one in each jaw. |
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Post by dennisj on Apr 7, 2011 4:34:04 GMT -6
I never had a rat in each 330 jaw, but trying to get that last bever late spring awhile back, I had a rat in one jaw& a mink in the other jaw of a 330. I sure wish I had a camera for that one. I guess I messed up that minks supper plans for sure!
Dennis
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Post by Austin K on Apr 7, 2011 6:20:37 GMT -6
thats pretty cool!!
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Post by 4fur on Apr 7, 2011 7:43:51 GMT -6
I guess the nice thing about the Belises catching rat is I KNOW what tripped the trap. Had this one set on an escape route the Ghost might take about 1/2 mile from his hole...  Hate catching NT's but at least I know it wasn't a beaver. My snare was knocked down this morning in the hole I still believe the Ghost is holed up in. I have a mid-morning Dr.'s appointment which is really screwing up my schedule, so I had time to carefully walk the drained beaver pond and didn't see any new sign. I wonder if a rat didn't close my snare. And I also wonder if a rat didn't trip the 1216 rather than the beaver.  The two rats yesterday must have been caught when the back hoe guy pulled the dam. They were caught during the day which isn't super unusual but the second rat was caught side ways. I think they were probably pulled out of the hole by the suction of the dam being flushed. |
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Post by arcman on Apr 7, 2011 8:10:02 GMT -6
Wayne,
Is that a modified Belisle?
Did you use a #660 kit?
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Post by 4fur on Apr 7, 2011 15:18:53 GMT -6
Yes it's a Belisle using a Kaspar kit. I have a carton ready to be converted but haven't got it done. The kits work best if using a brand new trap. Kaspar 660s are great traps but the modified Belisles take the cake. The jaws want to pop out of the spring eyes and the safeties scare me on Kaspar's. Not so with the Belisles. Here is a 48" stabilizer I was telling you about in action today, Dean. It is difficult for me to remember which way the trap was set because they are wired off at the top, so I can't tell which way a beaver was traveling. Unless they don't even budge the stabilizer...   The remake...  Catch of the day was where I had the Hancock catch on the girder 2 days ago. Also had the #14 at the end of the drowner empty...   Evidently, I hock caught the bitch...  It really takes a lot of trap to hang on to a big beaver for 13 minutes while they do everything possible to reach the surface for air! Also takes a lot of luck to trap the catch and released...or a Hancock! ;D |
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Post by Austin K on Apr 7, 2011 16:32:37 GMT -6
took ya long enough ;D |
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Post by trapping24 on Apr 7, 2011 18:28:54 GMT -6
 When does the season close on beaver??
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Post by cunman on Apr 7, 2011 19:12:08 GMT -6
april 1 these are damage control beaver
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Post by trapping24 on Apr 7, 2011 19:25:31 GMT -6
alright thats what i thought i just knew they were trying to move it to april 15th but didn't know if it ever happen! Thanks tho!
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Post by arcman on Apr 7, 2011 22:15:14 GMT -6
Wayne, You ever modified a Victor 330? I've got a few extra ones. Just wondering if they would be worth modifying. I also need to change some of my H-stands. Need them taller like the one in your pic. Are those 48" ? Would make it easier to set and check. There were a couple of times I had a hard time finding my trap. Water was muddy, couldn't see the trap. Had to follow the chain up to the trap. Standing out in the water feeling around in the mud trying to find a 330 conibear isn't exactly the smartest thing to do. It was at that point I remembered what you said about using taller H-stands. So, that beaver got out of the #14 and then went into the Hancock trap? |
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Post by dspree on Apr 8, 2011 2:44:40 GMT -6
You have restored my confidence in you Wayne. You are still the beaver master. |
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Post by 4fur on Apr 9, 2011 7:57:24 GMT -6
Nuisance beaver + Murphy = Murphy surely was a beaver exterminator! Arcman, Victors would work to convert to 660s but I would go the extra mile and start with a brand new trap, preferably Belisles. Did you trap any beaver W. of Mondamin near the river at a development called Ivory Lane? I got a 911 call yesterday from a big farmer with wet feet. I told him over the phone it might be a thousand dollar job and he OKed it. I was less than 5 miles from there when he called so I checked it out. It doesn't look like there is much sign there. The farmer had pulled the dam in the big tube but the small one is what is holding back most of the water and flooding things...  I found concrete at about every place I tried to drive a stake and only got in two sets. I'm going back this morning to see what it looks like. The Ghost buried my #9 without tripping it, just packed it with mud! I put in a rat colony trap there this morning. I think I'm going to have to snare him and I don't want any rats living in there with him throwing my snare. Project beaver birth control continues on the rest of the line, though. Caught a couple big bitches...    |
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Post by arcman on Apr 9, 2011 8:52:55 GMT -6
"Did you trap any beaver W. of Mondamin near the river at a development called Ivory Lane?"
No. I only went as far south as Blencoe.
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Post by Scott W. on Apr 10, 2011 7:30:55 GMT -6
Will the 660 kits work on MTP's 1216? That would cover some ground!
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Post by 4fur on Apr 10, 2011 22:00:35 GMT -6
The 1216 has a strike bar which wouldn't work with the 660 kit, I don't think Scott.
Today was day 8 of the Ghost not coming out to play. I'm convinced the beaver is still in the den. No action in the colony trap I set yesterday which eliminates rats knocking down the snare. Moved the 9 and set another snare today. I even took my girls with me for good luck but no biscuits! I'd be surprised if the beaver comes out tonight after all the crying, yelling and screaming. At least the girls were quite. LOL
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Post by arcman on Apr 10, 2011 22:41:44 GMT -6
I'd be surprised if the beaver comes out tonight after all the crying, yelling and screaming. At least the girls were quite. LOL That's funny. |
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So in comes the excavator.
When does the season close on beaver??