Perfect work vehicle for my needs.

[onefunzr2]

I just thought I'd share the fruits of my labor. I bought the Max II with the express purpose to navigate a swamp beavers created years ago before I purchased the property. I don't think any other type or brand of 4x4 ATV could carry me to where I needed to go. And yet before this past June I had no idea these machines even existed.

The PA Game Commission declared these vermin a nuisance and gave me permission to kill them any way I see fit. Period. I tried laying in wait to shoot them after I created a breach in one of their dams. But they seem to be nocturnal only. So I bought a body-gripping trap and set it where I thought it would intercept them coming to fix their dam. It worked, twice. The one in this pic weighs 37.7# and one the next day was 16.3#. No further victims the last 3 nights. That cannot be all of them?

The 4 wheeled cart came in handy too. You youngsters wouldn't have any trouble slinging an adult beaver up over the Max's rear package rails. But my back needs all the help it can get. The low deck of the Yutrax came in handy. Actually I thought a doe/deer/female deer would be the first animal to bloody its diamond plate deck.

beaver 1.jpg

[Reconrokon]

That is a big beaver. Very nice cart. Should work well when hauling out game. RR

[Mike]

That is a heck of a beaver. There may only be two beavers because this one ate all of the other ones.

[onefunzr2]

Nope. I was re-setting a tripped trap at 8AM this morning. I was on my knees using the cocking tool when up swam a full-sized, adult beaver, calmly turned around and swam away. And me without a gun. Story of my life. No beaver cannibals in my neck of the woods. Only tree-chomping vegetarians.

[Reconrokon]

Those big conibear traps are hard to set. I used to run a trap line in the mountains of Virginia on the North Holston river for muskrat. $2 per hide. I used the smaller conibear traps for that and even the small ones took a lot of strength to set. They are deadly traps. A 6 wheeler would have been the ideal ride for checking my trap line along the river, but I was too poor to afford one then so I was on foot. Was a teenager then and could handle it.

[ARGOJIM]

Those big conibear traps are hard to set. I used to run a trap line in the mountains of Virginia on the North Holston river for muskrat. $2 per hide. I used the smaller conibear traps for that and even the small ones took a lot of strength to set. They are deadly traps. A 6 wheeler would have been the ideal ride for checking my trap line along the river, but I was too poor to afford one then so I was on foot. Was a teenager then and could handle it.

The 110's weren't bad to set, the 220's took a little thought though.

[Andyman]

That is a heck of a beaver. There may only be two beavers because this one ate all of the other ones.

haha

[onefunzr2]

Got another beaver

My wonderful Max II took me to another part of the beaver infested swamp after 2 days of rain. I reset the 330 Connebear trap completely under water in front of the spillway where I had opened a breach to another of their dams. I thought this might be the perfect time to catch one trying to plug that hole. And it worked like a charm...a 32.6# male caught right across the neck. This is my 3rd one caught so far.

Yes, these beaver/coyote sized body-gripping traps are hard to set. I use a tool to give me mechanical advantage. And a small scrap of 3/4" plywood I take along on the 6x6. I hook the scissor tool to one spring by placing one arm of the tool on it. [I tried placing the lower arm directly on the ground, but the spring is so powerful it drove the tool's arm down into the soft earth 4-5 inches. Thus the plywood.} Then I can collapse the spring with one hand/arm while using my other to latch the safety hook in place. Repeat on the opposite spring, fasten the trigger and it's ready to do its job again. Unfortunately, when some other critter gets between its jaws, they get caught too.

A nice sized snapping turtle was caught but not killed. I used to run a snapper trap line in my youth so I know how powerful their jaws can be. I used #5/0 tuna hooks with chicken scraps for bait. So this was the first time I had to decide the best way to release this turtle back into the wild from a trap without getting injured myself. [if a small one took the baited hook, I simply cut the monofilament fishing line with one whack of a hatchet--the steel hook rusted away] In this case, a 22 long rifle to the head, wait a half hour, then roll 'em out onto the ground and wait for the buzzards, hawks and bald eagles to devour the treat.

But none of this would be possible without my trusty Max II. After 2 days of rain, I had to literately paddle my way over some open stretches of water to get to the dry land on top of the beaver dam that you see in the pic. I've had this 6x6 since the beginning of June. The more I use it, and I check at least 2 places of the beaver dam once every day, the more I'm convinced no other type of ATV could traverse where this one does. Yeah, they say all terrain, but that's a lie.

And it's utterly reliable for a 17 year old machine. 2 doses of Seafoam corrected the carb surging at idle problem. It makes me smile every time I get in it. And I'll be smiling again in a few minutes as I make my daily rounds for this Monday.

[Madtrapper]

If you caught two big ones and a small one there will be more. Beavers stay with there colony till they are 3-4 yrs old then they are driven out by the older ones.Hence the 4 yr olds are called movers. They will be the ones starting a new colony in the spring. Using a setting tool for your #330 conibear is a safe way to go if you are not used to them. I just pull them against my knee to set them but I have set thousands over the years. Good luck trapping

[onefunzr2]

Thanks for the beaver info. This is my first go round with beavers and body gripping traps. At 67 I just don't have the strength I used to. I don't feel ashamed, I use a cocking tool for my Barnett Ghost 350 crossbow.

I started in June of this year when I purchased this Max II to be able to navigate their swamp. My 81 year old downstream neighbor also said there would be more than 3.