How often do move/rotate your muskrat traps

I have run into a professional rat trapper a number of times over the years trapping the same swamps as I do, He poles the swamp in a flat bottomed skiff and sets only rat pads/feedbeds with a 1 1/2 long spring with 18 inches of chain attached to an 8 foot cane pole. He indicates he moves his traps every day as he moves thru the swamp. He is very seldom in a swamp more than 3 to 5 days. My memory says he runs about 70 traps.

I on the other hand have multiple walking lines in the swamps and beaver flows, crossing on beaver dams, low water locations, dry fingers and islands: use conibears160/220/330 in runs and 110 narrow pinch points, 1# jumps on feedbeds/pads, 1 1/2 coil set spring runs and a few 1 1/2 coil pocket sets, I target rats, mink, coon, fox and beaver. It usually takes two days to get fully operational. I leave the traps set 3 to 5 days before moving the lines.

I run 50 to 75 traps when fully up and running.

How often do you rotate your rat traps?

I've found on rats you will catch 75-80% the first night. After the 2nd day I rotate. By then you've caught the bulk of them. What's left is for seed.

I've trapped beaver flows where you can keep catching rats for a month because you really don't have access to it all. But generally a few days. Setting huts and holes is very different than setting pinch points and runs...it might take longer but it's often less work just to set the runs. I guess this is an "it all depends" answer.

Only 70 traps? The first day I set till I'm out of traps or time. Then the next day I finish setting the marsh If I still have places to set, Then I start to check. I check the next day. Then I leave them for 2 days without checking and pull after that 2 day soak and move on to the next location.

If your setting huts and dens every other day seems to work out best. If you're running on creeks and rivers 3-5 depending on multi-species your sets are. Given rats, mink and coon are roughly the same price there days the all pay the same thoigithr coon keep you in the shed longer.

Every third checking.

Most places I set heavy and move quickly. On marshes I usually check twice and pull, sometimes I shuffle traps as I find new sign. On the wadable rivers I usually check for three days and move.

I have found a few ditches where I leave a body gripper or colony for several checks if they are on my route(s)
Typically U catch about 40% the 2nd check after the first and the 3rd many times is about 1/3rd the 2nd. This is more true on the marshes. The catches on the rivers are a bit more even for me, but fewer rats then on the marshes.

Bryce

70 traps?! I guess I'm a professional too!

2 nights and I'm out. My circumstances are a little different, but I've kept track of what I take out of an area for many years. No point staying a 3rd night.

Of course, this was when rats were worth trapping...

Depends like Bryce has mentioned-each water body is different. Marshes-if they have a good population I have let them soak for 2 weeks,but keep moving the traps that aren't producing each other check.Ditches or smaller areas-2-3 checks and you are ussually finished.

I move them the first night they do not make a catch