This setup is placed between the den and the feed pile. You chop a hole in the ice about 18 inches square. A note of caution first. Be careful.  You can fall through the ice. I recommend you go with a friend so someone is there to help you get out if you do fall in. Enter the ice at your own risk. You will need a ice scoop to clear the hole.

Use your axe to sharpen the end so it goes into the mud. Take 4 pieces of Aspen, Popular or Dogwood.  Partially peel the piece so you can see white and leave bark on the rest of the piece. This is nailed on the front and back of the poles and the snares are placed on both sides. Take #9 wire and wrap around the pole. Add two fence staples, this prevents the wire from spinning around the pole. Leave a piece about 3 inches long sticking out on each side of the pole.

Open your snare to an 8 inch loop, hook the support collar to the #9 wire. Wrap the extra snare around the pole and wire it to the pole and if you want run another piece of wire up to the cross-stick.  Carefully place the pole in the water making sure you don't knock any of the 4 snares closed.

Drive the pole into the mud so it is solid. Place Pine, Cedar boughs over the hole and cover the boughs with snow. This will make it easier to re-open the hole when you return.

Check the snares once every 3 - 5 days. The reason for this is beaver are spooked easily on their ponds when you are chopping holes in the ice every day.  They might just hole up under there for 3 - 4 days waiting for you to stop coming back. The beaver has been under water and cold and still good to eat.

Hope this helps.

Buckshot