Yep, I just finished watching my new Steve Woods Video..BobCATCHING-1..At the end of the video sounds like he has a #2 version but I can't find it anywhere..has he made his second video?....Everthing up to this point Is in his video as far as "The Exposed Cat Set"..In my opinon ONLY this video is set for a advanced cat trapper...I feel if your not cat savy you won't catch alot of what the video is about...I've also read some of Bill Ilchik's book...again ..alot of information on the "Exposed Cat Set"....OK I thought about it for a minute..Maybe to me what is advanced is his idea of set location...advanced cat trappers know pretty much where they would put a set....but to me in the video he puts sets n some places that would be a "Traditional Type Location" but other locations the sets are made at I think I would pass up or not consider...however there is alot of snow in the video and maybe he's placing the "Exposed Cat Set" at these locations cause he see's tracks in snow....Has anybody else this video? What's your thought?...I'm not KNOCKING the video by no means....It's all a different concept tp me..that's all..

yep I have seen the vidio. Also went to a2 day class with Bill Ilchic,Scott,and Bobby Byrd I think most Important thing is lacation,locatoin the reason I say this is because I use cage traps in the same way they show the use of leg traps.Iam trying the double door trap. it worked ok but location is more important than anything to me.

A natural lower draw access near a rock quarry going to a lower level. A good narrowed down trail with an exposed trap setup with subtle guides is all it takes. No lure or bait used to break the cats stride here. Took 3 cats here in 6 days.




This lower bluff area was an old cattle,deer trail that showed a couple of different cats traveling it after a week of snow. Simple trail sets with trap pushed into the snow onto wax paper. Couple of stepping sticks with a rock and log on either trail side to pinch the trail upon approaching the traps. 2 cats, a badger,a jumbo coon and a coyote in week. Several species traveling this trail. A good long running trail for gang setting as I found.





A faint game trail running thru some young pines made an ideal location for placing a couple of exposed traps set just below ground level. A little cedar duff to blend the edges just slightly with the pan showing.A couple of guides and stepping sticks suggested a place to step while moving thru that area.

Like was stated already know your animals habits in that area. Where they hunt, bed and travel from one area to another. Its then a waiting game and trap maintenance.You can catch them high and low at different times.Set them tight but make it inviting also.



A simple cat set that can be open faced or lightly covered. I have caught equally as well with pan showing or pan and jaws covered.



An outside corner projection set with a nice tom with an exposed trap placement. Rubbing scent placed on projection stick end.





A faint game trail tight along a back edge harvested field. Cats were sneaking from cover to cover areas along a swamp and looking to surprise a prey specie off the edge of the heavier cover.

Bob,

You'll catch more cats if you take that first stick away on that picture with the grouse wing.

I call those stopping sticks rather than stepping sticks.

I'll bet one out of 3-5 will stop at the first stick on a turn in set like that.

Joel

Whow....That cat that's hanging in the tree is one HUGE cat..I'm surprised there hasn't been a comment yet...Nice Pics Cat Trapper

I have seen no obvious evidence indicating refusal with regards to guides or stepping sticks when used in this manner on travel thru trails or lure, baited eye appeal sets.

When lite snow cover or tracking dirt or mud is available I look for such things and havent determined that to be a radical deterrent issue. I am right on top of them for the most part when they come by.

If they are finicky or only mildly interested at that time in that particular type slight turn in type setup it is just in the nature of a cat at times. Depending on whether he finds the set early in the evening while still aggresively hunting or later on when he has filled his belly and is content to a degree.


He may pass by a few sets before committing if he does at all during this time through if this early or late scenario is the case. I have done both ways with and without the initial stick or guide rock on those types of sets. I believe the depth of the set is more critical to committing and it going that extra distance into that kind of setup then the stick itself in my experience.

We all get walk byes on some presentations on turn in or baited sets even with good eye appeal and scent application.The nature of the beast at times.

These side lined sets are not a far distance from travel and hunting ground cat routes.A foot or two at most.These and a few other type presentations all have produced across the country in various habitat. I tend to keep a bit more open presentations on baited sets versus bottle neck trail sets to encourage visits and appear to be an easy inviting display.

I'm with Joel..as far his comment on the guide stick in front of the trap...I have had refusals..cat came in looked around sniff..sniff...then split..track was 2 inches from the front stick....However I replaced the stick with a small rock..horse turd...etc..it still guides the cats foot and to me is more inviting to the cat....

I am not a cat trapper but interesting thread guys, and nice pics Bob.

Question? for all do any of you use ladder guides on sets like Joel pointed out.

