# Bobcats and logging roads.........



## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

My area is overrun with bobcats. I see their tracks all over the logging roads everywhere I go. I cannot seem to catch one. I spotted 2 this year early bow season walking down these roads after I had deer wind me and express their displeasure at my presence. Both came skulking up within 10 minutes of the alarms going off. I have used fish emulsions and feather lures and had the animals thrash my traps but could not hold them. I am using 1.75 an 2's. Are these traps big enough? Could I do better with the live traps with live bait like mice and birds? My #1 goal in trapping is to catch a cat. I have three with my rifle but want to trap one bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Mongojoe (Nov 2, 2006)

Different people will have different ideas on this...but if targeting bobcats, my preferred trap was a #2 coil spring... However, in areas where I was as apt to catch a fox, ****, or even a coyote as a cat, I often used the #1.75 (#1 3/4) traps...and yes, a good, stout #2 or #1 3/4 will hold a cat if you check your traps regularly.... But like I say, different people have different ideas on this, and one of my old partners preferred #3 coils for cats. But then when he worked for the state as the local ADC guy, he used #3's for most things, and bacame used to useing them out of habit.

In most states useing live bait for trapping is not legal... but fish is a good bait for bobcats, as is mice, beaver, rabbit, etc... If targeting cats, I generally made my dirtholes bigger, and more "showy" than for fox or coyote, and I threw in toilet, trash, and walk-thru sets as well.


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## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

Hey Mongo, your great man! I am basically self-taught and think my technique could use some tweaking........One mistake I may be making is not staking my trap! As I said in another topic, (Covering up Traps) the ground I am working is usually so freaking rocky I could not begin to stake them. I have been rigging all my traps with small diameter steel cable and quick connects. I hook up to a small tree, fence post, or drag. My cable is 5' or 6' feet long and I am thinking the larger animals are taking advantage of it. I had something bust out of a trap today. I am catching tons of ***** and a few fox and all the small stuff, but not the cats or yotes. I like the convenience of it at the set, but it may be a trapping no no? Would the bigger traps help at all with this? Maybe the ones with 4 springs? I do not use pan covers either, could this effect the traps performance. What exactly do the pan covers do for the traps? I know those damn rookies.......Thanks again!


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## M*F (Nov 3, 2006)

How well are the fox and **** caught? Sounds to me like youre not getting a good hold on these yotes and cats. If youre trapping strictly for cats you can guide them right onto the pan. If youre looking for yotes and cats dig the trap bed deeper so its a 1/4 to 1/2 inch lower than the surrounding area. This will ensure a full commitment when they step on the pan. You could also increase your pan tension.


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## Mongojoe (Nov 2, 2006)

Well, alot of very good trappers make their trap beds lower than the surrounding ground, like M*F said. In fact I generally like a small depression over the pan myself... And I know people that make alot of "step-down" dirthole sets...where they actually dig a depression, or "small trench", as much as 2 or 3 inches deep where they make their dirthole, and bed their trap... The idea is that the animal will have so much of his weight commited when he "steps down", that he could not possibly jerk his foot back fast enough to avoid being caught.

As to pan covers.... Personally, where I could, and the dirt would allow, I didn't use pan covers... I bought a TRAPPER'S CAP once, about 25 or 30 years ago, and I liked it so well that I made some of my own from various sized cans and a 6 or 7 inch piece of broom handle or dowel rod... In areas where I could not get away with these home-made Trapper's Caps, I used the fiberglass window screen for pan covers... I just went to the hardware store and bought a few yards of the fiberglass window screening, and back home in the shed I cut out a template, from a piece of card board (like the back of a tablet) that would just fit inside the jaws of my #2 coil spring traps when they were set... I then used this piece to cut another piece the exact same size... I marked where the dog went, and cut these pieces out of the two pieces of card board too... Then, useing sissors, I cut several pieces of windowscreen a little larger than the templates. I put the pieces of window screen between the two templates, got the templates exactly squared with each other, and used a couple of alligator clips to hold everything together... Then I took the sissors and cut the excess window screen out around my templates...and always remember the dog cut out too..... These fiberglass pan covers would exactly fit my #2 size traps, and altho they were a little small for the larger size traps, they worked just fine on them as well...and on the smaller size traps, I simply "tucked in the edges" around the inside of the traps before I sifted on the dirt...and they worked for these too..... The main reason for useing pan covers is to prevent dirt, small pebbles, etc. from getting under the pan and preventing it from fireing......... Many people use many different things for this...and I have friends that use poly-fill under the pan, and this works well........ Piece of advice... DON'T use foam rubber if you live where the temps get below freezeing... I cut a bunch of foam-rubber to use under my pans one time, and the first time we got a little moisture and then a freeze, they froze solid as a block of ice...A coyote could have danced a jig on my pan and it wouldn't fire.....LOL


