Do you think it makes a difference or affects catch numbers on what time you check traps?
Let’s say you have a job you need to be at by 0700 and you have to start checking traps at 0430 vs checking them well after daylight. Do you think you might scare critters off that might have possibly walked by your sets closer to daylight?
I’ll wait for comments before I give my 2 cents.

Absolutely, early morning is a big movement time for all game animals and predators. With that being said I had to run my trap line early this past season because of work. I’m sure it cost me some catches but you do what you have to do.

I have 3 witness that saw me set a trap. Go down another road and came back Had a coyote in a set at a Flat Set. This was in South Alabama About 30 mins latter. About 4 pm in afternoon. Caught 1 afew miles from New Mexico line. 15 mins after I set a trap. Came back there was the coyotes. It was 20 mins beforw sunset. Point is you can catch a coyote 24 hrs out of the day.

The time you have the least chance of spooking an animal away is generally midday, but any time you check traps you run to risk of spooking a critter that was about to work your set.

They don’t have watches, they don’t have a rigid schedule. They do what they want, when they want. I’ve seen coyotes hunting at high noon just as often as dawn or dusk.

I try to check mid morning-mid afternoon, but I’ve checked at night a lot of times for whatever reason. If I had to choose between early morning or after dusk, I’d choose after dusk. For no other reason than I’m not a morning person. I believe the risk of spooking a critter is exactly the same either way.

Numerous times I've chased critters off before daylight checking in the dark and before school, once chased a red off a set right at daybreak. Now we always wait to check until after daylight. Having said that, I once checked traps in the dark before school, and went back after school to remake a set that had a skunk, and a red was waiting on me in a different set, so anything can happen and they can move through at any time

I realize you can catch a critter any time of the day, done it before. But I think most would agree most catches come from sunset to sunrise rather than sunrise to sunset.
My “report to” work location was changed about a year ago which now gives me time to check after daylight and my catch rate has improved.
I’ve checked in the dark only to go back to reset at lunch and have critters. What I hated most was driving up in the dark and seeing eyes at the trap location thinking I had a catch, only to see it run off and find the trap undisturbed.

The time of day doesnt make any difference.
Checking traps too often is what will change animal behaviour for the negative.

i think it depends on the density of the human population where your trapping

I don't know the answer but I ve always starting checking early a.m..
The later it gets after sun_up, the more people may spot a catch.

This is why I appreciate our states 96 hour check law. I’m going to arrange my work schedule this season so that I will be checking traps all day every third day for the most part.

I agree with Boco and Bob. We have a 72 hour check law here in western SD and I like it. Have checked a lot of traps with a head lamp before work back in the day and saw no difference in the catch.

I was unaware of any state that had a 96-hour trap check. I know a few have 72, like Idaho where I’m from, and I think it’s fantastic, but I didn’t know any states were longer than that.
I typically don’t wait the full 72hrs just because I’d rather not have an animal in the trap that long if I can help it, plus I get antsy and want to check. I probably average about 48hrs per trap check, both to not disturb locations and to save on gas, but the 72hrs is really nice when work schedules or whatever get busy. I’m now temporarily in a state that has a 24hr trap check and it’s terrible after being used to 72.

There are states that don't have a time limit, although 72 is the norm for Western states. Wyoming (don't quote me on this, I am going from memory so double check if you are going to trap Wyoming) a 72 for footholds while snares and conibears are once a week. And it is explained that this is 'once a week' not every seven days, you can check on Sunday of one week and Saturday of the following week.

Boco is right, if you are trapping along traveled roads where you can check traps visually without exiting the vehicle it doesn't matter much, but if you are having to walk out to sets to check them or are trapping an area where your vehicle, whether it be pickup, atv, or snowmachine is the only vehicle traveling there, then the less often you have to do so the less you will affect animal movements.

Montana is one that doesn’t have a set number of hours to check, at least where I trapped, I’m not sure about the lynx protection zones.

Montana law, when I trapped there from 2010-2020, read “you must check traps in such a manner that animals caught therein will not be wasted”

Here it is every 96 hours, but the way my work schedule lands I will be checking on Sunday, then on Wednesday or Thursday and again on Sunday. I might run separate short lines after work on Monday And Tuesday and on my normal days off Friday and Saturday.