# bobcat trapping ? need help.



## Frank Boucher

Im trying to trap bobcat,with no success i might add.Im a rookie trapper,just set my first trap about 10 days ago,Im retired,and just trapping for a hobby.im hoping cya-coyote will answer,im in greenfield Mo,not far from Paols Ks.Im trapping around Stockton Lake in the back of coves where a cat might cross without getting his feet wet,i found some tracks and scat,made a couple walk thru type sets,big mounds of dirt with trap in middle,using turkey feathers for an attractor,used bobcat urine,and some bobcat food lure in dirthole at inside edge of set,Am i on the right track? Any help would be appreciated,thanks.  Dewey from lake of the ozarks,can you give me any in put on bobcat,i think this in about the same kind of terrain,although i can go west in some farm ground and open fencerows,brushy draws,etc? thanks


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## price403

Frank,
Try making some cubby sets. To make one just pile rocks or large sticks in a "V" shape about 3 feet long and 1 1/2 feet wide. I usually make them 2 to 3 feet high. Put some chicken or wild game meat in the back on a flat rock to keep the smell from going away as fast. Set a #2 or #3 coilspring in front of the opening. Cover the top of the cubby with sticks and leaves. Pine boughs make the set more weatherproof. Catnip oil is another good scent to try at some of your sets. If you hang a few feathers or a piece of fur close to your sets, it will help catch a cat's eye. Some other good places to make sets are: in a brushy patch of woods or in an area with a lot of blown down trees or tree tops that have been left by timber cutters. Also try to find logs that cross streams. These are hot spots for cats and also canines. I usually try to put a trap on each end of the log and a snare in the middle of the log. If there's moss on the log it will be worn down on the ones they are using. You will usually find scat on logs that are being used as bridges also. Hope this helps... Send me a private message if you would like more advice.


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## wyogoose

Having trapped cats in only the rimrock and mountain areas of wyoming, it is hard for me to relate to your type of area, but I have caught a lot of cats in my areas and believe that the same sets that I use will catch cats anywhere. When choosing a location, I like to make a quick visual sweep of the area and pick out the object that catches my eye the most (ex. rock pile, brushy area, packed trail, etc.) Then I try to find the most weather-proof part to put in my set. About 80% of these are flagged walk-through cubbies. I make my cubbies small (about 12" deep, and 6" high and wide) Dont be afraid to block those cats in either, use sticks and rocks around trap so that the only place to step is on the pan. A flag (feathers or chunk of fur) wired about three feet above the set, some lure and grass in the cubbie, and a dose of call lure on the flag will finish of the set. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!


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## cya_coyote

sorry frank, have been out finishing the season... wanted to get a good catch in. anyway, i try to find a little walk-thru... kind of a cubby open in both ends, so the cat doesn't have to back out. they don't usually want to go in if they are going to have to turn around. if you use a cubby, make it wide enough that they don't feel confined. i also use the turkey feathers scattered around, but instead of any comercial lure, i am using ground beaver meat. it seems to draw them like steel to magnets. also, i use a trap on each end of the walk-thru or each side of the cubby. use small stones to guide the steps or sticks about pencil size.

i am no expert for sure, but that's what i do...

by the way, the national trappers convention will be in hutchinson ks this year, and they have seminars on trapping all kinds of animals, also on hide prep, etc... might look into coming over and getting more ideas. my understanding is that john grahmn will be there, and he is one of the top cat men in the country... should be a good one to watch. it is 2-6th of august.

good luck, and hope this helps

:sniper:


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## steeliekingfisher

I trap cats and only cats. I live in a state where cages are the only trap aloowed. I do quite well with the cages though. All the above stated sets work. I like to set my cages up within 30 yards of a cat toilet. This is a pretty much guarrantee. I cover the traps sides and tops. Only the opening is showing. Above the trap i use camo survey tape as a flag. This way the tree huggers that are hiking cant find and ruin my trap. I use a homemade bait, ingredients not available to be told, lol. I also put a few drops of gland lure on a stick close by the door. Iside my cages I run a small piece of faux fur, Real fur is not legal as an added attractor for kitty to be enticed into entering. Good luck with the cats, they can be tough, but once you get it down and figure out what works in your area, you cant beat the feeling of seeing a cat in your trap.


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## CatKing

I have trapped alot in southern utahs rim rock canyons and like the above post I too use walk throughs because cats dont like to turn around. I build a small cubbie out of rocks that are about the size of canteloupes. Place your trap at the opening and build your walk through with sticks, or another rock. You can put your bait in the cubbie and you have a simple and easy to build set. Make sure you place your set against a tree or build up the back of your cubbie so that they have to walk through your set to get to the bait.I always use the rocks to get in as close to the trap as possible to make it a tight set that is only as wide as your trap. Also make sure your trap is bedded solid. If the cat steps on the spring or jaw and the trap wobbles then its likely to not go into the set. A single stepping stick on either side of the trap is a nice way to get them to step right on the pan. I use only one because the cat will either step in front of it and come down on the pan, or will step on the pan to step over it from the other direction. I like Ogormans Powder River paste bait on the ground and Cat Passion lure about eye level. They like to rub on that stuff. Then some LDC above the set. A visual attractor like feathers of flagging tape will help bring them over to your set if they dont smell your bait. Anyway thats how I do things and they have worked well for me. Good Luck


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## MomScott

Hello, I am a mother of three, and my youngest just lost her dog to what we believe is a bobcat in the woods behind our house. I had a wooden 6 foot fence put up the next day. My brother has placed a cage trap in the woods. We have placed it near where the bobcat buried the 15 pound dog under a mound of leaves. We have placed tuna fish in the trap and covered it with leaves and small branches. Our next bait will be chicken liver. We have caught a nice sized raccoon so far and set it free.
Those commenting on this website seem to be quite knowledgeable. A couple of things you mention that we have not used yet are a lure-scent and what you call a 'flag.' We will implement these right away.
If you could please give my brother and me any advice on capturing this animal, we would be most appreciative.
Striving to keep my family safe,
A mom in NW Florida


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