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## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

Hey Mongo and M*F thanks for the replies...... The catches on the foxes and ***** are good, usually about 2" to 3" above the foot and hold well. I am still curious about what you guys think about the cables as anchors. I could shorten them sometimes by looping the cable a few times but sometimes the closest tree is just within the length of the cable to where I want my set. Also was curious about the larger traps with say 4 springs? From what I have read it is the initial lunge that usually sets them free. I see a lot of comments about chain length and the momentum a critter can muster when the trap goes off. The last fox was caught on a step down as Mongo had described. Also I do not know the advantages between the traps with offset jaws and regular traps? Could this make any difference? M*F I was also curious about the statement you made about guiding the cat into the pan. I use a lot of cubbies and steer them as tight as I can, are there some other tricks? Would double sets help at all? And how should the traps be spaced? Thanks Again!


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## Mongojoe (Nov 2, 2006)

For myself...I have never used cables as anchors... I generally staked, and if not, then I used drags, and sometimes grapples. Unless I was targeting say possums, or skunks, (and occasionally *****) I never had anything "above ground", such as around a tree. (Now we are talking upland dry-dirt trapping here, as opposed to water trapping.)... And the best holds are when the trap catches the foot behind the pad. The foot is tougher than the leg, and can stand up to more lunges, and trap-fighting. And if traps catch too high up, say on the leg itself, that is when you will have problems with losses, especially if the leg bone becomes broken.... As to the debate about off-set jaws vs. standard jaws... Different trappers have different opinions on this, and both work, and I won't say that one is better than the other. However, here where I live, the law says that ANY foot-hold trap, of any size, with 2 or more springs, MUST be off-set... So...my traps were off-set.......... And I would say that the "initial lunge" before the trap has had a chance to "take a solid set" on the foot, is probably where most losses occur... However it is not the only place... And speaking of that and of chain length. Here again this is a matter of personal preferrence...chain length...... But I have seen coyotes back off to the end of a chain, take a run, and hit the other end, and just summersault... When I first started "chaseing coyotes" with traps, I was useing chains 2 to 3 feet long. But then after seeing a coyote do as I described above, I got to thinking...and if a trap has 3 feet of chain, then a coyote can back off to the end and get a 6 foot run to the other end...and a coyote can build up a pretty good head of steam in 6 feet...so I shortened my chains to 8 inches, give or take... However, I have seen coyotes stand and jump up and down, pumping a stake up out of the ground too...so it is sort of a trade-off... But I have done much better with the short chains, so I kept them that way............. As to 4-coiling traps... I 4-coiled most of my coil spring traps that I used for beaver. But they were generally used with drowning sets... But most of my coyote traps I didn't 4-coil. If they got weak I usually just replaced the springs. I always kept extra springs on hand just for this... However, I did keep a couple of dozen or so 4-coiled, for places where I had that sticky, clay-like, gumbo soil, or where I knew they may have to bust up thru serious frozen ground, or a few other "uncommon" situations... But for the most part, with coyotes, I felt 4-coiling was not really necessary if you have good, stout, springs to begin with. And on some of the "less stout framed" traps, such as the #2 VICTOR coil, 4-coiling them can actually bend the frame when they go off, unless the frames are re-inforced......... But, here again, 4-coiling is a matter of personal opinion.

Just to throw this in.... But I don't like to stake **** traps close to anything solid the **** can get ahold of...such as a tree, solid root, solid rock, etc... If he is staked solid and can reach something solid and get a firm hold on it, he will "power out".... I generally put my **** traps on drags of one sort or another...and only staked them solid if there was nothing solid close enough for him to get a hold of.


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## M*F (Nov 3, 2006)

Like Mongo stated, I think you may have weak springs. Unless those #2s are the old "low lever" style victors a coyote or cat shouldnt pull out. I dont use cable for anchoring either but I think it would be fine as long as you use plenty of swivels. I'm a big fan of #3's with the offset jaws. The offset allows the jaws to close more, even with a paw in there, and allows the levers to close higher on the jaws. Resulting in a stronger hold. It also causes less damage to the animal. What I meant with the guiding is that cats are very deliberate as to where they step so you can really block them in. Heres a couple of examples.


