I have bought both my traplines.If you buy a trapline you are buying the improvements and equipment,not the land.It is on a willing buyer willing seller transaction between the outgoing trapper and the incoming one.Once the deal is made,if there is no documented first nation claim on the trapline then the harvesting rights will be transferred to the new trapper as per the instructions of the outgoing trapper.
Lines that are vacant are allocated on a point system to the applicant with the most points.Points are awarded for years experience,belonging to provincial,and local trapping organizations,completion of the fur management fur harvest and conservation course.Also how close the line is to your home.points are taken away if you already have a trapline and are applying for a second line or for any fur offenses under the fish/wildlife conservation act. If there is a tie in points between one or more applicants the local trapping council will decide who gets the line.This can be done by a members vote.

Can you trap if you can not acquire a trapline? Can you just trap public land?

Here in BC you most often acquire a trapline from a trapper who is selling one or occasionally by bidding on a vacant one put up for sale by the government. When a trapper sells his line the transfer to the purchaser must be approved by the government. Basically the purchaser must be 19 years of age or older and have completed a trapper education course approved by the government to purchase or bid on a line.

This thread has been very interesting and informative. I hope it continues to be civil so that it doesn't get axed.

How much can one expect to spend on a trapline on average?

There are three classes of licences in Ontario,registered trapping licence,resident trapping licence,and farmers licence.
You can get a licence to trap on private land,which is the resident licence.You can sign up as much private land as you want.A trapper on a registered line can also trap on private property if he signs it up.If the private land is within or touches the boundaries of the registered line,no other licence is required(just permission).If not you will have to purchase a resident trapping licence.
A farmer can trap on his own land with a farmers licence to sell pelts.

In BC basically all crown land is covered by a trapline area. You can only trap on private land or a trapline, with written permission, if you do not have a registered trapline. In either case you must have passed and approved course to obtain a trapping licence.

In Ontario if you are awarded a vacant line under the points system,there is no charge.If you buy a line the cost is based on the improvements.Here where I am a line can go from $1000 up to $25,000.There are a lot of variables-remoteness,quotas,equipment,cabins etc.

Some lines may have 2 or 3 cabins and a number of boats and motors,maintained trails,snow machines,4 wheelers,argo,chainsaws,traps,etc.

The vast majority of established traplines will sell between 5 and 10 thousand here in NE Ont.
The fur harvest records are most likely to be taken into account also.

There are always a fair number of vacant lines available each year in the NE.We see more and more going to resident trappers from southern Ontario that want to manage a trapline in the north.I like to see the southern trappers get their feet wet on a northern line.

" How do Canadians manage traplines?"


They do pretty good. but the fur prices suck!

(I'll apologize in advance if there is no room for humor here)

That's how I got my line. It was free. I trapped it as a helper trapper for a few years, then the head trapper signed a succession form. A succession form just says that if the head trapper cannot trap his line any more, the line goes to the helper trapper. He signed the form, then gave up the line. It then went to me. This is how buying a line also works like this. You agree on a price, then the head trapper puts you on his line as a helper, and gives up the line. It is now yours.

And I don't think there is any reason it can't be a civil thread. We aren't saying whose system is better, just exaining what works for us.

Somebody (You almost did)

Apology accepted. Now write out "RTLs are better" two hundred times and go to your room.

Kidding! We don't wanna go there lol

FYI,me and hutchy are just talking about Ontario.It is different in other provinces.Wildlife in Canada is managed by the provincial governments,not federal.

Traplines vary considerable depending production, assets and equipment involved, from a few thousand to $100,000 or more. I would expect a decent line to go for around $25,000 to $40,000. Google BC traplines for sale for an idea of whats being asked currently

Bc guys, are there quotas attached to those lines?

There are provision for quotas but I am not aware of any lines which have had quotas set on them.

I understand that you may have an open quota on lets say fox, however does your government give you and idea of what to take to maintain a healthy population per acre like it does with the animals with the quotas?

When you guys get a trapline is it government regulated or is it yours to do as you wish like build new cabins, cut paths out of timber things like that.

There have been a couple mentions of equipment being sold with a trap line. Is that customary, that a trapper would sell all his gear and snow machine and ATV when he sells the line, or just if he's retiring for good?

That’s cheap!

In BC management of your harvest is up to the trapper. The education course provides you with basic guidelines to accomplish this. The government has the option to establish a quota or close the season on you.

You must get approval for your cabins in BC and trail cutting requires approval if it involves the cutting of commercial timber.