# Best way to anchor a Beaver Trap?



## chickenhawk (Dec 5, 2012)

What is the best way to anchor a double Long spring trap.  The ground is way to soft to anchor when setting on the dam.  What do you folks do to remedy this.  I have also used Conibear traps and anchored them as well as I could but since they dispatch the critter I wasn't as concerned as I am about the DL foot hold.  Obviously I could set the traps elsewhere but I would like some ideas on what you do if you find yourself setting traps on the dam. 

Thanks


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## dakotajoe (Dec 5, 2012)

Use wooden stakes and drive them as far under the mud as possible.  My wooden stakes are 25" long.  The wood will hold in soft mud and sand where a re-bar stake will pull out easily.  The other way I anchor beaver traps is on a drowning rig.  I run #9 wire from the bank into deep water with two stakes.  I run my swivel through the wire so that the trap will slide easily into the water but binds up when trying to go back up the bank.


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## chickenhawk (Dec 5, 2012)

*Thanks*

Thanks but will a beaver not chew through the wooden stake it??


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## USMC0321 (Dec 5, 2012)

You want to drown a beaver, or he will chew his foot off, use a drowner!!!!!


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## chickenhawk (Dec 5, 2012)

I have heard they will chew off there foot but i thought it was just a tale. Have you really had that happen or have you always ysed a drown line?


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## Throwback (Dec 5, 2012)

http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/drowning_setup.html

http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/castor-mound.html


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## Chase Simmemon (Dec 6, 2012)

With footholds you need to use a drowning rig. There's a couple different ways to make drowning rigs, but I do it the way dakotajoe mentioned. Instead of using wire I use 3/32 cable. Run your wire or cable through the swivel and make sure you have enough length to get the beaver out to deep enough water to drown him. With the cable, I use about 10 ft and already have them pre-made so all I have to do is use a carabiner or chainlink to attach the foothold to the swivel. On both ends of the cable, I run the cable through a double ferrule than put a button stop so that the cable can slide open or tighten around whatever you want to attach it to. If I have to walk a good ways, I use nylon feed sacks (you can use burlap sacks, but they don't last as long) and fill them up with mud and tighten the bottom of the cable around the sack to close it up. If I don't have to walk very far, I like to use a big cinder block. Whatever you use, you need to make sure its heavy enough to hold the beaver down. When using the feed sacks, I like to make the around 30-40 pounds since they are a little more bouyant than the cinder block. Attach the other end of the cable to a stick just above the trap and throw the sack or cinder block out to deep water, then attach the trap to the swivel with the carrabiner. Here is a picture of what I use, minus the trap and carrabiner. Hope this helps .


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## chickenhawk (Dec 6, 2012)

*Thanks*

Thanks, the pick and the website helped.  I don't have any z or L brackets but i do have a swivel.  Thanks


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## USMC0321 (Dec 8, 2012)

You can also make your own drowners with two pieces of 16 gauge wire, cut pieces the same length put ends in a drill after fastening the other two ends to something solid and let it wind up.


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## USMC0321 (Dec 8, 2012)

chickenhawk said:


> I have heard they will chew off there foot but i thought it was just a tale. Have you really had that happen or have you always ysed a drown line?




Front foot yes, it has happened to me before, try using snares too.


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## animalguy (Dec 8, 2012)

I've read that like muskrats, beavers will wring front feet off. The theory is that the wrists are weak because they are not load bearing, and a couple of turns, and the wrist wrings off.  Might explain the success of stop-loss style traps for muskrats. Or maybe the wrist wringing leads to chewing . I've never experienced it.


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## chickenhawk (Dec 10, 2012)

Thanks for the info. Got a beaver this a.m. In a conibear. First one seems to be the easiest. What do you do if they are pushing around your conibear besides adding  a foot hold.  Its anchored well but they push past my sticks i placed to try and funnel him in.I guess my question is how to conibear set up to catch a beaver that foolin you.


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