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## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

Hey M*F and Mongo, thanks for all your help........ I do have some #2 Victors, I think I bought them about 4 years ago and I really do not know if they are low lever or not. I started with 12 but am down to 5 with some theft, and one breakaway on a rotten fence post contributing to my losses. I was able to pick up 12 of another brand at an auction a month or so ago. They have a tension spring on the chain and seem to be in good shape for $36. They are 1.75's. They have a name on them but will have to break out the magnifying glass to ID. I have decided to buy some #3 four coil modified offset Bridgers and give those a try. I always cover the cable well so nothing is exposed. The pics are great......Are these flat sets, walk through, or post sets? I am also thinking about covering the traps with either buckwheat hulls or rice hulls. Both are light weight and could help the traps fire real good? What do ya think? How about some bobcat urine also. How sparing do I need to be with this stuff? I bought some lures from Gander Mountain a few weeks ago and man is that stuff stout. I made my sets using lures, fish, and squirrels for bait, and Tinks red fox urine. But it is mainly a deer hunting cover scent so I don't know if is good for trapping or not....... I did catch a nice grey fox and a **** the first morning. On one of my sets I saw fresh scat of some sort within 20 yards of the trap but no action. The traps were left for one week and I had one good animal of some sort bust out of a double set, but only one trap fired and I know I should have staggered them a bit but I am really still learning. This happened on the third or fourth dayafter a light rain. The trap a cable were completely stretched out with little or no disturbed ground so the animal probably made the initial lunge and was gone.......Can those lures be to strong scent wise and be making the animals wary? I use rubber gloves and boots and I wash my camo in the scent free soap. But it is hard not to leave some scent at the sets. I seemed to have more action when I was only using bait and no lures? I am going to try that this weekend and move to a new location. Thanks for all the help!


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## Mongojoe (Nov 2, 2006)

If you got a dozen good #1.75 traps for 36 bucks...then congrats...that is a very good buy.... And the #3 BRIDGER coils are a pretty good trap... I bought a few dozen when they first came out, a number of years back... but the ones I bought were just two-coiled, and regular jawed... I off-set them, then ended up 4-coiling most of them too, and mostly used them for beaver. However, they make a fine coyote trap too.... Tell you what, I bought a bag of the Buckwheat Hulls once, and they work well for "freeze-proofing" your traps, but they are somewhat difficult to bed a trap in solidly...and after I got everything finished. I ALWAYS sifted a layer of dirt over everything, covering the hulls... This also prevents the wind from blowing them off.... Bobcat urine works, and I used it with trash piles or toilet sets, and occasionally with other sets, but then personally, I don't think it is any better than coyote or fox urine for most uses... And depending on the set, dictates how "spareing" I used any urine...but as a general rule I used maybe a quarter to a half ounce at a set... I would use more on flat and post sets than I did at dirthole sets, for instance...... I have found fish to be one of the better baits...but I never had alot of luck with squirrels...but one old partner of mine used alot of squirrel pieces and fur and he is a fine trapper, so, I won't say they aren't any good.... I have never tried the TINK's urine...but I would think it is rather expencive... You can buy a gallon of red or grey fox, or coyote urine from a trapper supply house for about 20 bucks, and bobcat urine is usually a little bit higher....and I have seen ads in the back of magazines like THE TRAPPER AND PREDATOR CALLER, and FUR, FISH, AND GAME, etc., selling urine for even less than that. (Some people say this cheaper urine is from "farm raised" foxes, and isn't any good. But, I don't figure it really matters that much, as long as there is no water added to it...and if you think there is water added to a urine, you can put it in a freezer, or outside if it is cold enough, and the water will freeze, then you just pour off the urine. Unless it gets major cold, the urine itself, won't freeze.).... Tell you what, whenever possible, make your sets right on sign... Don't make the animals have to look for the sets, make it so they can not avoid finding them...... As to the lures... The amount I use depends alot on the weather, as well as the set. I use more if the weather is cold, than I do if it is not....and yes, I do believe you can "use too much" lure...and that in some cases the animal will get a "good whiff" from a few feet away, and decide it is not of particular interest, and go on by... I want to use only enough lure to make him find it interesting enough to investigate further.............. As to leaveing scent at a set...here is my take on that... I too wore rubber gloves when making the set, and changed to a different pair when handleing and adding urine and bait and/or lures... I did not spit, smoke, pick my nose, or urinate, anywhere close to my sets... I was careful what I stepped in before going to my line. I did not step in gasoline or oil while fueling my truck, for instance...and on the line I would occasionally step in a fresh cow flop, or light mud. I have even scruffed my feet in the fallen needles of cedar trees. (I would occasionally grasp cedar tree boughs with my setting gloves on, and pull them thru my hands...Don't know if this actually helped...but I know it didn't hurt.).... But, back to the subject at hand...leaving scent at a set... This is how I look at it... The animal is going to know you were there anyway, no matter what you do. After all, he makes his living with his nose, and by being observant...BUT... He will also know that you are not there now... So always leave the set as scent-free as you possibly can...but don't believe that you are fooling the animal into believeing that you were never there.


