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One of the things you can depend <br />on is that if you tear a hole in a <br />beaver dam and get the water <br />moving out of a pond, you will <br />stimulate beaver movement that <br />night, except on the coldest of <br />winter nights. Timing is also impor- <br />tant if you plan to make dam sets. <br />Tearing a hole in the dam or dams <br />about 18 inches to 2 feet (45.72 to <br />60.96 cra) wide and 2 to 3 feet (.6 <br />to .9 m) below the water level on <br />the upper side of the dam in the <br />morning generally will move a <br />good bit of Water out or'the pond ..... <br />before evening (Figure ~0). Evening <br />is the prime time to set traps. If <br />you set in front of the dam open- <br />lng in the morning as soon as a <br />hole is dug out, two problems can <br />arise: (1) by late evening when the <br />beavers become active the trap <br />may be out of the water, and inef- <br />fective; or (2) a stick, branch or <br />other debris in the moving water <br />may trip the trap, again rendering <br />it ineffective. Ideally, you should <br />tear out the holes in a dam in the <br />morning, let the water flow out un- <br />til mid-afternoon, then set traps un- <br />til early evening. <br /> <br />The best dam sets are made some <br />12 to 18 inches (30.48 to 45.72 cra) <br />in front of the dam itself. Using <br />stakes or debris on either side of <br />the trap springs will help make the <br />beaver go where you want it to -- <br />into the jaws of the trap. Generally <br />speaking, it is always best to set <br />the trigger on the Conibear type <br /> <br />Hole torn through dam to release water <br /> <br /> he trap underwater <br /> in front of the hole created in the dam. - <br /> When the beaver returns to patch the hole, <br /> it will go into the trap and be caught. <br /> <br />Figure 11. Leghold trap (No. 3 or No. 4 size, <br />double spring) attached to wire for drown <br />set. <br /> <br />trap in the first notch, which helps <br />prevent debris from tripping it <br />before the beaver swims into it. <br />T he~twe., hea,~y-gau ge; wire., t r i p per. s~ ...... <br />can be bent outward and the trig- <br />ger can be set away from the mid- <br />dle if necessary, to avoid debris <br />tripping it or to suit the trapper's <br />approximation of beaver size. If <br />signs indicate small beaver or <br />possible fish or turtles moving <br />through the trap, this technique <br />sometimes prevents premature trap <br />spring. <br /> <br />Dig out slide underwater to <br />spnngs Slide wire fastened to stake <br /> and weight <br /> <br />Figure 12. Leghold trap in slide set.. <br /> <br />B-8 <br /> <br /> <br />