best traps and best places to get them

bearbait What size trap is needed to trap cats you most likely have lynx where you are and I think they are bigger than what bobcats would be here. But give me some kind of idea.

Thanks
Hilltop
 
bearbait,I agree with you.I was thinkig from the very begining that a seperate size trap for each animal would be neccesary or work best.Mainly because the shape and size of the feet are different.Not sure if a #2 coil or # 3 coil would be best for Bobcats ?PH,I like to have my trap under about 4 to 6 inches of water for coon.I like to have a small or big hole dug 6 to 10 inches above the water line.Your bait or lure goes in the hole.I like my pan of the trap to be about6" out from the attracter.You can level the bottom if needed with you boot.Bed your trap with a twisting motion while pushing it down slightly.A somewhat muddy creek bottom is usually easier to bed your trap in than a hard bottom.
 
Like many others have said here, 1 1/2 coilsprings and #11 long springs are your best bet when dealing with coon. Double Jaw is perfered. Dont worry about always having to drown the coon, but do it when you can. You can catch tons of coons away from water, such as out by the cornfields or along the fencerows. Make a dirthole set and bed the trap up close to the hole and slightly offset and inch to the left or right of the hole. Have the dog facing at a 2 oclock angle at the hole. Add lure or very sweet smelling bait. Do not worry about overluring because you can NEVER overlure coon as to what you can with fox and coyote.
BUT if you dont want two seperate traps for each animals you can use the exact same trap for bobcat as you can for coon. A #2 or #3 would be good for bobcat. I use 1.65s for fox and yote and bobcats shouldn't be much bigger then a yote...
Many trappers have caught coons in sets intended for coyotes so you can see you dont need to drown them. Its a proven fact! And no those traps aren't that big for coon, sure if you use os traps, smaller coon will slip out or if you get a toe catch but for the most part, yes you can use the exact same trap for coon though some might find it hard to believe...
As far as the best brand it would be dukes for 1 1/2 and 11s since their the cheapest and make sure you get the NEW STYLE of dukes. Never get the old style. The new style is built better the pan is even with the jaws which will help out alot. You could try dukes with bobcat but you would need some modifications on the trap, such as double swiviling through the chain, base plated,and so on. And make sure your traps are four coiled.
I like off sets because the keeps the blood flowing throughout the paw and doesn't cut off the circulation which numbs the foot and cause the animal to chew his foot off. But that isn't a problem with cats....Also helps with farmers concerned with pets and put them more at ease when you show them the trap and set it off on your hand that it wont hurt pets

Some sets you could use for them. Coon: Dirthole,pocket set,pvc set,cubby set,bucket set, and blind set. Always gange set the area too. Usually coon can be found traveling together so you catch more coon. Check along the creek beds in the sand and make a pocket set or pvc set if the land is flat and you can't make a pocket set. Look for trails leading to cornfields and den trees while watching out for tracks and scat. And place a few traps along the trail and use a slide wire to drag the coon from the trail so he won't tear it up and you can keep using the same spot.
Cats: From what I heard from other trappers, they catch the majority of their cats in cubby sets. Also use some type of flagging to attract the cat to the set. They hunt more by sight then smell like what canines do. You can use orange flagging, a birds wing, anything of such to hang in a tree above or by the set to attract the cat over to the set.
Also I highly reccommend snares. Alot cheaper then traps and you can set out 3 times as many and catch animals that you couldn't catch with a leghold trap. Their a great thing to have on the trapline.

Best of Luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Predator hunter as you can see by now advice is worth what you pay for it. One thing you may want to keep in mind is that while a few coon will chew out of a number 2 coilspring they are worth 10 dollars while a good cat in our country will bring upwards of a 100$. Cats are not particularly hard to hold, with a pad catch. I have caught and help 30pound plus cats in a 1.5 coilspring. The trick is to get a good pad catch on the meaty part of their paws. The #2 bridger is a good cat trap due to the 5.5 inch jaw spread. It is as large as the sleepy creek #3. They also work fine for coyotes. I think that you will also find coons are very prevalent in cat sets, especially if you are using bobcat urine for bait. I caught over 100 last year trying not to catch them. YOu may also waqnt to try out a video by Tom Miranda called competition line cat trapping. Does a great job of showing how to consstruct different sets and also gooes into detail on set locations. Good luck and good trapping.
 
cat whacker,I would say PH has received a tremendous amount of knowledge just for his asking from many knowledgable people.I can remember just in the early 80's there were many guarded secrets that are alot of common knowledge now.The only way to learn the best most effecient methods then was to pay a premium for personal instruction.I wish there was more detailed info when I started.Between videos,websites and books a persons learning curve could be very short now.
 
Amen Slash, Its amazing what sorry fur prices have done to loosen up the info machine. There are videos on the market now that would have saved 10 years of hard lessons even if you were half asleep when you watched them.Oh well maybe we will have a few good years. One things for sure the cats and coyotes are getting so bad here that people that wouldnt let you on their place a few years ago are begging for you to come in and trap or call now!
 
