10 Inch Conibears vs. 18 Inch Wide Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps

As a young guy I remember well setting hundreds of 10 inch Conibears for beaver in wide channels, from the 60's right through the 90's, from Alabama to N.Y.  If the bottom was hard or rocky it was always difficult or impossible to make a set.  Where the bottom would accept a stake in a wide run, traps required either a great deal of time consuming fence construction or solid staking so that two or three traps could be set side by side in order to fill the run.  If a trap got uprooted by a large beaver after the catch was made, the beaver could fire the others, leaving a lot of work to put the sets back together.  Looking for suitable stakes and fencing was always a time consuming chore, while close attention had to be payed to the surroundings so that debris did not interfere with a trap when it fired.

Two days ago I set a 40 inch wide bank den in little more time that it took to set the two of the 18 inch wide beaver cage traps.  A new colony with a lodge in the middle of the pond, instinctively my eyes went directly to the steep bank on the far side.  Beaver love to put in bank dens when they can and will go right to the steep side of a pond conducive for dens.  As expected there was a den, but this one was very wide.   Even though there was a lodge in the middle of the pond, beaver will spend most of their time in the bank den.  Frequently dens are just a bit wider than a beaver, 10 or 12 inches, but not always.  With two 18 inch wide cages I could cover the wide expanse of a bit more than 3 feet.  In these cases where channels are very wide, I will center the two cages, while leaving a few inches between them.

The "shined" up sandy bottom gave up the location from quite a distance.  Nothing unusual, I set the traps and dropped them in, done!  There was no wiring, no staking, no fencing and no concern about the make up of the bottom as the traps work in anything from muck to bedrock.  Yes, the cages are larger and heavier, but I carried two across a fast moving stream and had them set in a blink, with no worries.

Yesterday morning both of the big ones were in the den sets side by side as expected.  Having placed two other castor sets closer to the house, I did pick up a very small yearling in sets made on large basketball sized cobblestone.  Young beaver will often have smaller litters, so I believe this was it, 4 traps, 1 night, 3 beaver.  This was the second time in two days I had set 4 cages and took all three beaver in a single night.  

Beaver / Retriever

Today I was very glad to have swim through cage traps on an ADC job, not only for the capabilities of the traps, but for the safety factor, which allows for a good nights sleep.  Arriving on site, a bounding golden retriever ran right up to me, tail wagging, couldn't have been happier if he had common sense.  We hit it off and I knew he would be with me until I was done setting.  Familiar with the location I grabbed a pair of cages and headed to the channel, dog in tow.  The retriever did what they do best, hit the water.   Not a bit squeamish, he began digging out the old bank dens in earnest and soon was muddy and soaked.  While I was putting the sets in place the dog swam up and down all of the channels, much like a beaver would.  Swimming over the first set he grabbed the branch I had laid over the trap as if to make off with it.

In a few minutes I had 4 sets in place.  In the past I would have been using 660 conibear traps, more difficult to place and definitely more dangerous.  After watching that dog go in and out of the water, up and down the channels, it was a great feeling to be using benign traps, peace of mind in knowing there are no traps safer to use around pets and kids.

Dale in Massachusetts catches the first Bobcat in a New Trap

Dale set this new taller, double door, wire triggered Comstock Bobcat Cage Trap with powered doors and caught a small bobcat just yesterday.  This is the only trap of this type with double doors that has been used in the field, made large enough to take bobcats and perhaps a coyote.  Custom made, Dale's trap is leading the way for what we hope will be a new line in powered door, wire triggered, taller, narrower bobcat / fox cage traps.  Like all of the cage traps we make, these are the most advanced, well engineered traps made because they too were created with internal components, nothing sticking up or protruding beyond the confines of the catch compartment to catch or hang up in transit or on brush.  No animal will be able to climb on them and cause them to fire easily.

In time we hope to produce these traps in single and double door nesting models, something serious bobcat trappers will like.

Thanks for the great photo Dale.  

Beaver in Comstock Cage Traps in a few hours

Milestone, Beaver #500 !

Its's been just over 4 years since I put the first Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Trap in the water, October 29, 2010 to be exact.  Since that time I have come to rely on these traps almost exclusively in my ADC work for beaver.  What this means is that anyone in a cage trap only state can trap with confidence as these relatively new devices are not just another tool in beaver control, but the most versatile traps you will use, taking a back seat to none.  The beaver pictured above is #500 for me, which still leaves me in second place behind Randy in Massachusetts who has taken over 600 and did it in only 2 years.  At this time thousands of beaver have been caught in these traps, along with lots of otter and muskrats.

Matney Photo-Comstock 12x15x33 Swim Through Beaver Cage Trap

Mike sent this photo of the smaller sized 12x15x33 Comstock Beaver Cage in action with a 40-50 pound beaver in it.  So glad to see how much he likes them.  He uses the floating repeater muskrat traps he invented and also colony traps.

Florida Trapper and an Otter in a 9x11x36 Comstock Wire Trigger Cage Trap

"After breaking two traps and escaping multiple times from same traps the Comstock made him pay for all his sins! Thanks for building the best otter trap! This trap is bomb proof. Have a great day"

Though we built the larger double door 12x12x36 and 12x18x39 Swim Through Cages for beaver and otter, we are finding that it is quite common for otter to be taken in the double door 9x11x36 primarily designed for  raccoons etc.  It's always a nice surprise when a device actually exceeds expectations!  As always, "what goes in, stays in," escape proof.    

Mike Matney-Washington Trapper-Inventor

I just spoke with Mike Matney yesterday evening.  Mike is from Washington State, maker and inventor of the floating repeater muskrat trap.  Mike heard we had custom made some 12x15x33 midsize beaver traps that weighed only 17.5 pounds.  Shorter than our standard beaver trap by 6 inches, but still a full 15 inches wide, Mike had us custom make him 5 of them, now his go to beaver trap.  He says he does not miss beaver and often catches them from 40 to 50 pounds with no problem, some larger yet.  Yesterday he had caught 4 for 5.

One small difference is that these traps have a setting "tab" at the top of the lock bar.  The tab does making setting much easier.  You place you thumb on the tab and start the lock bar.  With the tab, wide mouth, short body and light weight, this is the beaver trap Mike loves since he often traps our of a boat.