When you're setting up a line, what's the minimum number of nights you need to make it worth your time? I know this is going to vary a lot by target species and region. Just curious how others look at it. Our season is closing on several furbearers at the end of January and I'm trying to figure out how to make the most of my time.

We get buried by lake effect snow and freeze/thaw-rain/sleet/snow. I set places every other year for the most part, so I leave them in the ground for fox and coyote till conditions drive me out. Which this year was almost a month ago

It is hard to say. I know I am finally learning not to set and run traps during our gun deer season. That one week off hunting pressures pretty much shuts everything down here for canines. So it is usually after. Raccoon I usually wait till the last week of October first week of November. This year it worked well but have ran into them dening up early because of weather. Sometimes just to many variables.

Depends on how much time you have and species. Some otter sets take a moment to cinnect, some.could be over night. Any time I can run traps I do whether it's a day or a month

Land sets , otter sets I’ll leave in as long I can until I get froze out. Beaver sets usually I’m basing when I pull by what sign I’m seeing each day. If I catch 2 35-45lb beavers and a kit I’ll probably pull. If I go a week without any fresh activity I’ll pull. Water sets especially muskrats I’ll set those on a good location even if I have to pull the next day just because they typically have such a high catch ration . I know a few guys that set on Friday after work and pull Sunday night or Monday morning just to trap around work. Regardless of how much time you have if the itch is strong enough you’ll have to scratch it and steel doesn’t catch any first if it’s hanging on the shed wall.

You are kind of asking the impossible as the guys above have hit on the variety of factors that a season presents, not to mention animal population density, home ranges/habitat quality, access to animals, weather disasters, season limiting dates etc.etc. Below is a rough schedule for me with all the factors listed along with seasonal NORMAL conditions I would face. The big question is your ability to snoop for and interpret animal sign where you are going to harvest the critter(s). This channel and perhaps 100 more scattered across the Net have contributors who emphasize HOW TO SET A TRAP to catch your target. Very few if any spend much time on animal habits, where to look for homes/commutes or local abnormalities, what they eat and what's in their stomach/scat at that time of year. General knowledge of your prey (lots of coons in city dumpsters behind suburban restaurants) influences how long and how many traps you set. I seriously believe (and have for over 40 years) that taking a dog - even a pet - with you when looking for animal "sign" will shorten anyone's learning curve in the harvesting aspect if you know how to interpret a dog's actions.

Fur trapping : rats - 3 nights at dens, houses, pockets,,, spring floats, bottom edge, connecting springs or channels - longer, maybe aweek if mixed with beaver line. Coon - baited water set 4 nights, trail sets (normal weather) 1 week unless catch is made then longer. Fox & coyotes - 2 weeks to a month (stay away from set location if you are in the right spot). Mink - 10 days to 2 weeks, mink here hunt and live in strange places so if the mink makes a big kill and drags it to a concrete rubble pile, old beaver/badger hole etc. etc. it may take the a few days for it to come out and find your set. (home range for food is smaller than you think in ag land with abundant prey). Beaver - 3 to 5 days in springtime, 1 week under ice or open fall. Limited experience with otter, bobcats and timber species (marten - fishers)

ADC : as long as it takes !!!!
Off my soapbox. .....................the mike