Cage Trapping Bobcats tips

Target the brushy draws coming out of the bigger canyons, and any "edges". Where trees meet more open sagebrush, etc.

Be prepared, the more open the country, the fewer the cats. The ones you do catch are almost always big toms. They can make big circles. It is not unusual for me to wait 14 days or more for a cat to come back around.

And, if you are like me, you wait your 14 or 16 days to find your trap with a very live rabbit in it and cat tracks all around.
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As an update- the above mentioned bobcat miss turned into a hit four days later when the cat came back to see if its rabbit was still locked up.

This time the cat was the one waiting for me. It just goes to show trapping requires Patience and Persistence.
 
HUNTINGGAL- how are you doing on the western slope? are u at same pace as last year or has it dropped off also.

over here in central/canyon country and farther east to kansas border has been real slow for kitties. im running at about 30% of last years catch.
 
Huntinggal thanks for the advise. I'm out in a big valley 40 miles out of town. I have a dozen cages set. They have been there for 10 day's and I have caught 3 cat's. First cat I caught was 6 day's in AND I LET IT GO. Felt good and bad all at the same time. I have 3 really good toilets on my line where I have not connected and will have to pull the line on Sunday which is that 14 day mark, so my question is do I pull or stay one more week and try to catch a couple more (4 hour line check during the day)
 
gotya- Only you can decide how long to stay.

The cats you caught, were they male or female? If they were female there should be a tom(s) passing through.

It also depends on if you plan on coming back to trap there next year. Depending on the size of the drainage, I would be happy with two cats in a valley. I would pull out and leave some for "seed" for next year.

I just pulled out of a 640 acre parcel of excellent ground (old farmground boardered by canyons). I was there right at a month, I got a tom and two females. And that was just picking off around the edges. From tracks I know there were more cats in the area, so they should be there next year.
 
2 female (let one go) male was not a huge tom 36". I had 1 cat visit yesterday but didn't commit. The canyon I'm in is about 5 miles long and 2-4 miles wide w/ rim rock scattered through out the rim. I barely have 1/2 of one side covered. Would like to connect on one big tom before I pull line so I made the decision to let them sit. Had to tighten 3 pans as the blue jay's were tripping pan, caught 3 yesterday not happy but lesson learned. The winds here in Az. are ridiculous, they won't die down. Huntingal do you get to do this full time ? Mercer how's your season going?
 
gotya-I have to do my cat catching around raising two kids running the house. Some days trapping is the full time job, other days its the kids.
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Here's a great tip-
You have to let these go...


in order to someday catch these...


and be able to take a pic like this...


If you are unsure about the size/age of the bobcat you just caught-here is a good measurement. If it fits behind the pan...its too small.;)
 
That's a nice cat, hope to get one like that someday. been trying to show a friend all I know about cage trapping and so far that is how to catch grinners, well at least both where grinning
 
Huntingal, Huge cat. Did you get him this year? I took pictures of the cat I released(need to learn how to download pic's. We don't have cat's that big in NW AZ but I will try your theory on if cat fits behind the pan. Wife,3 kids and a full time job. I'm with ya!!!
 
Am I over thinking this cage trapping thing?? I almost completely cover the entire trap with what is in the area I am trapping in, I make sure the floor of the trap is completely covered with dirt so no animal has to step on wire or bare metal and then I see pics of others cages with no dirt on the floor and hardly any cover on the trap. I have very good areas that have lots of cats but only catch a few in the cages but can catch them in leg holds and am able to call them in is there something I'm missing using the cage traps?
 
The one key ingredient to cage trapping is to make sure that the wind is blowing from the back of the cage to the front of the cage when the bobcats are out moving around. The night wind is usually different than the wind that is blowing when we set the cages. The cat has to be able to smell the lure at the door of the cage.
 
Gotya-I got that cat last week, and another monster tom (different location) the next day. I believe breeding season is upon us. And remember, cats vary in adult size. What is average size in one area may be small in a different part of the country. You just have to get to know the cats in your area.

Dan has a very good point about the wind. Once I started paying more attention to it, my catch rate went up and walkbys went down.

As far as the cages, the wire floors and pan are always covered. Once you catch something its movement in the trap uncovers it.

I always brush in at least the back 2/3 and top of the trap. Again a caught animal often "rearranges" this covering. You can see my reset cage behind me. Also, the pic I posted of the young cat, I pulled the trap out to get a better pic.
 
I agree that wind is everything and is always changing!! I try to make sure my sets are always pointing with the favorable wind and DOWN HILL. Question for you veterans? I've been using a skunk lure that I made this year, I'm catching about the same # of cat's but it seems like I am getting more sets disturbed by coyotes where they pull my cover away and trip my pan. Any body using SKUNK ?
 
gotya, I use O'Gormans LDC it is skunky but also has a cheesy smell to it, I don't have any problems with coyotes at all, they hover around my sets but never dig or approach them!
 
Thinkinthebox are you using it above the cage or in the back? Another question!! I use 2 gland based lures, one from Bob small and cat collector from predator control group, I try to stick to one lure to a set but sometimes when it's late and I'm checking and re-luring I know I am putting one in with the other, is this a mistake?
 
Gotya I use double door traps and I put my scent on each side of the middle of the trap LDC on one side Powder River on the other some urine, and LDC up high outside the cage. This has worked for me ever since we had to go to cages here in Colo. I relure after a catch and about once every two weeks, unless I see where it is not pulling cats in. Then I will lure every week. Just my way of doing things, you will find what works best for you in time.
I also use a lot of Powder River as much as a teaspoon, but just a little LDC inside, but as much as a table spoon up high.
 
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