I have a few bigger live traps and want to start a small line on 40 acres...any tips or suggestions it's private land so I can set them up early and and wire them open tell the season opens...

If you are talking about cage traps, I like using apples in the fisher cages made by Little Wolf Trapping Supply. I think you can only buy them from Cumberlands or from Brian in Manawa, Wi via Lil Wolf's fb page.


Use a squirt of Reusaat's Liquid Predator frenzy bait

I've caught a Couple in cages over the years with a Fruity coon bait I make. But if I was trying to target them I'd Still use Skunk junk as a call, and beaver meat wired to the back.
A 12 x 12 cage is sufficient.

As far as wiring beaver meat to the back of the cage...do you elevate it at all in the cage?

Run a wire thru your meat and hang it in the back so the pieces hangs a couple of inches from the top and back

Skunk quill up high, half a muskrat wired in the back, with fox gland lure on a piece of fur has worked well for me. As long as you are close to a travel corridor you will catch fisher.

Yes wire it up in the back top

How do you keep the red squirrels from stealing the bait?

Used cages for many fisher in WI when they were first legal. Males were about 60-75 bucks and good pale females were 300 and we could only have one. Sorting is easy when just male-female but we used release device to examine fur and select the female to take. Stand cage on end, hold door down tight. First time a female we wanted to closely examine hit the door that my wife was supposed to be holding down, she got all girly, went OOOH and jumped back. That one ran off. After we tightened up on our procedure, it was easy, hold down door, reach in with release devise and grab by neck, lift out and grab hind legs with free hand. They are stretched out on the pole, make funny chrrring sounds and you can decide yes or no. If you want it, lay its head on nearby log and use 3/8 rebar cage stake between ears. I much preferred a hind quarter of beaver hung in the back top with Gusto nearby. We set what we called "green swamps" in brook headwaters where fisher hunt from cedar to cedar looking for snowshoes or ruffed grouse.

I have not had that problem I guess

Ermine will give you fits on bait but squirrels don't seem to be a problem. Same as the other guys, beaver wired high in the back of the cage with a skunky lure.

I have caught dozens in william 10x10 cage trap. Use a good chunk of beaver in back of trap and skunky lure up on a tree nearby. Most of mine went to Pa for restocking, and I used them when i was close to my limit.