Traps

Beavers flood drainage ditches and drown standing timber, while martens raid homesteads, poultry sheds and car engine bays. When calls and deterrents stop working, trapping is what remains. This category holds selective traps for beavers and martens plus setting tongs, the tool that makes arming a powerful spring safe.

Who these traps are for

Selective traps are the only trap type allowed in the EU because they kill instantly, without prolonged suffering. They suit hunters controlling beaver numbers in their grounds and property owners dealing with marten damage. Beaver trapping is reserved for licensed hunters, so check your legal position before you set anything.

What the range includes

The category contains four items that work in pairs: two traps and two matching sets of tongs. Choose by the animal you plan to catch and add the matching tongs at once, because the spring is far too strong to compress by hand.

Selective beaver traps

The stronger trap, set on beaver runs, dam crossings and burrow entrances. It fires when the animal passes through the frame and touches the trigger, so it also works underwater.

Selective marten traps

A smaller-framed trap for martens and predators of similar size. It goes into sheds, attics and along walls where a marten keeps using the same route night after night.

Beaver trap setting tongs

Long levers let you compress the heavy beaver-trap spring at a safe distance from the frame and lock the safety catch without rushing.

Marten trap setting tongs

Sized for the lighter spring, so arming is quick and safe for your fingers even in frost, with gloves on.

How to choose

The animal and the setting site decide the choice, not the price. Before ordering, go through these points:

1. Match the trap to the quarry: a beaver needs the large frame and heavy spring, a marten needs the smaller trap.
2. Consider the site: pick the beaver model for work in and around water, the marten model for buildings and dry ground.
3. Buy the tongs with the trap: arming in the field with cold, wet hands and no tool is where accidents happen.
4. Check the rules: beavers require a hunting licence and permission for the grounds, martens on private property fall under separate rules.

Field advice

Placement and scent control decide success, because both beaver and marten follow fixed routes and read human scent well. Air new traps outdoors before setting so the smell of metal and oil fades, and wear gloves while handling them. For beavers the best spots are narrow crossings over the dam and runs leading from water to the bank. Check your sets regularly, as the rules require, and mark each location on GPS, since snow or a flood can hide them completely.

Related categories worth a look: game calls, lures and feed and hunting stands and blinds. If you are unsure which trap fits your situation, write to us and we will advise.