I’m new to trapping, what am I looking at here?

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Ok, as I really look into the grassy, cattail area, I’m getting really intrigued. Lol
So that area drains into a river through a culvert, but I don’t think they go through it. Well established trails going around it. Today I’m on the other side of the river and it looks like beavers are coming to this side for supplies. Teaks leading to brush piles, drag marks back into the water then headed down stream to culvert. Found another spot where someone is coming out of the water, digging holes and eating roots. No clear tracks, roots were half inch at most. Here’s a pick of the holes. Do the beavs dig holes to get to tree roots? I’m going to bring a trail camera down tomorrow and find out. I hope.

[TeacherMan]

Looks like a spot I’d make a scent mound with a drowner bag. Hard not being able to use new traps.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Looks like a spot I’d make a scent mound with a drowner bag. Hard not being able to use new traps.

it’s funny but not funny I guess, but when I saw that spot I thought a similar deal, watching too many YouTube videos of traps I can’t use, but I totally see how they could be used in that spot. But a cage trap in that spot has me wondering but the amount of dog tracks on the gravel bar tells me no.
 I’m setting a camera tomorrow so I can just watch what happens out there.
Thank you for the response Teacherman

[Dysfunctional Vet]

So I’d thought I’d update as I go. Went back to the river side to place trail camera at first light. The “dog” tracks were all over the trail leading in and pretty much everywhere and from this morning. Well, I’m an idiot, those aren’t dog tracks at all, those are a beavers front feet and there was all different sizes. They were busy beavers, cutting some large trees down and dragging them down the beach.

[Humptulips]

There may well be beaver there dragging cuttings into the water but those are dog tracks.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

There may well be beaver there dragging cuttings into the water but those are dog tracks.

well dang, those were the tracks leading right to chopped trees. I’ll get some videos tonight hopefully. I’m still an idiot. Hahahahaha

[bearpaw]

There may well be beaver there dragging cuttings into the water but those are dog tracks.

well dang, those were the tracks leading right to chopped trees. I’ll get some videos tonight hopefully. I’m still an idiot. Hahahahaha

There is a learning curve to everything, you use this link to help yourself identify beaver tracks:
https://www.google.com/search?q=beaver+tracks+in+mud&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS733US737&oq

[Dysfunctional Vet]

There may well be beaver there dragging cuttings into the water but those are dog tracks.

well dang, those were the tracks leading right to chopped trees. I’ll get some videos tonight hopefully. I’m still an idiot. Hahahahaha
[/

There is a learning curve to everything, you use this link to help yourself identify beaver tracks:
https://www.google.com/search?q=beaver+tracks+in+mud&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS733US737&oq

roger that!! I just got ivy excited and took pics of the wrong tracks. There’s definitely beaver tracks there. It seems the dogs and beavers get together Friday nights to play cards. Anyway, I’m not trying to trap these beavers I’m just trying to learn from them. I’m not prepared to trap them but I figure learning from them would be valuable for the future because I’d like to be able to trap beaver when I’m ready to do so. But I do appreciate the link. I’ll stop being dumb. Lol

[Humptulips]

It probably would be a good place for a scent set with a larger single door cage trap but if there were dogs visiting the site regularly, I would probably steer clear of the spot. Not that I think there would be danger to the dog, but I can only imagine what a dog would do if it found a trap with a live beaver in it.

[MADMAX]

Quick reference

[Dysfunctional Vet]

It probably would be a good place for a scent set with a larger single door cage trap but if there were dogs visiting the site regularly, I would probably steer clear of the spot. Not that I think there would be danger to the dog, but I can only imagine what a dog would do if it found a trap with a live beaver in it.

the dog traffic is why I’m just going to observe these guys for now and try to learn behavior/sign. I believe I found a bank den entrance just down stream from all the chewing.
 Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything stupid out there that would make trappers look bad, I’m more trying to learn as much as I can now so I can be more informed on something I know nothing about. Never paid attention to all the mink tracks along the rivers I used to fish all the time. Kind of shocking really, had no idea.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Quick reference

noted.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Muskrat feed bed?

[TeacherMan]

Muskrat feed beds are generally in the water covered in little roots and rat poop. Could be a den up behind it or just a trail. Pics hard to tell.

[Loup Loup]

I like your outlook DV.
Yea, although not a classical feedbed, the rats been feeding there. You can set a small cage in the trail on the up side, where it’s going in to cut the cattail sprouts. I have also set colony’s on land in rat trails. They produce right along. Also set a colony in its trail where it enters the water after feeding. Have the entrance just under the surface. Trap will angle down away from bank. Have a “dive stick” across the top of bank entrance.
When going to bank the rat will clammer over the trap, dive stick. When heading back out, it will dive under dive stick and enter colony.
Also set the uphill cage in trail as a blind set, no bait.