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## XxX (Dec 21, 2006)

I use duke no. 3 os for bobcat they have big feet for there size and I have only had one pull out but I think I had it by the belly as there was long hair in the trap I guess it laid down on my set to look in the hole. I've caught three so far this year. I use a small fresh piece of deer meat in a dirt hole set with a bobcat gland lure and I hang a feather on a string over the trap hole about two feet up.Dig a nice size hole maybe 4 inches across and pretty straight down at least 5 inches so they have to come close to see down in it.They seem to step close to the hole when they come in so put your trap a little offset to the right and the pan maybe six inche from the hole and use lots of guide sticks bobcats will step right over them into your trap but they won't work the set long they will come in take the bait or just look in the hole and then they move on. I'll post a pic of my sets they are easy to make just place them where you see bobcat tracks on logging trails or game trails as they won't go much out of their way to get to a set.


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## younghunter (Dec 17, 2006)

What i do is get a deer or beaver works real good and put it where socast are and once they start eating on it u can tell when they scrap the hair of rather then peel it over but set a live trap in with like a live chicken or pigeon in it you might get opposums for couple dasy but once u catch a few they leave it alone but the cats will go in and try to get the bait dead squirrl rabbit live pigieon or chicken preferrly live and your start getting cats hard in them and just walk up with .22 and shot them in the head and set the trap again and ur ready to go its a really good way ive started this year doing this im 14 but my uncle has done it for many years and is passing it to me bnut weve caught four cat nite nite four days in a row then they layed off and didnt catch another but there smart but in a area with lots of cats in you have 5 traps out I wouldnt be surprised if u causght one or more a week this way it works really good.


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## younghunter (Dec 17, 2006)

What i do is get a deer or beaver works real good and put it where socast are and once they start eating on it u can tell when they scrap the hair of rather then peel it over but set a live trap in with like a live chicken or pigeon in it you might get opposums for couple dasy but once u catch a few they leave it alone but the cats will go in and try to get the bait dead squirrl rabbit live pigieon or chicken preferrly live and your start getting cats hard in them and just walk up with .22 and shot them in the head and set the trap again and ur ready to go its a really good way ive started this year doing this im 14 but my uncle has done it for many years and is passing it to me bnut weve caught four cat nite nite four days in a row then they layed off and didnt catch another but there smart but in a area with lots of cats in you have 5 traps out I wouldnt be surprised if u causght one or more a week this way it works really good.


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## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

Younghunter, thanks for the reply......Live traps, and live bait are illegal in my state. Snares are not legal either. Sounds like a great technique though. Please remember to hunt and trap ethically, there are WAY to many people looking for excuses to stop our time honored traditions, and only we can educate them that the balance of nature also includes humans as a predator. Thanks again and have fun!


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## younghunter (Dec 17, 2006)

well thats a bummer casue here in kansas it works real well but good luck with the foot holds adn happy trapping.


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## XxX (Dec 21, 2006)

I live in Oklahoma and you can use live traps (box traps) and there are no restrictions on using live bait.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/regs/huntregs8.htm


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## rangeman (Dec 7, 2006)

XxX, I did not see anything about use of live bait.......They also don't mention snares, but will write you a ticket if your caught. I guess my inexperience did not realize that a box trap could be a live cage trap......Are you catching any cats? Got any tips? Thanks for your reply!


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## XxX (Dec 21, 2006)

rangeman said:


> XxX, I did not see anything about use of live bait.......They also don't mention snares, but will write you a ticket if your caught. I guess my inexperience did not realize that a box trap could be a live cage trap......Are you catching any cats? Got any tips? Thanks for your reply!


They list the traps that are legal boxtraps os legholds and they can write you a ticket if you use anything else. However they don't list any restrictions on baits I talked to a warden one time and he was the one who told me to use a live chicken! its been a while I'd call the warden in your area if you want to be sure. I caught 8 cats so far two of them on live chickens rest in dirt hole sets with deer meat and a feather hangin over the set, most all the sets I see posted in the forms will work you just gotta set on cat tracks they'll be back


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