Figured it was worth asking ya'll for input on something I'm trying to do this upcoming year. I live in southcentral PA, and am looking to take a week next year and go on a trapping trip. I could probably manage to go two places if need be for a few days each, but would prefer to spend a week in one general location. Trying to catch some animals that aren't plentiful where I'm at. Grey fox are at the top of my hit list, followed by muskrat, and if possible I'd love to snag a beaver. Would be willing to go out of state to MD, NY, or NJ. Hopefully someone can point me in a direction so I can research and make plans. Honestly I'd be thrilled just to be in an area where I could stack up a pile of rats. Been trying to have something made for the wife, but catching 5 a season isn't going to cut it.

Footholds are not legal in New Jersey. Not only can you not use them, you can't even possess them!! Something to,keep,in mind when planning your adventure. Body traps are ok - at least they were the last time I checked.

Have fun!!

Not sure how the laws in MD or NY are, but WV has pretty lenient laws. Everything comes in season together, and you are allowed 3 cats, one otter, and one fisher. No need to buy separate tags, and trapping season is trapping season. The only thing that changes is Fisher season goes out Jan. 31, and you can trap beaver until Mar. 31.

NY would be tempting for me. I would love to catch a marten.

welcome up here anytime.you to Dfabs.i get my ny lisc. every year but have yet to travel up north.don't threaten me with a good time.

Shoot me a PM. Always love going north. If there's grey fox and a few muskrat to be caught I'd be in heaven. Probably snag some yotes up your way too.

I'd scratch NJ off the list, No foot traps other then a pull only DP. All conibears have to be fully submerged but we are aloud to snare. Beaver and otter are on lottery. No allowed cats or fisher.

I thought someone told me NJ was full of muskrats.

Different question. What would ya'll say are the hands down best states to trap muskrat? I hear South Dakota, but what are others. I think I may just focus on one bucket list animal at a time, and right now they're in my crosshairs. And another huge question, once figuring a state to go to, what is the best way to plan where to go? It's not like one can set up a guided trapping trip. If I just wing it and drive multiple states away, how does one find somewhere to actually trap?

Come up and trap the North Maine Woods!! 3.5 million acres of trapping paradise.

Check out www.eaguides.com for details. References available

Looks awesome, but if I read the website correctly next bookable trips are 2020. Guess 2019 is all filled up.

I guide in Alaska also and will be guiding a brown bear hunt down the Peninsula next Fall and am not sure how early I’ll be back. I’d consider booking a water line trip, but I won’t have much time to prep in between AK and ME.

I’m holding off on marten trips until 2020 because our marten trapping is much better on years without mast crops. They run in a 2 year cycle. This year was an off year for mast and a good year for marten, so next good year should be 2020. I could do the trips every year, but since most of my clients come from a ways away and spend a fair amount of money overall, I’d prefer the trapping to be the best it can be. Typically the catch on off years is half what it is on good years. You can still catch them, but need to run a lot of sets, hope for snow, and accept the fact that you are going to check lots of empty sets on those off years.

So thats why I skip a year... plus I like to deer hunt and booking these trips pretty much means I have to skip deer season. So every other year is a good pace for me. They are a lot of work and we trap a new line each week starting from scratch.

Got ya. I understand trying to get into the woods yourself. I'm a taxidermist and if I don't get my all my deer in a small window during early archery I don't get to hunt. Working in wildlife related industries can be a double edged sword. Get to be around it regularly, but not able to do much for yourself. Also good to hear you wait until trapping is the best. Some wouldn't think twice about trapping a place out. My biggest initial question is how much fur is the client able to have when all is said and done?

Clients get to keep all the fur from the week. Rather then coming out to just ride along and check a line that has already been set out ahead of time, I’d like to see you guys do all the setting. Yes its more work for you, but I feel you get more out of it and a more rewarding trip. You do the actual trapping. We have a 5-day tend law on our killer traps in the area I guide. We set traps for four days, as many as we can get out basically. Usually my goal for these trips is to get 80 stops set, 2 traps a stop. This is usually around 100-120miles of line. Then the 5&6th days are spent checking and pulling all the traps. Too much to get done in one day. I trap a new line with the next clients.

If the weather is decent and fur moves like normal I usually estimate a marten catch of 5-12. Usually a fisher catch of 1-3 and can usually get 6-12 weasels. This year I had two weeks of trips get 10 marten for the week. I had one week get a catch of 6 fisher on top of that and I think 10 weasels. I had two trips get doubles on marten. The first initial check is typically lower then the second check on your line... simply due to less trap nights. Obviously the traps set the first day have the most trap nights on them come check time, so those traps usually do better than the traps put out on the fourth day. But even with a brand new line each week, with fewer trap nights than a established line, we make good catches. I’ve done this long enough to be able to identify good locations and thats the only real secret to good catches. If a trapper wanted to come up and check an established line to see the best possible catch, I’d only let them keep one piece of fur from each species since they were not doing the work of setting.

Usually there is not time to put up the fur and much of it is frozen anyways, so you take the fur home in the round and put it up at home.

The water line is run similar except focusing on mink and otter and different numbers of traps at each location depending on location. . Lots of blind sets, some pockets, and bottom edge. Usually can average 6-12 mink a week and a few otter. We have a great area to run a water line. I’m really looking forward to that trip.

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Looked over your website, very impressive. I've hunted the Alaska Peninsula for brown bear a couple of times and have a friend who operates a brown bear operation down there. Who are you guiding for and where?

I guide for Rod Schuh. R&R Alaska Peninsula Guide Service & Hoodoo Lodge. Based out of Cold Bay for bear hunts.

I hunted Wide Bay, spring and fall. Some big bear down that way, monster moose, too. AAA Alaskan Outfitters. Brent Jones. He's based out of the Dog Salmon River but I'm quite sure he operated in the Cold Bay area. Brent used to do my taxidermy work and his retired guiding partner (Roger Morris) and I are friends.

He is quite a ways North up the Peninsula from me. Pretty good moose area up there. Definitely some of the biggest bears in the world there!

What's your poison? .338 or .375?

.416 Ruger handloaded with 400 grain swift a-frames. Big bears!