put it in front

some good lookin fur lizardaramius

I have just finished reading this post for the 3rd time!! Great job again to all cat trappers!!!
LT GREY one thing i didnt see, how did the textured spray paint on the pan work?? I have been seeing that for awhile in the stores an thinking it would work on my body grips for beaver, otter, an mink, but never thought about cats till i read your post the 3rd time. any info on if it works sir???

I had good luck painting pan on location and sprinkling surrounding soil lightly on pan, and then blocking it in good, the fresh paint seemed to almost peak curiosity, caught two cats the same night they were painted

dob, I had an entire thread on it, using Valspar textured paint on the pan only !
It makes it look like a ROCK.

Few thing sturdier than a flat rock to step on.

I'd like to know what he averaged on those.
Idaho has some of the best cats I've ever seen !

Ok, I've almost made it through the book of knowledge about 'cat trapping (a.k.a. this thread) and have a set location question. I've gained access to a chunk of land not too far from the Missouri River. The yellow marker indicates the farthest into this pasture I have traveled so far, where there are three small out-buildings. The places marked with blue markers are either small ponds or stock water tanks/springs. Red markers indicate buttes with trails leading to/from them. These trails are livestock trails, but I'm sure all kinds of other animals travel them too. The blue lines mark off the landowner's property, and the red lines mark off a square mile of state land, which I can gain access to trap if I wish. Where would you all make sets? I have a limit of 2 dozen footholds and weekend trapping.

FYI I have NO experience trapping cats, but am going to give it my best effort this year!

Limited to only two -three days of trapping at a time is a rough way too harvest cats but....better than none !

In the last six months, I read alot on here, books, and some of the DVD's. Trail camera'ing til season opens, but I am learning location.

Nice pics all. Amazing how big those Minnesota 'cats are !

I like your idea Riingbill.

These all look like good places. The nice thing about using a trail camera during the off season -- you know the cat will be in the same area come trapping season and its just a matter of (1) getting there before the competition and (2) making a good set in the right spot.







[Click pn photo for videos]

Anyone use Briar cage traps for cats ?

1/3 of a CD, ball bearing swivel, 12" florists wire

The log crossing above may be a moot point, creek is dry as a popcorn fart now.

I'm going to share a set with ya'll. I'm sure some of you have seen or done this before. But this set is deadly when the sign and location scream for this type of set. The only thing is I dont have a picture of the actual trap(s) location(s). But I'll do my best to describe it for you. It's a constructed cubby and when completed looks similar to this:



It's deadly because curiosity gets the cat.

Now for what isn't in the picture: guiding and trap placement.

I guide hard. I guide well enough to assure the cat can only approach the entrance head on from the front. I'll usually lay a decent sized branch on each side of the door. If I can find a couple of "Y" shaped branches even better. Picture the branches extending from the cubby outward towards the front. Then I build it up tall with grass and twigs, the tallest part being at the cubby with it angling down as it extends outward. The twigs simply help assure the grass doesnt blow away. I place the trap far enough back that I try to have the cat in the trap right before his nose reaches the door. When I do multiple traps I place the second trap a ways back. I like to know all four of his paws passed directly over the farthest trap before he reaches the closer trap.

Traps are dragged.

When I set multiple traps its not uncommon to have to track both traps.

This set always produces multiple cats when constructed in the right area. Fair warning; use drags, if not you will have to reconstruct with every catch.

While I'm on the subject of cubbies. I'll show you a more natural, easier to construct cubby that is naturally freeze proof.

Notice the natural looking "V" in this cedar?



Hang flagging on the outside of the cedar, nail a visual attractant to the trunk of the tree, place a little cat urine at the base of the tree where the tree meets the earth.

In this next picture the trap looks closer to the tree than it really is. Again I like to set the trap a little farther back. I want to get the cat well before he gets close enough to satisfy his curiosity, I also like to try to have the cat in case he doesn't fully commit and go all the way to the trunk.



Here is a close up of the completed V



Good luck!

Mad Catter:

Can I offer a suggestion? I think your set is fine, but it requires the cat to alter its path and change its course of direction to encounter the trap.

Just a suggestion -- what if you set it up basically the same, but change it slightly so the cat would get caught even if it wasn't interested enough in the bait, lure or visual attractor to alter its course of travel. Here are a couple of ideas.



Not saying this is the only way, or the right way . . . just saying its another way to catch a cat.

Lazarus, I like your way of thinking. I set it up the way I do in order to avoid coyotes. Here our cats are at their best after the coyotes have started rubbing and the last thing I want is a coyote plugging up my cat sets when I'm not targeting coyotes.

If you could see how much open space there is to the right of where I'm standing when I took that pic, and to the left of where I'm standing, you would see the that the area isnt that tight. I'm actually standing at a private intersection (road). Behind me I have a tree stand and I see cats walking down the center of the road, so either way the cats travel path would have to be altered. Altering the cats path is why I nail an attractant to the trunk of the tree.

I use the flags to pull them in once they are on the road, then the attractant on the trunk sucks them in once their at the intersection.