Beaver traps; Grrrr...

Gee John, that's a real bummer. Sorry to hear that. glad your dog is OK. I have never had anything to do with traps myself. I have nothing against them, personally. Glad your dog is OK. I suppose a thing like that would pi** me off too.

Dave
 
I had taken it as a miracle that his leg wasn't broken, but maybe the trap just "snaps" shut and holds the dog.
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As others noted, traps are not designed to break legs, but to hold. The snap shut hurts, I know, I've had a couple snap me before.
But even a #3 longspring beaver trap should not break a dogs leg.
 
Do trappers typically mark where traps are set? Some flagging near by? How do they find them all and is there any visual clue that you might be near them?

Dave
 
Not normally marked or flagged, if you did, traps would get stolen right & left.
The only visual clue would be beaver sign, such as dams, huts & cut trees. Normally, beaver foothold traps will be 6-12" under water near a beaver slide or a castor mound (pile of mud that they put castor on to mark territory). Conibears should be underwater in a run or narrow spot in a creek.

Coon or muskrat footholdtraps, which are much smaller & harder to spot, but don't pose a danger to dogs in most cases. They are normally right along the bank.
 
Ray,
I suspect it was a double long spring, maybe as big as a #4. A large piece of steel. I know guys whole love the double long springs because they are more stable and easier to get leveled. It was most likely on a drowning slider, very good he was close to help out before the pup struggled much and headed down the wire into the deep water.



Gene
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That's exactly what it was, seemed like a fairly big trap, and it was on a wire that was staked up on shore and ran down into deeper water with a bag of sand anchoring the underwater end. Our river level drops quite a bit through fall and winter, this trap may have originally been set closer to the water's edge, but it was about 3' away which helped, that and the fact Alex didn't struggle plus Tom and I were there in five- ten seconds, seemed like an eternity with Alex's screaming.

We hunted a different area this morning but stopped by to take a picture so you guys could identify the trap out of interest, but the trap, wire and sand bag were gone. We do have a lot of beaver along the whole river, I haven't ever seen a beaver dam of lodge but they must be somewhere.

John
 
I would say if it was 3' out of the water, that is what happened, water level dropped after he set it.
Probably took it out for just that reason. Fluctuating water levels make beaver trapping tough.
 
This brings back fond memories (not the dog incident), I paid for my first pick-up truck running a trap line in Ohio for muskrats, fox, coons & beavers.

I'd get up before school, run my line & skin everything I caught that morning @ nite.

Back in 79-80, we were getting $8.00 dollars a piece for rats!!!

Memories!!!
 
We do have a lot of beaver along the whole river, I haven't ever seen a beaver dam of lodge but they must be somewhere.

John
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Bank beavers. We had a lot around Fallon NV when I was a kid. One lady trapper that was a friend of my folks took one just over 65 pounds one winter in the mid 1980's.

Along the Carson river they did not make lodges, but dug tunnels like rats. The only sign was fallen cotton woods or other leafy trees. Over a decade of fishing along this river and we never saw one or saw a lodge. Just lots of fresh cuts on the trees in several spots.

It is probably dependant on the soil type. Along the Carson the soil is all lake bottom hard silts and clays with thin sand layers. It makes for fairly safe tunnel digging.
 
We do have a lot of beaver along the whole river, I haven't ever seen a beaver dam of lodge but they must be somewhere.

John
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Bank beavers. We had a lot around Fallon NV when I was a kid. One lady trapper that was a friend of my folks took one just over 65 pounds one winter in the mid 1980's.

Along the Carson river they did not make lodges, but dug tunnels like rats. The only sign was fallen cotton woods or other leafy trees. Over a decade of fishing along this river and we never saw one or saw a lodge. Just lots of fresh cuts on the trees in several spots.

It is probably dependant on the soil type. Along the Carson the soil is all lake bottom hard silts and clays with thin sand layers. It makes for fairly safe tunnel digging.
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That's exactly what we have along the Flathead. I have lost more than a few crippled ducks that managed to beat my dog to one of the holes that go way back in the undercut bank. Lost one just last weekend at a spot ten miles down river from this spot. There were also quite a few very large cottonwood trees downed by beaver in that area.

John
 
and traps, into a BIG BEAVER THREAD?

PLEAAAASSSSEEEEEeeeeeeeeee......

IF we can then I bet that we could even get Jason Russell to tell about his sons FIRST BEAVER...which he took right on his mothers kitchen table.....

Steve
 
John,

Glad to read that Alex wasn't hurt too bad. How's he feeling now that it's been a day or two? Hope he's well.

Have to admit, this has been a very interesting string of posts to read. Never trapped but have always been curious about it. It's a shame that Alex had to be the one to bring about the sharing of information on trapping, but many of us are better off because you posted Alex's unfortunate incident.

This site never ceases to amaze me, with the knowledge that is shared by so many on such diverse topics...

Craig
 
Hi to all in this thread,,,,

I used to trap in the later 70-middle 80's when fur prices were good and I was a tad younger and full of vinegar. I trapped anything that was legal in the southern Idaho and Northern Utah area. Dogs did occasionally get caught and at times were a **^^%^$%#$)((()&&^%%% to release as some of the dogs were feral and quite wild. In most cases no damage was done to the dog other then a bruise. In areas with scattered homes I always used 1 1/2 coil springs for fox at a dirt hole and all dogs were caught across the pad or slightly higher and would be laying waiting to be released. I always checked traps on a max of a 24 hour cycle in populated areas and this also keeps damage to a minimum.

As for beaver trapping I did snare a dog once on a beaver slide. The owner got the dog out right away and so the out come was good. A leg hold beaver set is normally a 3-4 coil or double long spring and set on a drowning slide. The leg hold trap is set in 3-7 inches of water depth depending on the set location (i.e. a scent mound, slide, run) and fastened to a drowning slide. You design the set to front foot catch a beaver as holding one by the hind foot is difficult. A drowning slide is made from small cable or wire with a sliding device that only moves one way on the wire. One cable/wire end is fastened in water deep enough to drown the beaver with the other end secured at the water line with a stake/pin. Beaver are powerful animals and to eliminate escape or damage the faster they drown the better the situation. I hope the wanna be bubba dudes get the hint if they read this thread and pay attention to where, when, and how they make a set.

Sorry about the dog that was caught and it is good you got him out ASAP.

Matt
 
I worry about traps, when I am hunting. Keeping your dog at heal is important. The connibears could be bad news or any of them for that matter. I watch on creeks for traplines. Trappers are important for waterfowl numbers so we have to stand united with them. They also need to be united with hunters. Did the trap have a name on it. Traps are supposed to be tagged. Did you call him , did you leave his trap? He would probally like to know so he could adjust his trapline. He doesnt get anything with a dog in the trap. I hope your dog is ok. I am glad for beavers and trappers are too. The creeks around here have big holes of water because of the beaver dams. I love hunting woodies in these creeks. John
 
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