Here, they’re not purchased but awarded. The line camps and main cabin can be purchased if the new holder wants or they’re destroyed if I read the guide correctly. I know of one fella that’ll burn his down (or the COs will do it for him) if his son doesn’t get the line before he dies. A lot of blood & sweat went into it, but they do recommend to build cheap for this reason. There’s also “out of towners” not even living in the province that want RTLs just to moose hunt.

How can they award a line unless it is vacant?
A trapper here can pass his line on to who he designates as his successor on his succession forum ,a copy of which is on file with the MNR,OFMF and also a copy in your will.
Assets sold or purchased are on a willing buyer willing seller basisOf course the incoming trapper(buyer) has to be licenced by the MNR and not otherwise prohibited from being able to acquire a trapping licence.
The best thing about our mandatory beaver quotas is that it keeps the lines in the hands of actual trappers and not lost to hunters who just want a cottage or hunt camp.
This also keeps developed traplines affordable for trappers to acquire and insures management of the resource.

Yea, awarded once it's vacant. It usually goes to the line helper or family member but that sure ain't written in stone. Ther's been some heated battles. Last one I heard about was someone from BC that got one and later I believe he lost it. Wasn't trapping, just utilizing it for hunting. I think his posts on social media busted him.

Boco Not quite correct.. A head trapper can sign a succession forum with the gov' as you stated (usually to a qualified family member or trapper helper).
However the minute the head trapper indicates to the Gov't that he wishes to Sell his trapline, or even Trade his head trapper position with a helper or family member, that trapline is immediately considered vacant by the Gov't .
At this point a native who is a descendant of a trapper who trapped in an area ,no matter how many generations passed and which may encompass numerous traplines in today's world, is given first right's to that trapline with absolutely no compensation to the trapper for the improvements or buildings on the line.
I believe it was in the late 40's the The Ontario established registered traplines

I addressed that in a previous post,any line that was taken from a native family in the past will be returned if they have a legitimate documented claim on the line.
Some native bands will claim every line that comes up and then go thru the process that is in place. but they only get ones that are documented thru the HBC archives or other trapping records as being a traditional ground connected to a family group.
Here most of the northern lines are/were native lines but not all and almost all the lines south of hwy 11 are not.
Many lines here are allocated thru the sucession documents filed by the head trapper.
For your information a native trapping on a line can not pass that line on or sell it if that line is documented thru records as belonging to another native family..It will go back to that original family.Those situations are settled by the treaty organizations not MNR
Lines here in the Cochrane district do not all go to native trappers automatically even if claimed. i would say more than 2/3 go to a non native thru a succession form or vacant undeveloped lines allocated by mnr.
An older trapper that retired from trapping a few years ago ( I was an 02 on that line) had a documented legitimate native family claim on his line so he knew who would get the line when he decided to give it up.Guy spoke with George and they came to a willing buyer willing seller agreement on the price for Guys improvements which was primarily a nice trapping cabin on a fishing lake.
Guy was happy and George told me I could continue to trap the line as the 02 and use the cabin if I wanted to.
So just because a native family has a claim on a line doesnt mean the outgoing trapper cannot come to an equitable agreement with the incoming trapper.

Got a few good days to frostscrape here before christmas,unfortunately the weather went to chit but they are calling for back to minus 30 in a few days so Ill be back on the beaver boarding production line. soon.
Want to have about 40 done for the upcoming auction sale in march.LRD is jan 10th.
Got around 40 marten and some cats and fishers all ready for the bag.Just need to hammer out as many beaver as the weather will allow.

Our truck shows up Thursday so the last is on the boards. Good feeling to be done and ready.

You guys get so much in early.. just getting started here. Rats will still have some fall leather yet and a few reds are still slatey. They’re just looking good now. Time to make hay down here now.

Stack em up Mud.
Weather here is the pitts,rain for a couple days,now wet snow coming then some 30 below nights,lol
Trapping is on hold for a while till the snow comes back and the cold comes back.

Nice going mud. Never get tired of seeing those reds.

Nice catch of fox