Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps Catching Under the Ice

Two days ago we set 6 of the Comstock Swim Through Beaver Cage Traps at one beaver colony.   Three were standard 12x18x39 and three were a bit smaller, 12x15x33.  The weather had been warm, so we gave it a couple of nights at zero degrees to make some ice solid enough to walk on before we headed out, about an inch and a half of clear ice, ideal.  We set two pairs of traps side by side and two singles in runs.  On the first check we connected with all six, five beaver and one muskrat.  It would have been great to get both of the big ones on the first check, but it was not to be.  The big female is usually last to leave the lodge, which was the way it went this time.  We got the big male and four little guys.

On day two we picked up one more of the little ones, which is no doubt the last of the yearlings, with no other traps touched.  The big female may not have moved or avoided the sets as we did not yet take her.  We found a six foot pole pushed into one trap up to the trigger, but the trap was not fired.  In two days we have taken six.  This time we have moved the traps up tight to the house.  On the first set up purposely stayed back from the lodge where the run fanned out wider so that we could take multiples and we did.

Some have suggested that guillotine door traps are a good way to go for beaver trapping, but you only have to analyze the trap and function to see that it carries with it many limitations.  We do it all, spring, summer, fall and even winter as you can see, in all conditions, requiring traps that will function in both warm and freezing conditions.  The power door, low profile traps with wide doors handle over sized runs without blocking and can easily be set in very shallow water, in this case just in just over a foot of water, even under ice!  Try to set a g door trap in a culvert, no way.  Try to hide them, not easy.  Brush can get hung up in a door, but our power door traps are made with internal components, nothing to foul.  Each one of the shortcomings of a g door trap are easy handled by the powered door traps we use and produce and there are many more advantages to the powered door traps with the solid lock bar.