How do you all do it?
I work 3rd shift, so I can run a small line all week. I check my line each morning (24 hr. check). I have the opportunity to get a first shift position, but not sure how I would trap during the week. I live exactly 1 hr. from work, so would have to leave my house at 5:30am to get there. I work four-ten hour shifts.
How do you trap and work, while working 1st shift?

get permission on farms that are in route to work if you can, otherwise you are gonna wake up earlier or check them after work.... Or do a 3 day trap on the weekends setting the day you get off work.

I work 0700-1600. I live about 40 minutes from work, but I trap at the farthest maybe 15 minutes from the house. Only takes me an hour or so to run my line, sometimes quicker if no catches and sometimes a little longer with catches. I get up at 0430, get ready and leave my house by 0450 at the latest. Back home by 0615 or so in time to get to work by 0700.
But now I drive the truck home so technically I don’t have to leave my house until 0700, so bump everything up 1 hour.
Only drawback is catching critters right at sunrise and finding them in the evenings after work when I go back to reset. Although when managers or landowners drive through the property and see caught critters it makes you look good, lol. Had many call me all excited when they find them.

I am fortunate. I have been at my job for 23 years. I have 5 weeks of vacation. The last three years I have had four weeks of vacation left when trapping season begins. I manage 40 people in my department, so I work half days. Start work at 4:30am, get everything set up for the day and am on the road by 10:30. My line takes about 5 hours to run. I do that for as long as the weather allows me to. This year I did it for 7 weeks and was left with2 days of vacation left when done.

Nice!

I am similar to you, I work an hour from home. I do work first shift 7am - 3.30pm during canine season I am up at 3 am and out the door by 3.15 am my line can be run in an hour and a half. I try to be home by 5am to drop off my catch in the fur shed, go in the house shower, and on my way to work by 5.30am then when I get home in the evening I eat dinner then head to the fur shed. When I'm running canine and water traps, I check my water traps after dinner.

I used save up 3-4 weeks vacation an take first 2 weeks off straight but that job long gone , I st shift worker , took off 3 days in Nov, after then drown sets or connibears mostly only, at first used lot dps but after that 3 days up, set wkends holidays, dps kinda fizzle out, it can be rough, no longer do but used get up 3 am an run bunch traps bfore work, not lot a fun trapping with big rush check bfore work an not spend much time if any on remake, sprung trap after catch an reset days later , also last season would check once or twice an spring trap till cone weekend on sat or Fri afternoon

Check after work.

I work 1st shift and also have a hour commute, so my day starts at 3:00 am when trapping starts. Have to be back home and on the road for work around 4:50. I did work 3rd shift for awhile and was great for trapping, but it was tough when I had young kids in the house during the day.

I (and my land owners) would not want my catches bouncing around in my traps all day.
Note- this 1st shift job would be 7:00am - 5:30pm. with an hour commute each way.

It is not easy. A lot of my sets I check from the pickup with binoculars on the way home. I don't have a lot of equipment out. I am a little lucky where I set a few traps on the family farm and my 77 year old father takes a quick look at them. It does make it tougher when you are making resets after dark. If there is a will there is a way. When I worked 3rd shift it was easier.

Something to think about. If you check before work, what about the critters that you catch after you check?

I work 4 days a week (10 hour shifts). I set on Saturday, check on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and pull on Tuesday. It works well for me. Set an area heavy, catch what I can, and be done with it. Sometimes I skin in the he back of my truck on my lunch breaks if I have a lot of fur to deal with.

I'll find out this year, I've done shift work for 25 year's.
Be my first year of trapping and working all day shift s.
But we don't have a check law like your's.

This is a good idea....

Anyway u do it,alot work, I never like run traps flashlite, dont like live critters in traps often while work, it bothers me the thought it , for canine trapping , 1 st shift usslly don't work out

I check a lot of my line starting at 4:00AM and shoot to be home by 6:30 or 7:00AM at latest, get cleaned up, and out the door to work by 7:50 or sooner. Means getting up st 3:30 to grab coffee and get dressed quietly without waking up rest of the house. Sometimes have to check them after work but prefer early in morning.
Weekends are a treat can wait until sunup and don't have to burn batteries plus get to take better pics.
Boys can generally go weekends or after work with me too.
I have several farms that are walk in only to check. Move fast and keep sets simple so I don't have to carry much. I stash all my waxed dirt in fencerows and weed patches near sets. You get a system after a while that works. Only set what you can handle. Skin at night, check in AM. Only way I can do it. If no time to skin they go in freezer and thawed later to peel. Coyote and coon line mostly, some mink and some beaver.
Jim

Some got be work at 5-6 am, used start 6 am for many yrs, I rember 230-3 am up for trapping, not lot fun flashlite an reset with do good job at it at reset , don't happen, half time leave trap sprung until later, u well really miss daylite or trapping without flashlite, I never like dark trapping , one small advantage it in row, or ditch, if real early, not many people up or on road, avoid confrontations except law enforcement , u have to know right where stop on road an right where traps at , in fog , I wouldn't go, snowstorms also bad idea, snow plows not got roads to good real early

I feel there may be a good story here.

I'm on a rotating 12 hour shift, hour commute to work. 7-7, 3 days on,3 off and then 3 graves. The day shifts are tough, real early check but I do utilize 2 days on my 3 day legal check. Always check the day before shift, middle shift hours before daylight and then first day off