Chamacat, You hit the nail right on the head! Catching cats is mostly location and of course having cats to catch. All the other things talked about help keep your sets operating UNTIL the cats come back, decrease your misses at the sets, or streamline your operation and make you more efficient. Some winters are one rain/snow storm after another and some are pretty open. Exposed cat sets do help keep your traps working through weather changes and target the cats foot, but they won't increase your cat catch if no cats are there to catch. Oh, and bobCATching #2 is not completed yet, it will have some new information and is all new footage. I became better as a videoographer and lots of cat locations are shown. As well as the cats taken there so you have confidence that what is shown has credibility, not just on opinion or theory. Cats can be taken anywhere they travel and hunt, many "traditional" cat locations should be called "traditional trapper" set locations

Here's a few pointers: You have to have cats in the area your trapping, you have to have sets where a cat is going to be, Plenty of eye appeal and you have to leave the traps long enuff for cats to come by. I have had sets out for 2 weeks before I caught a cat. Location is the main thing. If your not on location you might as well not set the traps. The exposed set is the best as the trap will work in rain, snow or frezzing weather. If your set is on location and your trap is ready to go you will catch cats. Cats are like poker the longer you take to make a decision weather to fold or stay the better off your are. Cats are very easy to trap but you have to have cats and have sets on top of them.

OK AJ not me anymore on the ladder guides....WOW..If you guys for one minute don't think you can't become a better cat trapper off this thread alone then you've missed the cat boat...For some of you that don't know... some of the west top cat prodcers are right here on this thread...When a great cat trapper tells you that you're hitting the nail on head..in these posts makes me feel like cutting out my first pan shingle...lol...So.. I'm gonna hit rewind on my DVD and watch Steve Wood on his Nevada cat line again...and again..ahh...lol

Another good point! Watch and read the information you have purchased more than once. You will not get or understand little things mentioned in any video just by watching it once. I say that because of two things. #1 -- I DID NOT with the videos I watched. And I think I watched them all. I would hear a simple sentence mentioned in a book or a video and because of where I was in my own cat trapping experience, I blew it off as unimportant and it went right over my head. Later on I "discovered" it on my own and watching the video again, there it was! Right in front of my face but I didn't get it as being important, because my brain wouldn't interpret it as being important. I hope that makes sense???
#2 -- Little things can make a big difference. Timbob's walk through cat set is very good looking set... notice how he has spaced out the stepping guides. I mentioned this in the video, make it uncomfortable for the cat to step over the whole set and give him a "perfect" spot to step right in the middle. Small traps with small stepping guides will have cats stepping over the whole trap. A little thing that can make a huge difference
I've had the pleasure of seeing guys on this website more than double their cat catches after reading books, watching videos, and attending seminars. The quality and level of information that is available today has risen considerably...They may not admit it publically, but WE ALL learn from each other nowadays Beginning cat trappers are better in one or two seasons than us old timers were after a decade of trial and error.

For some reason the forum list is not showing the start of a third page, so I thought I would blah, blah blah again to see if that corrected it

Yeah. Steve You Got a PM

We have been talking about location...brings me back to a catch I had a year ago....I was in the high desert...saw some yote tracks in a two track road...there wasn't a tree or a bush for a mile around...so I made me a yote flat set...first check nothing...second check had a nice tom..I looked around scratched my ole head....slipped a choke on em....and left with my cat..what I shoulda been doing is trying to think what was the cat doing there in the first place....Al of the vegetation around was no more than a 12" prarrie type grass...there might of been a rat around but i find them at catus so..I don't now why the cat was even there cause he was pretty vunerable himself to the elements...I never would have known it unless I put a trap in the road....cause sign out here is gone really quick...between bugs and little monsters that carry scat off your lucky to see sign..

Were you on a high ridge where the cat could look down. Cats like to go along ridges as they can spot rabbits sitting down below them.

Guys I know this thread is about exposed trap sets BUT I got to ask...pan tension. Please tell me why so many guys claim that ALMOST no tension is best. While others like Chama indicated when said he made a coyote flat set...Tell me about pan tension. How much do you use and what do you differently from say early season cat trapping (when coyotes and other furbearers might be worth something) to later on when you just want 'cats? I guess the number of snap offs and non-targets cause me confusion??

I run 3 lbs for everything and have never missed a cat.

I have around 2-3# as a guess. This answer is like some other preferences and shall vary from person to person I am sure. I know good trappers that use no pan tension and those that do. Both catch a number of cats.I prefer moderate to what would be considered a bit heavy tension at times on most of my trap pans except for mink work.

We would all like to avoid some incidentials if possible but not at the expense of compromising your target animals.