Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations trapping

Over the past couple of days when I walked out to my pond I noticed a couple of bluegill and one catfish were on the pond banks and you could tell that something completely ate all of the fish exept for the head. From all of the previous posts I have read on this sight it looks to me like either a beaver or an otter has arrived. I went to one of the sights that was recommended from one of the previous posts and looked at some of the traps. Does anyone have any experience with the Hancock beaver live trap. It looked like it would not be very difficult to use and it did say it traps beavers and otters. Does anyone have any experience with this trap. If so, I would appreciate any advice. Or if anyone has any experience with other traps that have worked for beavers and otters I would appreciate some advice on this matter. I am not very mechanically inclined so I would need something with no assembly required if possible. Thanks for any advice available as you can tell I am ready to dispose of these damn critters as soon as possible. Thanks.

If your not experienced in trapping your best bet may be to contact a local trapper.There are also people that do damage control trapping.Other than that a 330 coniber or a #4 foothold. Be carefull with those conibers,they'll getcha if not carefull.
Mike

I seriously doubt a beaver is eating your fish though. They're herbivores.

IMO your headless fish are most likely from a mink or possibly a river otter.

mikeak...I'll second that "they'll getcha..." Ask me how I know...I dare ya...

Ok Matt,

Since I've never had reason to use any body grips larger than a 110, how will a 330 "getcha"??

I was walking along a river a number of years back and a beaver was on the bank with a small channel catfish. He dropped it and went back into the river. So they will eat fish.

Well, Mike since ya hadda ask...I'll own up to this one.

25 years ago (or more, maybe) I was justa kid and I'd trap the ditches and culverts on the way to the farm to work.

Set up a blind set with a 220 conibear (it was legal on land back then) on a trail in deep weeds in the road ditch.

If you've never seen one...here's what it looks like.


So, I've set it, and released the safety catches, and then noticed that a piece of "something" was hanging on the trigger. It would've taken about 1.5 heartbeats to refasten the safeties, but I was in a hurry...

I have no idea exactly how it happened, but that trap sprung in a microsecond...capturing BOTH my thumbs.

It hurt like heck, and worst of all, I couldn't get out of the dang thing, and it was attached to a 24" stake...I couldn't even pull that out. Luckily, I was wearing heavy rubber gloves, and eventually worked one hand out of it's glove and then the other.

Couldn't hold a can of pop for about 3 days and the meaty part both hands between the thumbs and first fingers swelled up and turned black. Twice a day, aluminum shovel and throw about 300 scoops of feed to the hogs....try that without using your thumbs!

Course, I had to explain what happened to a couple of high school buddies... I've never heard the end of that one.