[Flint Lock]

If you were going to plan a "trapping vacation" where you took a week off work to do the majority of your trapping for the season in PA, what time of the season would you schedule that week?

 

[Bigbrownie]

Week before Christmas for sure. Muskrat, mink, beaver, bobcat and fisher are all in. Fur looks really good....maybe beaver could look better. Coon are looking nice yet, as well as all canines. I never bought into the notion that canines can’t be caught after deer season closes because of gut piles. Flat sets and urine posts don’t even involve food sources. You should have open water for beaver on moving water, and lakes aren’t froze up hard, or maybe not at all.

 

[Bowhunter862C]

I guess it depends on what animals your after. I usually take off the first week of November for canines an to hunt the rut. I figure I can put up the most numbers in the short amount of time I have because they haven't had much pressure yet there's a ton of young ones an they are in there dispersal period yet so you can catch new coyotes coming through daily where as in the latter part of the year they've pretty much resided in a home range an don't go out of it very often. Plus the ground ain't froze solid an the weather is usually pretty nice yet.

 

[Hern]

Which species you trapping? Do you have a goal/numbers in mind?
If Fox & Coyote, as early as possible. 'Numbers' can be achieved early season.
Mixed bag line- what Bigbrownie said.

I planned a vacation line for 40-50 years before retirement. 1 week years ago, then 4 weeks later in my career.
If you have sick days or floating holidays, use a couple added to vacation, to set traps and get a line established. Plan to set as many traps as possible the first couple days. After that, if just line maintenance.

What I found with a vacation line, have a plan, have your permission, do your scouting, have equipment ready, have locations prepare, do all BEFORE season begins. Change the oil in pickup, check tires and have pickup ready as well.
Be prepared, have alot of permission & territory, make adjustments when needed. This-a-way the only thing that will hold you back is the weather.
Be confident and ready to work hard. Be ready when the bell sounds.

 

[TrapperRon2]

I always planned for the first week of November. Then prepared for the weather to turn bad.

 

[Longbeard12]

Well this year I did not start till bobcat season started. I put about 16 traps out and for my first year thought it went pretty well. However I think this coming fall if I had only one week it would be the first week of the season. Never trapped that early, but from what I have been reading about putting up some good K9 numbers, that's what I would go with.

 

[Longbeard12]

How about you Flint lock? Any specific dates?

 

[blackpowder]

Late season for beaver through the ice.

 

[Flint Lock]

How about you Flint lock? Any specific dates?

Not really sure. Like you, this was my first year and I didn't start until after X-mas. Thought about it for several years but after seeing fishers during rifle deer season two years in a row at camp and the locals claiming the fishers are reducing the turkey population, I figured I'd jump in this year. By that time I had missed the cut off for the fisher license so I just put out some traps to see what I could get while at camp for a few days over the holidays. Even though I didn't catch anything at camp I was hooked and so I came home and put some sets on a small patch of public ground near my house. I didn't have any sign to set on, just found some ground I could get to quickly in the morning before work where I could trap without worrying about people and dogs and made some sets.

I really didn't know anything about trapping and had no one to show me, so I got a book and watched a lot of youtube. I figured this would be like hunting: tough during late winter and take several years to get my first harvest.
Well, it was tough but I was fortunate enough to take some fur this year with no experience and limited time and access.

Without good access close to home I thought about taking a "trapping vacation" at camp next season to hit it hard for a week or so during primetime if there is one. I've been told that canines are easier to take in the fall, but I know that February is breeding season for others like skunks and coons. Fall will be tough for me because I have a new gun dog coming this spring and will be busy in the fields with her come October, plus archery, muzzleloader, and other life stuff. But it would be possible to spend a week at camp and do it all. I also like the idea of right after X-mas because fisher is in and it's a good time to take off work and the kids don't have school. It's easier for me to find time to trap in late season, but convincing the wife and kids to spend a week at camp with nothing else for them to do won't be easy. So I don't know yet. Plenty of time to decide.

 

[Longbeard12]

Lol, your situation sounds pretty close to mine! I am extremely fortuanate to have lots of vacation time so for me there might be more than one vacation line. I typically take the last 2 weeks of archery season off and thought about archery hunting till late morning and then going out to check the line. My only issue with that is that is, I was also going to set a bunch of state forest around me and hate the thought of not checking those before daylight. Might have to get up even extra early to check those before heading out with the bow. Like you said still have lots of time to think about it. I have a feeling though that my biggest line will be those first 2 weeks of November.

 

[camprut&strut]

I think it also depends on what your doing with the fur if you trap the first couple weeks in pa.there's nothing prime.Anytime mid November to late January I do most of mine early to mid January love trapping the cold weather for fox