Hal,

Care to give me your "resume" on beaver snarin ?? Have you done much of it over the years ?

If so, have you ever used the Rieckhart lock ?

What bout fur damage ? Do you not use snares because of fur damage ??

(Edit: Title edited -- Hal)

Beaver

The god’s honest truth is, the snare is my last choice for beaver. And, yes, it’s primarily because of fur damage. Also, I do a lot of beaver control work. It is my opinion that a beaver, tied up in a snare overnight, causes some alarm to the rest of the beaver in the colony. Generally, I won’t break out the snares until I’m down to the last beaver or two. Snares can be good for those last few beaver that have become educated.

Yes, I have used the Reichart (180 degree, reverse bend) lock, and darn near every other lock you can think of on beaver. Personally, I find the cam lock institutes the least amount of fur damage on these animals.

– Hal

I love the camloc myself,but in a healthy way.I have used it on several species and with great success;with the exception of fur damage.
I got pointed in the direction of the reichart lock and have used that on beaver with the least ddamage to fur of any lock I have used previously,camloc,sureloc,bmi mini,and washer locks(very few washer locks).
I have 300 reicharts set up now to use this season and using them exclusively I am going to record the amount of damage to compare to the camloc and BMI mini,as I no longer make new snares with the sureloc or wassher locks.

Edge

Hal is right on the money. Snares are the least efficient way to catch beavers, but are the best tool there is to catch the smart ones.

I find the simple Adams lock is the best under water and causes minimal fur damage if a proper tangle pole is used. Power snares are excellent on land or in shallow water and cause no damage if the beaver is caught well. They will also hold a beaver if it is not caught well where a standard locking snare might not.

**Hal is right on the money. Snares are the least efficient way to catch beavers, **

I dont think Hal said that,but since you did;how are they inneficent?They are light,cheap,and effective...I fail to see the innefficiency there.....

While I can understand some beaver being put down for a while due to live snared catch;I dont think a flattail in a 330 is very good for morale either......

I'm ot trying to be inflammatory,I just want some educatin;I have snared many, many beaver in both summer and winter and I relish the tool *for* its efficiency.

Edge

Its always interesting how folks feel bout different tools and what their preferences are.

Tom Olson is one for sure, his 330 cunning and experiece is equal to Paul Dobbins cdr mastersfulness.

I like my snares, I will pick one up nine times outta ten , my secound choice would be a foot hold and last a 330. Not sure but I believe I only have 4 330's now and dont intend to get any more right away. To me a snare will do evrything a 330 will and then some........but thats my prefference.

I cannot agree that snares are the least efficient way to catch beavers. I have caught a lot of beaver, as many of you have. Up to about 15 years ago, snares were illegal to use in Georgia. Since that time, they have been legal for beaver. I have not kept exact records, but I believe I have caught more beaver using snares in the snare legal days, that all the beaver I have caught by any other means. All the tools have their place, footholds and conibears, as well as snares, but... ,

As an example for ADC work, I can put 5 dozen snares in my work vest, along with lure, snarring tools, extension cables, everything I need to work with, and go to work. In a large tract of swamp or flooded timber, using foot holds and body grippers, I will spend most of my time going back and forth to the truck. The timeber companies are not paying for hiking, they are paying for eliminated beavers.

I build my snares with stops, not required here, but that's how I do it. With a stop the snare becomes even more efficient in ADC work, because it becomes more selective. These snare can be used on ponds where their are ducks and geese - snarred they will float out on the end of the extension cable until released.

For a pond owner who allows fishing, snares are great for the little yapping dogs that many women fishermen bring along. If caught they can be quickly released, by the novice, where as many folks don't know what to do with a foothold or conibear.

Snares are the best tool I have found for residential work. Again, with stops, the dogs are safe, as are the kids. The Hancocks are dangerous; they can break an arm, or do worse with a child. Cage traps are simply too bulky and expensive to do a good job with, and in a residential setting, folks are always messing with them.

Snares are more efficient that foorholds and conibears in excluding otters, a real concern here. Setting at the 10:00 and 2:00 o'clock positions helps exclude some, and stopped snares allow room for them to escape.

Fur damage? Well perhaps, because we get taken on our Southern beaver anyway, I have never had a problem with lower prices (heck they couldn't get much lower) on pelts. And with stops you are not cinching your beaver down like mule with a pack saddle screwed down tight, perhaps the damage is some less than ya'll are experiencing.

Yes, all the tools have their place, and I use all of them, but if I were limited to one it would have to be snares.

Adios,
45/70,
RKBA !!!

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