Ever since i found bobcat tracks in the snow 2 years ago i've been lookin for more and never found any, but today i'm pretty sure i found some. No claw marks, they look like big cat tracks 1 3/4" which my track book says is what size bobcat tracks are, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4" One puzzling thing though, is they run for a distance horizontally along a steep creek bank, i don't know if bobcats would go along the creek like that or not. And then i guess it crossed some gravel and went up the bank leaving pretty distinct tracts in the mud bank.

I hung a clump of feathers from a wire and put coyote lure and fox urine on the feathers and then set a trap beneath it. I don't have any bobcat lure.

Another thing that makes me thing there's a bobcat around is there's stuff out of place in the woods. Trash, that is. Two years ago when i saw the tracks, there would be old buried/forgotten stuff like plastic soda bottles that had been there forever suddenly moved and in the trail and wallered around and teeth marks all over them. And the other day i saw something similar. There had been a feed sack i used a year ago to dump deer parts and left it because it was bloody. It had been there a whole year, hung up in some briars, and suddenly it gets moved 30 feet and ripped up. I'm very interested in bobcats, any any similar experiences with bobcats. Or tips on good baits for them, please let me know.

Plinker

Plinker, a cat is a cat, and bobcats are fascinated the same way a tame house cat is. If you can get hold of some red feathers, or maybe legally take a cardinal, I would suspend a cardinal wing or red feathers above a trap. Sprinkling a few other feathers around on the ground should help, too.

A metal pie plate will attract them as well. Just hang it above the trap, where it will spin and flash in the woods.

Good luck!

Plinker603, Doubless is right about feathers. Any feathers will work, I use duck feathers that a buddy saves for me, he is a duck hunter. You need to make sure it is legal in your state to use other wild game parts for bait. Cotton balls can work well if feathers are illeagal. I use mostly a dirthole set with feathers around and lots of guide sticks to make the cat step where you want him. Fresh rabbit or beaver seem to be the best bait. They love the smell of beaver for whatever reason and anything you can get that smeels like beaver castor makes a good lure. A good premade lure from one of the trapping supply houses goes a long way to helping you catch your first cat. Carmens and Fox Hollow both make good cat lures. If you want specific lures I use let me know I will be glad to list them. Use a good fast trap that is set up well, they are not hard on traps like a coyote, but they are fast footed. Get a good bobcat book and read it and this will help you alot also builds confidence that you are doing things right. Milligans is one of the best for someone starting out, but there are many out there that are good. I myself will start setting coyote and cat traps tomorrow and run them before work in the mornings, good luck.

Go to trapperman.com or coyotes-r-us and you will get worlds of info on all trapping-related items.

Thanks for the tips. I have beaver lure, never thought of using that. Already did the feathers, but i'll put some beaver lure on them. I have plenty of white duck feathers. I had one piece of beaver meat or muskrat, don't know which. One of those unidentified pieces from the freezer but it had to be one or the other, dark piece of leg meat. I used it for bait. Have to wait and see. I'll check out the sites, do some further reading.

Plinker

Muskrat meat is great!! I have caught cats and coyotes both using 'rat meat. Check out www.minntrapprod.com These guys have always treated me good and have some good lures and baits premade. I am sure you know them as I seen in one of you other posts that you were using an MB-750, these are the guys that make them. Look at the Fox Hollow lures, GH-II & Voo-Doo, Bounty Hunter are all good cat-coyote lures, for me. Also look at some of the cat gland lures as the cats will start breeding in the next few weeks. Good cat urine is a plus as well, but not necassary if you have a good gland lure. I have caught cats on Carmens Pros Choice #3 as well. Location is the big key and it sounds like you have that. Set on the sign you have or have seen, the cat will be back. Do not set very far from the sign as they can be independent sob's and not want to come very far to a set. Good luck with your trapping!!!

I lost a cat last night, #4 long spring with offset jaws must not have been a good catch, stretched the chain out and was gone.Ate the bait though so it must not have been too scared.

quote:

Originally posted by John Ford:
Check out www.minntrapprod.com These guys have always treated me good and have some good lures and baits premade. I am sure you know them as I seen in one of you other posts that you were using an MB-750, these are the guys that make them.

I did get my MB 750's from the above site, last year. They do have good service. I ordered the lure from the Duke Company this time though, since they charge a flat 6.00 shipping and i didn't have a big order. Wildcat no 1 and Wildcat no 2, it's 4.00 a bottle for Hawbakers. One brand is prob as good as another, they either smell like skunk or butthole, LOL.

Plinker

quote:

Originally posted by ELKMAN2:
I lost a cat last night, #4 long spring with offset jaws must not have been a good catch, stretched the chain out and was gone.Ate the bait though so it must not have been too scared.

Sorry to hear about that, i know how that feels. At least it didn't get spooked if it still ate the bait. What kind of sign did it leave that made you sure it was a bobcat?

Tracks in the snow!!not much but the set is near a cedar tree and it chewed on the half rabbit there, I ordered another dozen traps today, bigger coil springs. I have some #2 and #3 coils springs now but I need more Thses are coyote and bobcat traps with 4 coils,#3's and offset jaws. All I have to do is boil, dye and wax.

I just looked back and the one's I bought are the 650's. they should be perfect for me. I have used Mn trapper supply for several years too

Those ought to be great traps. I thought 650's were for wolves, though. Good luck.

Actually the 750 is the wolf/beaver trap

Yeah, i guess it would take a lot to hold a wolf. Those 750's are pretty strong. Heavy, too. Do you think if a beaver ever got away somehow with a 750 on its foot would it ever get it off or what would happen to it. I just worry about that kind of thing sometimes.

