Back some years ago the Pennsylvania mink/muskrat season always started Thanksgiving Day. I never could get much sleep the night before Thanksgiving because I had visions of setting many traps and collecting lots of fur on the first check. Thanksgiving at that time was my favorite holiday. I screwed up the family tradition of having Thanksgiving dinner at noon, when my mother realized I would be out on the trap line she decided to have the big meal in the evening.

Those mom's just know how to work things out.

Didnt we have a 2 week mrat season not too long ago?

Same here. I’d hustle and get 100 traps in before 1 PM. Lots of competition in western Pa. in the late 70s. I was trapping Moraine State Park, had a lot of rats back then. My best haul was 60 rats on my first check....think it was 1979.


Rat season...Thanksgiving....and the buck season opener on Monday. Was the best time of the year.

Thanksgiving for those reasons Jim meant so much to me. Remember going back out after the big dinner and checking the line for the first time! Coming home and skinning and having another good catch in the morning. Not sure of the year but I wrote Muskrats For Thanksgiving for the Pa Game News. For sure a special holiday.

Happier times back then. As i was reading your story it struck me for some reason all the GREAT trappers that came from your state, too many to list.

Those were good ol days. Up at 4:00 am go best spot and wait for 7:00 am start time. Set traps, check sets at 11:00 pm. Get up early next morning and check traps again. Man I miss those days.

Was a hectic 5-6 days back then!!

No Thanksgiving dinner for me, mom didn't wait because I was gone about all day and then to sleep for a couple hours before checking around midnight. Had to get what ya could before pulling to go hunting and leaving them for someone else.