So, how do you know what the best lure for beaver trapping is? When it comes to beaver trapping there are a plethora of different lures on the market. So which beaver lure do you choose? Although there isn't a "best beaver trapping lure," we have compiled a list of the ones we love to use here at Minnesota Trapline. But first, you'll need to know when and why you'll want to use the different types of beaver lures on your trapline.
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Different Types of Beaver Lures
A few different things will impact which beaver lure you will want to use. There are three main types of lures you will want to use depending on the time of year and situation you find yourself in.
- Beaver Castor Lure - A beaver castor lure works pretty good regardless of the time of year, but really shines during the springtime. In the spring, the females kick out last year's young to make room for the new kits. The yearling beaver will travel rivers and lakes to find a new place to call home. Castor is used by beaver to mark their territory, so it plays a huge role in the spring as different beaver are dispersing. This make castor lures a go-to for spring beaver trapping.
- Beaver Food Lures - Food lures consist of their favorite food ingredients and are a great lure to use for fall beaver trapping, as the beavers are gathering foodstuffs to make it through the winter freeze. A food lure also works in the summer and can be a great change up in the spring when other trappers are primarily running a castor based lure.
- Curiosity Lure - These lures can range widely in what they are formulated with, including both food and castor along with other calling ingredients. Normally curiosity lures are used for trap shy beaver or as a change up from the other two lure types.
Best Selling Beaver Castor Lure
Caven's Timber
Tim Caven's Timber ranks right up there as our top-selling beaver lure and one we always use personally. It’s made from the fullest, highest-quality castors and blended with a strong, proven calling agent in a waterproof base. This lure puts out a bold, lasting odor that really brings in beaver. Timber has become a go-to for many serious water trappers and holds its own season after season.
IronTrail's Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay is a castor-based beaver lure that’s quickly building a strong following—and for good reason. It’s loud, long-reaching, and packed with a blend of ingredients that call beaver in from a distance. After plenty of trial, error, and 1000s of miles on the trapline, this formula has been dialed in and proven effective on flattails. Crack open the jar and you’ll get a rich, natural castor smell backed by deep, complex tones that keep beaver working the set. Give Hudson Bay a try and we're confident it'll earn a spot on your trapline.
Dunlap's Big Pile
Jeff Dunlap's Big Pile beaver lure is one of the favorites in the beaver trapping community, and with good reason. This lure has taken thousands of beaver across North America. It sports a heavy castor smell put up in the thick base that stays put. A slam dunk for spring beaver trapping!
Dobbins' Backbreaker
Few beaver lures have the type of reputation that Backbreaker has earned through the decades. Backbreaker has a loud castor smell that elicits a territorial response that simply make beaver work the set. If you're running castor mounds, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Backbreaker.
Sweetwater Flattail
A closely guarded secret from the state of Wyoming since early in the 20th century. This beaver lure is the standard by which all others are judged. No expense has been spared in this formula.
Best Selling Beaver Food Lures
IronTrail's Flattail Feast
IronTrail's Flattail Feast is beaver food lure that is loaded with top-quality food lure ingredients that beaver crave! A freshly peeled stick and a dab of Flattail Feast is all that's needed. We've used this lure on our own line with great success for fall beaver trapping. It's a great change up from a castor-based lure during the spring when the competition is steep.
Caven's Bounty Beaver
Designed specifically for summer and fall nuisance beaver, this lure offers a fresh approach when traditional castor-based lures fall short. Ideal for spring "castor shy" beavers, it contains only the choicest beaver food ingredients—no castor, just high-quality food-based attractants. Formulated in a heavy, waterproof liquid base for long-lasting performance in all weather conditions.
Best Selling Beaver Curiosity Lures
Dobbins' Beaver Plus
This is a curiosity-type beaver lure. It works all year, and it brings in otter and raccoon too. This lure will increase your catch.
A Few Other "Must Have" Beaver Trapping Lures
Summary
We don’t believe there’s one single “best” lure for beaver trapping—and we’re not claiming the lures listed above are the only good ones out there. Trappers have been blending ingredients for generations, testing all sorts of formulas with varying levels of success. The lures that consistently produce are the ones that stick around, and many of those tried-and-true blends are still being sold and catching beaver today.
The lures featured above is just a small sample of the high-quality beaver lures available and provide a great starting point for anyone looking to get into beaver trapping. That said, we only carry products we believe in here at MTP, so we encourage you to explore our full selection of lures.
When it comes to lures, how and why you use them often matters more than which one you choose. We’ve linked an article below that breaks down the different types of responses we shoot for with different types of attractants. It’s well worth the read and will give you a better understanding of how to use lures, baits, and urine more effectively on your trapline.
Thanks for reading and good luck beaver trapping!
