New to Trapping Bobcat Please Help

predatorsniper1

predatorsniper1

New member
Hello everyone my name is Mike and I am from around Wichita, KS. I have been calling for about 2-3 years and have been having a blast. Since those 2-3 years I have acquired some good Bobcat land. What is the best way to live trap Bobcats and what is the equiptment to use. Please help me out with your methods of wisdom... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
All we can use in Calif. for fur Trapping and selling the fur, is cage traps, and I was asked to post a tip I use with cage trapping. Yancy


When I'm cage trapping I find a trail then the spot where a cage will go in good and not be right on the trail, I like to put the cage where the target can see it from an angle and a couple feet off the trail, a cat toilet, is in my opinion the best place to put the cage about 10-30 feet away from the toilet.

OK we have the location.....

Next clear out and level a place for the cage, place the cage in the spot making sure everything is as it should be. Next remove the cage and dig a dirt hole about where the pan will be, with some of the dirt hole between the pan and back of the cage, then place your [with skunk essence] lure in the hole under the cage [this way you won't get the lure all in the fur when you catch your target]. Next I like to put a piece of legal fur almost to the back of the cage, on a piece of 14 GA wire just hooked to the third square from the back hanging down from the top and down about 5-6 inches, [I use one fake glass eye on the fur]. I like the fur strip to move at the least bit of wind, then I place the cage carefully back in place being careful not to cover the lure and the dirt hole with dirt etc. then I start to cover the cage with brush etc use what ever is there, and I cover the top both sides and back I don't want the target getting to the side, back, or on top. Next cover the bottom of the cage wire with sifted dirt etc, Cats don't like walking on 14 GA 1x1 wire.
OK so now the cage is in place. now take a look making sure everything is as it should be.
next find a suitable place within 3-10 feet of the cage, and about 6 feet high and tie a flag. [I like to use surveyors tape tied in a bow with about a foot of tail hanging down] so the target can see it from a distance. Make one last visible check and the cage is ready.

[But if you are on public land, the theives will also see your flagging and you might come up with a missing cage. ;D]


I use cage sizes are 8x18x36, 10x18x36 and 12x18x36. I have caught about the same amount of cats in each as the other. Tip provided by Yancy
fc22dd93.jpg


822203a7.jpg


DSC_0469-1.jpg


DSC_0263.jpg
 
I don't use live bait, you have to feed and water the bird and that is something I am not into, and No I do not move my cage every time I catch something, I do like running the trap within 24 hours if I have something then I can take it out and give something else a chance to get in. it's kinda a personal thing, with each individual trapper what best works for you, Yancy
 
I use a LDC lure same as I did when foothold traps were legal, use the same a you did when you use other traps. Cage's are just different and like I said I like the lure under the cage so as not to get it all over the catch. some Tainted meat also works with the lure. Yancy
 
sniper,
i sent you a pm.....did you get it?
i live in kansas and have been trapping cats for a couple of years....haha
let me know if there is anything i can do to help you out
i do not use cages, but the basic principles of cat trapping are the same. i would list them as follows

1. location: if you know that cats are frequenting an area, they are pretty easy to catch. in kansas, pretty much any brushy area with good rodent/rabbit populations are going to hold cats. my favorite place to make cat sets are around brush piles. i am not sure about out where you are at, but back here in eastern kansas, lots of folks bulldoze out hedgerows and these big piles are excellent places to set up for cats. i like to put sets on each end of them.
2. visual attractor: i always flag my cat sets
the brighter and flashier the better, unless you are concerned with theives

3. good smelling call lure: i like a skunky scent
i am not an expert on lures, i have caught the cats with all the lures i have ever used. it really doesn't matter if it is advertised as a canine or cat lure as long as it has a good skunk musk to it

4. good bait: keep your baits fresh. my favorite baits are fresh muskrat carcasses or fresh road killed rabbits. be creative. dangle a piece of fur in the back of the cage so the cat can look into the opening and see it. lots of visual clues w/the bait......example: feathers/fur (some folks here use live birds in their cages)

5. urine: use the cat urine liberally around your set. if you manage to catch a cat, reset the cage exactly where you caught the cat. when you skin your cats, keep the urine and feces from the carcass and put them back at the remake. usually, when you get one caught, you'll catch at least one more in the same set. i caught 5 cats in one set one time over the course of about a month. the more cats you catch in a spot, the hotter it will get

you'll find some disagreement among cat trappers on various things, but i think the five i listed are pretty consistant. hope this helps. as i said, let me know if i can help you out in any way.
ksboy

here are a couple of pictures of my trapping partner:
100_0979.jpg

101_2237.jpg

100_0968.jpg
 
I did not recieve your PM ksboy but I do appreciate the help. I have been on the phone with Yancy and that man sounds like he knows exactly what he is doing. Your tips compliment exactly what he had told me. I am glad that I have meet someone in Kansas that is trapping bobcats also. I live in Augusta KS. just outside of Wichita so we may be closer to each other than we think.

Thanks for your tips....

Mike
 
Back
Top