Beaver ladder

[multibeard]

This is the beaver ladder I mentioned in the "T Set" thread that Mike started.

This was from before the advent of the steel 330 supports of today. It also was back when you had to set 10 foot from a dam and 50 foot from a lodge or den

It also can be made to work in any depth water. Being that this was shallow and hard bottom I had to cut some off the side rails on the bottom. Usually they were longer to stabilize the ladder in the bottom. This set took 4 beaver.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/3043/medium/2007_M-S_pictures_002.jpg

To make it so you do not have to chop the ladder out of the ice each check, take a piece of lamp or bell wire down the ladder. Bare and lightly twist the ends together around the jaws of the trap so that they will pull apart when it springs. Just take a circuit tester with a battery and connect to the above ice ends f the wire. If the circuit is broken you have at the least a sprung trap.

[Mister ED]

Thanks for the pic, Multibeard. A little wider than I was thinking ... but pretty much the pic I had in my mind from your earlier description.

Just got back in from making some sets. Man that is a long haul on snowshoes and pulling a sled. I put in 2- castor mounds & foot holds, 2- 330s on the down side of what could be a couple crossovers, and 2- 330's in a narrow bottom channel that runs beside the dam (about 15' from it). Boy those mud pies sure do stick out with snow around the back side of them, hopefully they will not go un-noticed.

[multibeard]

Ed After looking closer at the picture I guess the ladder could have been a little narrower but it didn't seem to make a difference to the 4 beaver that I caught in it.:)

Those castor sets really stir up the beaver in the spring. They are good at any time but especially in the spring with all the kick outs traveling looking for a home of there own. A strange scent in a colony riles up the residents and sends them to investigate the intruder.

Talking about castor sets reminds me of a beaver trapping demo at a SMTA. The beaver trapping guru said to never use castor sets except in the spring. There was silence for a moment before the seasoned beaver trappers burst out laughing.

[Mister ED]

Those castor sets really stir up the beaver in the spring. They are good at any time but especially in the spring with all the kick outs traveling looking for a home of there own. A strange scent in a colony riles up the residents and sends them to investigate the intruder.
That was my plan;) ... a little Dobbins 'Back-Breaker' on one and a little of Miranda's 'Jym River' on the other.