Cross over sets with single door traps

[Humptulips]

Here is a set I use sometimes. In fact I caught a beaver and a rat in two such sets Saturday.
Here's the situation you might find yourself in. Nice ponds or maybe a slough with a bit of a dam. Great cross overs but no channels.
I find myself standing there with swimthroughs in hand but no place to put them. You can set the dam with a one directional set. I usually set the up stream side of the dam at the crossover. Just put the trap above the crossover out in the water so the top of the trap is about water level, good dive sticks and some blocking. You want that beaver or otter to come over the dam and see a good blockage but with a hole under to dive through. That's where the door of your trap is. If you have a double door the upper door will never catch anything because it is usually angled down into deep water so if a beaver comes from above it will miss your trap but if it headed down it will probably at some point go up.
Single door traps can also be used.
Not the best but sometimes you have to improvise.

[Turner89]

Did you mean to attach a picture ?

[Humptulips]

No pictures. Spur of the moment description. I can get a picture of one of the sets in a couple days.

[Jonathan_S]

Your explanation makes perfect sense 

I've done brushed in castor mound sets beneath a dam before when the water is too shallow for a drowning set

[lewy]

  So I have pretty good luck setting dam crossings but usually on the down stream side. I try and take advantage of them coming down with momentum, under a dive stick and in. I also try and level the trap so that it has a chance at catching critters coming from either direction. It usually ends up being more of a one directional set tho. One thing I have found is that the beaver will often time try and go over the cage and end up setting it off then avoiding it after that. I should add that this is with double door cages. I would love to see some pics of your sets Bruce!
 

[Buck457]

Here is a set I use sometimes. In fact I caught a beaver and a rat in two such sets Saturday.
Here's the situation you might find yourself in. Nice ponds or maybe a slough with a bit of a dam. Great cross overs but no channels.
I find myself standing there with swimthroughs in hand but no place to put them. You can set the dam with a one directional set. I usually set the up stream side of the dam at the crossover. Just put the trap above the crossover out in the water so the top of the trap is about water level, good dive sticks and some blocking. You want that beaver or otter to come over the dam and see a good blockage but with a hole under to dive through. That's where the door of your trap is. If you have a double door the upper door will never catch anything because it is usually angled down into deep water so if a beaver comes from above it will miss your trap but if it headed down it will probably at some point go up.
Single door traps can also be used.
Not the best but sometimes you have to improvise.

This is one set i am trying to get right. Thank you Bruce for sharing your knowledge with us trapper pups.

[cem3434]

 

[flyfishWA]

Here is a set I use sometimes. In fact I caught a beaver and a rat in two such sets Saturday.
Here's the situation you might find yourself in. Nice ponds or maybe a slough with a bit of a dam. Great cross overs but no channels.
I find myself standing there with swimthroughs in hand but no place to put them. You can set the dam with a one directional set. I usually set the up stream side of the dam at the crossover. Just put the trap above the crossover out in the water so the top of the trap is about water level, good dive sticks and some blocking. You want that beaver or otter to come over the dam and see a good blockage but with a hole under to dive through. That's where the door of your trap is. If you have a double door the upper door will never catch anything because it is usually angled down into deep water so if a beaver comes from above it will miss your trap but if it headed down it will probably at some point go up.
Single door traps can also be used.
Not the best but sometimes you have to improvise.

my dad has used this set before with good results

[Humptulips]

Here are some promised pictures of one of these sets. Nothing to it really.
1st picture shows the dam side of the set.
2bd shows the trap out in the pond. You can see why it only works from one direction. Can you see the beaver?
3rd shows an overview of the dam with the catch.

[Buck457]

Thank you Bruce, I will definitely try this with my Duke X-Large treadle trap.