Winter Breakup, Beaver Trapping

 Above is a very productive dam break set with an unusually small beaver for this time of year, alive in a 12x18x36 Comstock Cage.  This beaver weighed only about 5 pounds, perhaps less, which means he was born during the winter, quite odd.  Beaver are generally born from April until early June, depending on the locale.   This little bugger was no doubt born in January or February.  Beaver this size are usually found in July and August.  Since the owner of the pond wanted the colony thinned down because they we're mowing down everything in sight, but did not necessarily want them all removed, the little guy was released on site.  It couldn't have worked out better taking the small one alive and being able to release him.  You have to get lucky once in while.  

  

 The mat of peeled sticks in the two pictures above is reflective of a larger colony.  This colony had at least 6 beavers.  In two checks 6 were taken in 2 out of 3 sets on the first trip and in 4 out of 5 sets the second trip, with no traps sprung.  At ice out there will be loads of peeled sticks still floating, later to be woven into the dam or lodge.  When the ice is first receding from the dam like this, beaver are limited and confined to the small patch of open water, easy to catch.  They are looking for fresh feed after eating the feed pile all winter, which has by now gone stale and sour or is pretty much gone.  Additionally, these beaver were chewing holes in the dam so that they could leave the pond and find more food, which showed they were getting desperate.   There were a couple of holes they had made in the ice during late winter that provided access to fresh food.

Above is the 2 foot wide sled with 5 beaver cages and 3 beaver.   I was using an 18 inch wide sled, but found the 2 footer was not that hard to drag.  Also, with the two foot sled 2 traps can be placed side by side, standing or lying down.  At this site I was using an assortment of traps, odd sizes, 12x15x33, 12x18x32, 12x18x36 and 12x18x24.  The Xtra wide 24 fit in the back of the sled, the two 12x15 side by side while the other two rested on their sides.  I had all 5 cages in the sled with the 3 beaver inside them.

I know most trappers don't think you can haul a number of cages in at once, but where there is a roadway or trail it works pretty well.  This time I was able to bring in 3 cages the first time and add 2 more the second time.  If it was on the level, I could have easily brought in 5 at once the first time.  This was an steep uphill climb all the way, so I split the cage hauling into two trips, figuring on a set with two checks to finish the job and that's just the way it worked out.  Thing is, when I was setting conibears years ago, I often just set 2 to 4 traps anyway.  Two to 4 cages is quite doable with a sled and yields better results.

Yet Another Testimonial

Many trappers like to get their feet wet with one or two traps the first time just to see if they work.  We get frequent calls from first time users Comstock Cages, who express how happy they are with the results.  A couple of days ago we got another call from an older fellow from Iowa.  He got a 12x18x39 beaver trap early this year and has already "caught 15 beaver in them."  He says he will be expanding his line and getting more traps in the fall.

Though it is more trouble to carry or drag the beaver traps into a pond off the road, I do it myself, not to make a point, but because the success ratio is higher than any other device I have used and I have used most of them.  You have to compare.  Is it more work to carry a larger trap in and place it or more work to make extra trips into a pond because you have sprung traps?

I continue to experiment with shorter traps.  Both beaver caught yesterday were taken in 32 and 33 inch long traps.  I have taken at least 8 in the shorter traps up to 52 pounds.  The pond is still frozen except near the dam.  Went in after dark in the rain, not much fun, but working under the worst testing conditions provides first hand info on what others may encounter.

 

Beaver traps are great for Raccoons too

Another use for the 12x18x39 Comstock Beaver Cage Trap.  Almost looks like a nice pair of raccoons.  It seems that just about anything that goes into the cages stays in.   We have seen these traps used for bobcats frequently.  One trapper caught a coyote in one in a junkyard between the rows of cars.  Another trapper used his for badger.  

Another Testimonial Today

"hi. I am very sorry i did not get back to you, but a little update, The cages are doing great, have caught beaver ,fox, rabbits, raccoons and some porcupines (in the beaver cage)  so everything is great.  i will try to come down and say hi on our trip this summer."

Andre  from Quebec, Canada

"In his own words"

"Thanks so much Judy. Till I found out about these traps I was stuck with the single door traps and using the big ones for castor mound sets and they worked but not how I like them plus I love to make run sets and that was not working out good with the other traps. These traps have opened up a whole new trapping experience. When they took our coni's and footholds away in 1997 it took part of me with it. Thanks for giving me back part of my passion!!!"

              Gary 

 Massachusetts

Heavy Duty Swim Through 12x18x39 Beaver Cage Trap

Photo of the "Indestructible" "Escape Proof" Comstock Beaver Trap.

Shown is the openness of the rugged heavy duty swim through beaver live cage trap.  With nothing but thin wires between the beaver and their destination, beaver don't hesitate to enter the open chamber or swim through the trap.  While other brands of cage traps have wire to wire light banding and or very light 16 gage ring clips, Comstock Cages are clipped with heavy metal bands shown.  Instead of mere light banding on seams, wire to wire, a 3/16 inch rod with the heavy metal bands assures that no beaver or otter will ever damage the cage.  Additionally, door wires are actually spot welded onto the door frames in an unbeatable display of strength and durability.  Where bands can not be used or welding in not in place, the time is taken to apply 12 gage round clips by hand.

These cages are now completely powder coated.

Trigger Pressure Adjustability on Swing Panel Squirrel Traps

Trigger pressure on all of the Comstock traps can be regulated.  Not only can trigger pressure be varied on the 9x11, 12x12 and 12x18 heavy duty beaver trap, variability is even possible with the newest swing panel squirrel type traps.  Each of the cage traps is designed to have light trigger pressure for most common uses, squirrels and chipmunks, but additional pressured can be added to the swing panel squirrel type traps, from the smallest 3x5 up to the largest 8x10 trap for rabbits.

Additional spring pressure will make the trap a bit stiffer, requiring more pressure to fire.  Springs can be stretched for more tension and hooked lower on the door and conversely can be relaxed for lighter pressure.  The simplicity in these traps allows for additional springs to added to increase pressure.  The larger traps already have 2 springs, while the smaller traps have 1.

Since the contact point on these traps is two galvanized rods, even a piece of tape on one element could have a similar effect.