Trapping season is open for most things here in Manitoba, but it’s been a really warm fall. Do you wait for temps to drop below freezing? Or go by a set start date?

Fur primes the same time every year. Variations are due to health and nutrition.

When the season opens!

Lots of things to take into consideration-number one is the type of fur in demand.Right now only prime fur is readily salable and some species are stagnating(mink and coon) Early fur is a tough sell,and if it sells its a low price.Number two,is there anyone else trapping where you trap-ie open area or registered trapline/exclusive acess on private property etc.No use waiting if someone else is taking the fur early.
Number 3-trapcheck laws-Depending on the target species,if you have an extended trapcheck law it pays to wait until cold weather-that way you can run more traps on a 3,4 or 5 day check-(you dont have to check every trap every day,but you will be checking some traps every day on a rotation) In warm weather to prevent spoilage,particularly with land fur,especially if you use all lethal sets(snares) you will have to check every trap every day.Extended check times also gives your traps time to work so when you do check you will be checking fewer empty traps.Also visiting traps every day can disturb some animals and is counterproductive.
This does not apply to prolific species like muskrats which can be hammered overnight,and traps moved.

So lots to take into account when planning a line.

i need thick ice and thick fur before I start....cold weather seems to help both...

Thanks for the replies. Itching to get started, couple more weeks likely would be better

Photo period is the cause of "prime", same day every year, almost, as mentioned above. The longer after that date the more the fur breaks down from wear, prime only lasts about one day. As soon as the critter enters a briar patch or thicket or lays down to rest the fur begins to wear. Cold just means more work to get it done and warm just means needing to skin sooner.
In most places the opening day is as good a time as any to start, seasons are often set by the dates thought to coincide with "prime".

Canine Season opened 10/15 here, nothing is prime then. 11/20 is the magic prime time here for yotes, 11/25 for red fox. tjm is right , very short window for yotes, 2 weeks tops for fully prime. YOY a bit later. With the market as it is I'll settle for less numbers and be able to market them.

I generally wait on coyotes until Thanksgiving or Dec 1st here. I always waited because the week before is rifle deer and that gets pretty crazy around here and wasn't worth it to me.
On other hand, waiting until afterward and I compete with all the truck and dog coyote guys, and fight weather too.
I'm actually putting a few sets out this weekend in places where there is no cover...flat picked bean fields and a whispy little fencerow or weedy water way up through middle. Not much issue with deer hunters on those spots. The first three days after deer season I took off to set the other land I have permission on, and then will go hard for a few weeks while stuff is good quality. Skin and freeze as I go, will finish them later and take my time then.
Our general trapping season starts Nov. 1 here and that is WAY too early, is every year. But its been that way for as long as I can remember like 40+ years of doing this. Waiting about three weeks until later in November has brought me much better quality coyotes for sure.
Jim

If I remember correctly, back in the early 80's, the water trapping didn't open until Dec 1 or the 15th here in Nebr. Maybe it was just the beaver season. I might set a few coyote traps tomorrow where I hunt deer. The main line won't be set until after deer season.

Another guy from up here did some calling and got a bunch of coyotes. One was a little blue but he said fur was starting to look good

Coyote in northern Michigan are still a bit blue but fur is looking great.

When you have time to trap is when you start If you listen to everyone else you'll probably never set a trap

Good point. Thanks

Nice looking coyote

An old chart showing approximate dates for Mn. But, it's worth noting that "prime" is a leather condition rather than a fur condition. "Prime" happens when fur growth stops for the season and the blood feeding it goes away, the blood and growing roots cause the "blue" leather. In real life the fur may be best just before "prime" happens to the leather.

Another old chart


A related thread - https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6330588/2/Unseasonable_prolonged_cold_pr

In the northern tier of states we do a lot of private sector ADC for the public and the governments by catching most of our fur before it is anywhere near prime, at least I do. I was looking back at many years of stats the other day and I am guessing only about 5-8% of my coons were ever caught in December. I have caught way more the last 10 days of October then December.

Bryce

Left one is a pup from last November and right one is a big male from last February. Both graded DMG

Center one is from two winters in January ago and was a 1.

Last winter was mild up here and no snow, two winters ago was cold.

Here's something I copied from The Petska Fur Company in Ord, Nebraska. This might or might now be a benefit to you but just reading the last sentence could be worth the time.

"The Petska Fur Company in Ord, Nebraska, recommends the following start dates on their website (petskafur.net): 7,000 ft. Canadian border, October 15; 6,000 ft. Williston North Dakota, October 20; 5,000 ft. from I-94 to Glendive, Montana, October 25; North Dakota / South Dakota line, October 30, I-90 to Rapid City South Dakota, November 5; Nebraska / South Dakota state line, November 10; I-80 November 15; Kansas / Oklahoma state line December 1. Length of days affect fur priming more than any other factor. A wet, cloudy, overcast fall can advance fur primeness, while a month of bright sunny days can delay it by a week or more"

Good advice.