I am going to purchase specific traps for specific animals like you guys are recommending. I want to be doing everything exactly correct. I am very greatful for all of your help, its nice to know that there are good people out there who don't mind helping someone get started trapping. Having help when I started is something I won't forget, and when I see a beginner down the road needing help I won't hesitate to offer my honest advice. Slash, I wrote you an e-mail about the diagram, did you get it? I can't wait until next season to get started. Do you guys all die and wax your traps? And what do you think about using aluminum foil vs. sardines for attractors for coons in water sets. and is placing the attractor on the trap plate itself a bad thing?i realize that slash places the attractor away from his trap in a specific manner. that's just how some sources back home have told me to do it. I am interested in every method of trapping availiable. It will just take time for me to learn about and practice all of them. I have just specifically mentioned water trapping for coons because that is what all of my sources back home have recommended(and i feel there advice could have room for error). Do you think water trapping coons would be an easier approach for a beginner vs. land trapping?
thanks again, replys are appreciated.
 
PH,I received your email.But to send you a diagram and some info I meant I need your home address not your email address.I beleive more people would tell you water trapping is messier because of the water,mud,wearing hip boots,etc.But I like it anyway.I also like cathing coons up on the banks,in woods,around barns and abandonded houses in 220 & 160 conibears and snares.But I do not think either are allowed in OK.If they are not allowed you could always make a dirthole set with a foothold trap.I would guess most people would say land trapping is easier.But I've found trapping the creeks is a bit more productive.
 
Yes it reccommended to dye and wax all of your traps, not really for hiding a trap from the animal your trapping but to keep the trap in good shape so it can last for years to come. Also the saying "You get what you pay for" Comes to play when trapping. Get the best you can for trapping because it'll last you for a long time. I follow that whenever I buy new trapping equipment. Sometimes when you buy used traps, the springs aren't strong enough or the chain breaks...you dont want that when the animal becomes trap shy.
As far as sardines and foil, yes you can use both of them. Sardines as bait and lure and tin foil as an attractor.
Heres a simple set that only takes a minute to set and catch coon. Just take a 1 1/2 coilspring and wrap the pan in tin foil. Dont use any bait or lure. Find a section of stream that has ripples and the water is about 2 inches deep or so. Anchor that trap good and you'll catch coon. It works best with a full moon as the moon and the ripples makes the foil shine and that attracts coon. He goes to reach for the foil only to get caught. Its not a high percentage set but it will catch some coon for you...
A attractor right above or a few feet away from the set will work. It just comes to trap theives that will give you a hard time in stealing fur and traps.
As far as water vs. land trapping, its just best to learn how to trap both. You can make pocket sets at the creeks while making dirthole sets on land. I myself, I just find water trapping easier, but then thats me.
 
My favorite trap for the cats is the Bridger#3. They are a good trap for the price. There are others out there that are made too light, like the old Victors. I would recommend that you modify them. Lamination, base plate, four coil, and swivels with a stop shock spring on the chain. I have heard the #11 is a great coon trap.T.20
 
#11s do make a great coon trap, but their heavy but that makes a great trap for water trapping when your planning on drowning a coon if weight isn't an issue. I've heard though on dukes the double longsprings causes the frame to actually bend. I have yet to try them out so I do not know for sure. Coilsprings are lighter if weight is a factor and work just as well. Plus you dont have to dig as big of a trap bed to hide the springs and have a smaller dirt pattern, but a big dirt pattern is best for eye appeal when dealing with raccoons. Though I heard on the double longsprings that they bed easier then the coilsprings. So their is pros and cons to each trap. But if your ever in an area where you want to trap muskrats and mink, their make a great trap for them as well as coon and fox.
 
when i trap coon around here early in the season i stick to pretty much one basic set, i use a pocket set with a #11 on a drowner, the dirt sets for coons early in the season are ok if you like to take possums and skunks out of your traps, but if you want to nail the coons hit the water early before it freezes and nail them with a pocket set. after the water freezes i use dirt sets on the coons, but the pocket set is much more effective. i usually trap bridges and make two pocket sets at each stop, both traps are on drowners, to kill the coon and keep it hidden plus with a drowner all you usually have to do is slide the trap back to the pocket rebait and relure and be on your merry way, another plus with the pocket is that you will take some muskrats and mink out of it also. i myself wouldn't mess around with the tinfoil on the pan. just my thoughts and way of doing it. good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Yeah, the tinfoil thing an't much of a high-percentage set like I said, but its a set that catches some coon. Pockets are your best bet along the waterways like cwhain said.
 
thanks alot guys, i am going to get me a good coon trapping book and learn how to make a proper pocket set, i may try the tin foil thing a bit too, since you guys say it will work, but if the pocket set is better, then that is what I will try mostly. A recommended coon trapping book has been listed in some of the above messages, but if anyone has some other book recommendations, or something to add about the previous recommendation i would greatly appreciate it.
I am glad that so many people don't mind discussing this stuff. I think its great.
keep them comming.
replys are appreciated
 
Predator hunter it sounds like you are really going to get after the coons. Thats a great way to learn the basics of trapping and get some sucess under your belt. One thing you may want to consider is the 160 style connibear trap. They are deadly on coons and other furbearers. They sure won`t chew their foot off in one of these. Seriously some of the best coon trappers I know rely on them almost exclusively. There is a man here that catches over 500 ayear and all he uses is connibears and bucket sets. I can`t help you on how to set them as I target predators almost exclusively, but he tells me he can set 10 before I can set 2 Steel traps. Good luck, work hard, keep an open mind and you will do well.
 
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