The foot would drop off for sure. I have seen a lot of 3 footed beavers, they twist off almost as often as muskrats.That is why a drowning set is so important and why the conibear traps caught on so well for them

Plinker, I sure you are right about the lures for the most part. I have never used any of Hawbakers, but they have been around for a long time and I am sure they make good lure. I do use a castor smelling lure at a lot of my cat sets, especially any type of rub set. Beaver lure that has castor in it will work fine and I use these type lures quite a bit. If you are catching beavers and rats and can get one to hitting these carcasses they are pretty easy to catch. Good Luck on your cat trapping.

JohnFord, the reason i went with Duke Co and hawbaker lure is the 6.00 shipping. The Minn Trap supply wants 8.50 for up to 40.00 then it goes higher and higher the more you spend. Well that is probably to cover the high cost of shipping heavy traps. Can't blame them, shipping IS high these days.

I used your suggestion of the beaver castor at the set. If they are attracted to beaver castor that would explain why the tracks were at the creek, it was probably trying to catch a beaver. I figure they do catch beavers sometimes. The beavers would be at a disadvantage on land, although they probably have a pretty good fight on their hands. or paws.

Right now i only have one bobcat trp with the feather attractant and beaver lure out, and no luck yet. I thought maybe the bobcat was hanging out at a deer carcuss up on the hill. So i did a blind set at a trail that didn't look like a deer trail. It's hard to even see trails when there's no snow or mud, just some messed up leaves. But i set the two traps where the leaves looked disturbed in a line coming into the carcuss, 25 feet away so as not to catch any crows or buzzards.

Plinker

I just made a small order from Duke. As I didn't find the price's needed I sent a note asking and next day Bill sent me a personal reply.

I asked him to make sure the box didn't say traps on it because of what I'm gonna use 'em for. They came in a Pecan box. I liked that!

Need to order a few more traps and set of tongs to set the #220 with as I can't begin to squeeze the springs.

George

LOL, the traps would have came in a pecan box anyway at least mine did, that's their other Duke business i presume. I love pecans, need to find out if they sell them in bulk.

Someone could probably explain to you how to set with a rope, but i never mastered it and prefer using a set of tongs. Some of that bobcat lure might work in your endeavor, too.

BTW, i never saw anymore bobcat tracks. So, thanks, but don't anyone waste time to give me any more tips because there just don't seem to be any bobcats to catch here or they'd be leaving some tracks in the snow.

Plinker

Here's the instructions(again) for setting big conis with a rope;
Tie a loop in one end and thread the rope through the spring eyes - up through both, back down the outside and back up through the eyes. Now put your foot in the loop and pull up on the loose end.
Once compressed its a simple matter to hold the rope with one hand while you attach the safety hook over the spring with the other hand.
Just to be sure some put a wrap or two of duct tape around the set jaws next to the trigger. Cut the tape with a knife (from above) as the last thing before leaving the set...just don't forget to cut it!

I've read that about three times now.
Still a coward. Believe I'm gonna get some tongs.
I've had a bunch of experience healing up cut, chopped, busted up fingers already. never been much fun yet.

These things look mighty effective at bustin fingers to me. That's all I'd need to get grabbed by one big enough to 'do it' with.

May try the rope trick, but, gotta study it closer with the rope in the eye's first.

Thanks much,

George

I missed a cat the other morning, so I re made the set and continued checking the traps, as I came to the last ones 2 cats crossed the trail in front of me, at maybe 150 yds. I keep a 22 auto in the truck for chances like this but it was just too far, so I made 2 more sets and am waiting. We got 7in of snow and the sets had to be dug out, all is ready, Hell that was $800-1000 buck that I saw!!

what was $800-$1000?? Surely you dont mean 2 bobcats.... 721

Yeah, our northern cats are worth that kind of money, I have several in my fur shed now.

Elkman, here's a simple drawing (I hope) that should make the rope trick a bit easier to visualize. I used it exclusivly for many years. Three feet of rope is a lot more "boat friendly" than two feet of tongs. When working alone far from help in cold weather AND in the water, weight is a major consideration! Also, The rope can be carried in your pocket and only requires one hand (and foot) to use so if you do catch yourself (ouch!) it could be your only way out - tongs take two hand! Of course while the usual method is to PULL UP, you can as well PUSH DOWN with your foot if you lack the upper body strength.
Once the springs are conpressed its a snap to hold them, much like a compound bow.

Plinker,

Bobcats are roamers and cover a big area. They like their privacy, so if those dogs youwrote about a while back are still around the cats may not be.....

I remember writing you a while back about beaver. Please allow me to make my point again. For a beginning trapper be careful with your lure use. Especially when going after cats or canines. If you are inexperienced and make a bad set with lure, I can guarantee that animal will avoid any set they smell lure at for a long while. Sight attactors are better for cats than smell anyway. If you had to use anything a good quality urine would be the only thing to use. Buy some, what you don't use you can freeze for next year.

I see the use of rope setting a conibear is being discussed again. I see someone sent in a good picture on how to do it. Tongs are cool but when you are out in the woods running a line tongs are a pain in the ass to carry. I have trapped more than my share with bodygrips and the rope in my humble opinion is the only way to go. Please practice with it, it could save you in a pinch,

I saw two sets of dogprints in the woods recently. A large and medium set. They keep completely to the cleared trails, much like a human's preference, whereas i imagine a bobcat would prefer more cover, especially in the presence of dogs. So that would be why it disappeared, it left for the safety of high hills and brush. Thanks for the insight.

Best of luck to others in their pursuit of bobcats.

Plinker