beaver lodges

[travfeasby]

how far away should you make beaver sets from there lodges. i found ahoney hole and do not want to spook them. there is not a lot of open water so choices are limted. thanks in advance for input.

[Bogmaster]

 With limited open water,set where you can.Do not set near the lodge entrances,and make sure you make several sets.Make that first night a big one.
 Tom

[travfeasby]

i was not going set the entrances, you warned me about that last year on another site. i have never seen a lodge this big. i just dont want to make any mistakes on this one.

[trappnman]

tom- I've heard that before, about not setting in the entrances-

yet I've done it fairly often over the years, and seem to do quite well- once found a lodge with 3 entrances, and 6 beaver in 2 checks, and then a few days later my first otter ever. I get very few houses, and very few opportunities to set them- but "shallow" water houses, I always set up-

doesn't seem to spook them any more than setting bank dens do.

What do yo find is the problem with setting houses?

[RdFx]

I agree with Steve from my past years experience.  I usually set upstream and downstream if  not on lake with bottom edge sets or blind plus if on lake i set up old dens ect  so if the setting of lodges spook a bvr i will have him traveling away from lodge ect.   When setting on creeks and rivers where you have  an underwater den entrance in river bank i do same thing after i set den entrance.  Set up downstream and upstream with B E sets  or blind.   Everyone has there own methods and  they are not right or wrong.  Use what works for you with experience and  dont  put down  new methods as  you can  up your catch and trapping knowledge in using other peoples methods or experience.   Good luck.

[Bogmaster]

 I have set on lodges at times,when set opportunities were limited.I also do not hesitate to set near a bank den.But I just never set the entrances.
 Remember 95% of all my beaver are taken with castor mound sets,and I use 330's only. I want the entire colony to exit and enter their lodges freely--plug an entrance with a dead beaver and you greatly decrease the chance of this happening.
 I usually go off to both sides of an entrance and put in several sets.Here again,I want to take as many beaver from a lodge or den the first night. Bang them quick , and you experience a lot less problems.
 A 330'd beaver is never going to get square shy-- when he is already in the fur shed.
 Most times, I never even bother looking for lodges or dens. If I find where they are going up to cut, or find some peeled sticks , I am already where I want to be. In the spring,I don't even worry about setting on sign,at ice out time sign can be very minimal or even non-existant.
 But again-- thats my style of trapping. It has provided me with a means that works for me, and works well. With the limited time I have to trap open water beaver, I need to hit them hard and fast.
 May you all enjoy trapping the kings and queens of the water ways--BEAVER, you got to love them.( I sure do.)
 Tom