With the season less than a month away we are trying to get our things together. We are going to try to trap some fisher . I’ve read how beaver is by far the best bait but until the season opens in November that won’t be an option. Would squirrel or rabbit word with a castor lure ?

It's a natural food for them so I don't see why not.

Fishers are an opportunistic hunter/scavengers. They prey on a wide variety of animals including hares, grouse, squirrels, birds and their eggs, berries, mice and voles and CARRION. Thus, many types of bait and lures will attract them.

While some of the baits mentioned don't have a lot of odor a good lure will get them a lot closer to your location.

I caught two on squirrel last year along with a skunky smelling lure.

If you dont have beaver,go get some butcher scraps from the local butcher.

I would say especially liver.

I don't think a Fisher would care much.

In Mo, It's against the law to waste any edible part of a game animal.

I don't know your state laws on bait,I would think either or would work,myself if it's legal I'd use grouse or waterfowl I like the feather's,work's well here.Good luck.

What Rick said, as well as beaver meat.

I have tried squirrel before and it just doesn’t produce as much as beaver. It will work though.
I would set some beaver traps as soon as the season opens Nov. 1 or Nov. 10 and add it to your sets as soon as you get one. That’s what I did last year after I lost all my bait when my freezer was unplugged.

When I don't have beaver I use a good fist sized chunk of "beef suet" or "tallow" butcher shops sometimes sell chunks of it to feed birds or cooking. Best substitute I've used when I didn't have any beaver. I also have decent luck with fish.

Anyone else have luck with fish? I was thinking of freezing some bluegills and trying them for bait.

Check with your local game laws as to what fish you can/can not use. Bluegill being a game fish might get you into hot water with your local CO.

What are your thoughts for fisher, coyote, and bobcat of using wild turkey parts?

Grinners good for anything?

Wondering because I have a few fisher sets out recently and had been getting some possum pics (not very common here), wondering if they are worth “recycling” for fisher bait.

If I run out of beaver for bait I go to a butcher for chunks of beef fat (tallow) (suet) or I will use fish. In my experience it's the next best thing. Never had much luck with squirrel or rabbit.

I find the next best bait after beaver is the flesh of your areas prominent big game animal; i.e. deer, elk or moose as marten, along with fisher, are opportunistic hunters and SCAVENGERS.

Muskrats work well for fisher …. A cubby around a fresh deer gut pile is always a good option here …..