OPTIONS IN CATCHING BEAVER WHILE AVOIDING OTTER CAPTURE
Comstock Swim Through Cage Traps with Unique Options. Factory made or easily modified to become —SPECIES SPECIFIC— to capture beaver, these one of a kind traps can be used either to —CATCH OR AVOID CATCHING OTTER— while maintaining the ability to capture beaver without issue.
Most Versatile Cage Traps in the World
Unlike any other cage trap being offered, these cage traps exhibit an unmatched degree of versatility in traps designed to function in water, under water or on land when set at any angle, placed right side up, upside down, sideways and even vertically. The swim through traps are available in either 12x18x39 or 12x12x36 with double doors. (We use the larger traps most of the time.)
AVOIDING INCIDENTAL OTTER CATCHES
With a sensitivity in protecting non-targeted species like otter, we realized that when setting the traps upside down either in or under water, we could cut one or two 4.5×6 inch openings in the wire mesh at the corners of the traps to allow unintended otters and muskrats to escape unharmed. We set the cage traps “upside down” most of the time so that the powered cage doors close upward when the trigger is fired. The escape holes are cut into the bottom of the trap, which then becomes the top of the trap when the trap is set upside down, making it easy for otters to find the escape opening. This is a valuable tool when otter seasons are either closed in summer or in areas where there simply are no otter seasons.
CATCH BEAVER WHILE AVOIDING OTTER
Though these outstanding cage traps were first made and used with only capture in mind, in time we realized that a remarkable dichotomy existed in a trap that could be made “species specific” not only to catch targeted beaver, but to avoid non-targeted species like otters by simply making a slight modification. Best yet, this could easily be accomplished without compromising either the integrity of the device or the ability of these traps to capture targeted beaver. The traps would now be placed in a very unique category in a cage trap that will catch beaver while allowing otters and muskrats to escape when desired.
THOUSANDS OF COMSTOCK CAGES IN SERVICE
Comstock swim through cage traps were initially designed to capture beaver, knowing that they would of course take otter, muskrats and nutria. With many thousands of these remarkable traps in service all over North America, they have exceeded expectations in making tens of thousands of captures of all kinds of aquatic animals. We created these traps not just to market, but to use. In our own nuisance wildlife business, as of March 2025, we have taken 2,080 beaver as well as hundreds of muskrats and many dozens of otter.
OTTER ESCAPE DOOR
If the traps are to be used so that otter will never be captured, all that has to be done is to cut the escape hole or holes. However, if there are varying situations that may sometimes require the capture of otters, a factory otter escape door will provide one more option by allowing the trapper to choose either escape or capture by simply opening or closing the otter escape door.
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