Alrighty, My last thread got deleted....So I took from that thread and started this one....As all of that have been following along with the western cat threads..we are now up to the "Exposed Cat Set"...lol...I personally have not tried this set myself...I for one use the "OLD METHOD"... dirt holes/walk-thrus/rub sets...and different configurations of the above...I'm very interested in this exposed cat set..and you cat trappers should be too...No urines..no lure..no bait..means less time at set and $$$ back in your pocket..less expensices...SO if you you this same set at different locations tell us how ya do it iffin ya please....I kinda wish I grew up in Nevada..Seems like it trendy out there...

im interested as well, in muddy then frozen conditions it sure would help alot, problem here is cats walk along fencerows alot, makin a tail set about impossible as his line of travel is 20 foot wide often and in a cultivated feild, same with following a two track thru a pasture or crp, cant set the track because of vehickle travel, so its pretty much dirtholes walkthrus rubbing sets like you describe, lone wolf seems to have good success with his shingle on the exposed trap at a branch cubby like affair, every time ive tried the exposed traps or shingle exposed traps at lured or baited set ive had coons playing with the traps, chain. cable etc., coyotes like to back up to mine as well sometimes and scratch kick sticks all over the trap set but that is usually just a one time thing so not much of a problem, the coons however seem to return several times. i really would like to come up with a way of makin it work as i could easily run 20 times more traps without the lugging dry dirt all the time.

Yep, ...they are so finicky at best...In open field country I wouldn't know how to set an exposed cat set like you say...But for sure do this when we get a An "Exposed Cat Set" trapper to answear the thread maybe he will give you a tip....And put in a back-up set..lol

I dont know how to tell you in words but Iwill try.scott and bobby may spend 20 min makeing a set.they place brush or tree limbs or what ever they have to make cats step where they want them to.like you said they may have 20 ft.dont let them have but 1 ft.block the trap tight.Bill Ilchik shows this in his book WILD WEST BOBCATS}Major league trapping and snaring.Here is a trapper that knows his business!!!doesnt toot his horn much though.

any pics?

Here is a picture of a exposed trap set That I used to catch alot of cats this winter. When you have thrawing during the day and freezing at night this set really works.

Wax paper under the trap, folded in half, will stop it from freezing to the ground. Anybody who has tried the exposed set knows that with a little moisture and some freezing temps that trap is going to freeze down. Checking it when the sun is shining on it isn't the same beast it was the night before when it was 15 degrees. And cats could care less about the wax paper.

How do I psot pictures on this site?

How do I post pictures on this site?

Only trouble with the set in the pic is that the cat has to turn off his line of travel.

The fenced off sets we're making are just snare psychology using exposed traps instead of snares.

Don't make it to complicated the idea is to make it less complicated rather than more.

I don't carry a hammer or a trowel or a lot of the other stuff coyote type cat trappers pack around.

Bills book is great as is Steve Woods bobcatching video.

Buy them!!

Joel

I make my walk theu sets a bit different but then again my terrain is a lot of different, we have a limit on cats and this set catches greys and yotes on occasion to. I make a wwalk thru from the original trail. The arrows point to where I place my lure.

I need to give credit to my kid, I did not take these pics.

This is from his line. He builds some 'walls' that rival the one in China.



The trap is in the gap in the rocks. The visual attactor is there but the way this is blocked it is probably not necessary.



Can't argue with success, nice female from the set.



rr

That's the way Rim Rock build a fence also look for natural pinch points,if they're not narrow enough ,build a fence .You can use this method on top of rim rock ,at the bottom of rim,as shown,along creek's.As far as the exposed trap set ,it could be a trail set ,dirt hole or what ever--you just don't need to take time to cover your set--but using this method as a trail set mean's you don't alert the animal first--don't give the cat a chance to be finicky-did'nt like the bait ,lure or what ever.

I'll also use two traps on drag's,double's are nice.

Alrighty..nice,nice,nice....sometimes the simple things seem so outa reach...that's some major blocking...imagine what a guy could do in the summer gettin the cats used to the cat trappers way of travel?..I have to ask a stupid question....Surely the exposed trap is bedded like an ordinary trap set right?...Another trapper here {being politicaly correct] was talking about puttin sticks under the trap to bed..to me you would have a wobbly trap all the time...wobbly traps don't bother cats?

Chamacat, Im going to tell you something then Im done posting, my posts always get turnd into a nightmare for a strange reason. You guys are focusing too much on SET SET SET.... The exposed set is just common sense. Put the SET aside. NOW.... what is your knowledge on the cats where YOU trap. Do you know them BEST? Figure them out. You guys are overthinking this. My best advise to you is Focus 80% on YOUR cats habits! the other 10% on your SET. And the Last 10% on tying the two together! Figure out where you can catch most cats w the least time and effort in an area then GET ON TO THE NEXT LOCATION! Do not overset and area. I trapped against a man here. We both trapped a canyon w nothing but respect for each other. I was headed up one early morning two years ago to check and caught him packing a big tom off the rim from one of his sets. I stopped and talked with him for the first time. He said he was hiking ALL the way up to the rims and was spending most of his day in THE CANYON trapping right above and below the rim. He later told me he took 15 cats between three canyons (3 out of the canyon we met in)that season that made up his line, he had 60 traps, I had 60 traps. I ran that canyon as well and also 4 more across the range w exact timing as that other trapper. I took 39 cats that same season while going to college catching not ONE more than 15 yds out of the truck, 9 out of that same canyon as him. I set 6 traps in that canyon. MY POINT IS.... Think about your line in a bigger view. PUT THE WORK ON YOUR VEHICLE NOT YOUR BACK... Get your set down, but focus on LOCATION.

I'm sure everyone does it a little different but if the ground is'nt frozen I'll make a shallow bed but I alway's use major steping sticks or rock's make the cat step on the trap-if I'm using two trap's I'll offset them one a little to the right one alittle to the left 8" to a foot apart--as far as under my trap I like the top's of sagebrush or the duff from under them.

Alrighty,Idahocatman please don't feel that you need not post..I for one Have gained alot from you weather you realize it or not..I'm a very serious trapper...I can personally gain alot from T-Man threads all the time...when I started trapping no one would tell ya nuttin...today information flows freely over the telephone wires...YOU are exactly right about knowing cat habitat and being cat savy....IF I CAN put one more type of set in my bag of cat goodies then I'm ahead...So I want to thank you for bringing up the "Exposed Cat Set"..now I will go buy a book and a video for more KNOWLEDGE...something i didn't know about a week ago..again if it helps me put more fur on a stretcher then I'm ahead...

IdahoCatMan, No need to stop posting, you have had some post that were very interesting and had some helpful info. I also like seeing your pictures. Your trapping is alot different than ours here, but I think some of your methods could be very productive in all areas.

Tomcat.

Great thread, ttt.