# what are the odds?



## elkantlers (Nov 6, 2007)

First off I have never posted on this site but I have been reading for a while.

I had something happen yesterday that I had to share with some people that would appreciate it.

Yesterday was the opening day of bobcat season in Utah. I went up and started setting my traps. I decide to try a new spot that I had seen alot of bobcat tracks in during the muzzleloader elk hunt. It is at about 9000' elevation.
I go up there and build a cubby set in the thick pines, set my trap, and put the lure in a dirt hole in the back of the cubby. I gather my stuff up and walk back to my wheeler which is about 75yds away. I just get to the wheeler and I hear my trap snap and then a snarl. I thought holy cow, that can't be. I had only been away from the set for probably 1-2 minutes. I didn't even take a gun with me since I was just setting the traps and not checking them. 
So I grab my small sholve that I pack with me to dig the dirt holes and head back towards my trap. I would just have to smack the bobcat on the head with the shovel. Well, I come around a big pine about 15yds from my set and there is not a bobcat in my trap, but a small mtn lion. Holy $#!^... When it sees me it goes ballistic and starts taking my drag down through the dead fall. I watch it go over into a small creek bottom and out of site. I back out so I don't push it any further. When I got home I called the fish and game and they went up with me this morning and help me catch it so I can get my trap off its foot. When we got there this morning we followed what tracks we could findas far as we could but it was just gone.
I think what happened was that it went down it to the creek bottom and got into some real thick stuff and probably pulled its foot out. I looked for the drag but didn't see it. It was unbelievably thick down in there.

I caught a lion once before about ten years ago, but when I walked up on it, it pulled out of the trap and took off. It was a lot bigger cat though.
I have never actually been close enough to hear the trap go off, but it was pretty cool.


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## LAtrapper (Feb 5, 2007)

that's awesome :beer:


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## ND trapper (Nov 14, 2006)

Cool story and thanks for sharing. The spooky thing is that Mt. Lion had to of been watching you the whole time you were constructing the set. Makes ya think a little bit. If I was you I would be carrying a gun with me at all times. You just never know.


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## rifle6 (Jan 7, 2007)

gotta love trappin UTAH!
i have not caught one YET. i hope i don't.
my trappin buddy has caught a few of them,

I try to make sets that are not appealing to lions, but that is hard when your target is a cat.

one thing i do on all my cat traps.
NO drags. i chain them all to a tree. that way a lion can pull out but a bober probably won't.(hopefully)
i have also went to # 2 coil springs instead of my # 3's for bobcat.

I hope it works, since i have not caught any bobcats yet, who knows?

what part of utah you trappin?


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