Using snares to live-capture Beaver, Castor canadensis

Abstract

Hancock and Bailey traps are typically used to live-capture Beaver (Castor canadensis) but are expensive and bulky. As an alternative capture method, we used steel cable snares to trap Beaver for a transplanting program from 1994 to 1997. Snares were used to capture 132 Beaver at 18 locations throughout Wyoming. Literature sources and communications with other live-trappers initially led us to believe that trapping with snares was not feasible or would lead to high mortality. Trapping success during our four years of trapping was 11.9 trap nights/Beaver. Mortality of Beaver captured in snares was 5.3%. Snares allowed us to saturate an area with traps and capture a large number of animals within a few days. Snares captured all size classes of Beaver, although we targeted larger animals by using larger snare sizes and setting the traps away from the lodge. Although our trap mortality rates with snares were higher than other researchers using Hancock and Bailey traps, snares are effective at live-capturing Beaver and may be useful where an effective, low-cost method of trapping is needed.