Question for Lonnie about bobcats in box traps

John Carter

New member
Lonnie,

Do you wax and dye the box traps you use for cats? Do you have to be as careful with human scent with bobcats as you do with say coyotes?
 
John, I don't wax or dye box traps. Even the new galvanized wire on the traps do not seem to bother them. I do make sure the trap is set level and does not rock when a cat steps in it. If it is in loose soil I push down on the trap and scoot it back and forth to level it and get some dirt in it so they don't have to step on the wires. Human scent doesn't seem to matter much on cats but I usually wear gloves just in case. I know of cat trappers that don't want to mess with coyotes in their dirt sets that purposely sift the dirt with their hands to keep the coyotes away. I guess that would work well unless you get a digger. Hope this helps. Lonnie
 
Lonnie, No matter how carefull you are while setting traps you will always leave human scent. No way around it. You just need to convince the animal that you left nothing behind. Such as a trap. As far as gloves or setting bare handed, it really makes no difference. I wear cotton gloves when i need to keep my hands warm . Otherwise, i don't bother. Most coyotes who dig up your trap do so because it moved when they stepped on a part of it. Such as a jaw. Bedding of the trap is really very important. One other thing. Traps are dyed in walnut hulls or logwood crystal in order to remove contaminted smells such as blood or rust. They are then waxed to prevent the trap from rusting when you use salt or calcium chloride at the set to prevent the trap from freezing down or the dirt from freezing on top. Dont forget to scrape the wax from the dog and the pan notch or you will never get it to stay set.
 
Back
Top