Blue feathers and cats

Who in the Midwest uses blue feathers or anywhere where there’s coon and possums ?

Can't use exposed feathers within 30 feet of foot hold traps in Nebraska.

They can be used inside of cages though.

Not a big cat population on my line, unfortunately.



Charlie

I use whatever color feathers the unlucky duck or chicken I come across has.,but I'm not in the midwest.

I save all my black chicken feathers and use them near my cubbies. Can cats even see colors?

I was told they can see color

One search says reds, yellows and blues.

I've used the color blue with success. I even snag a stupid coyote on occasion.
Found lots of cat kills on bluejays and bluebirds in the timber and fields over the years.
So I suppose blue might stick out to them better.

Northmocats may have a point. Every bird kill I have found in the field/woods has been blue Jays or bluebirds. Never put the thought into what killed it more less a cat.

I’m pretty sure coon and possum can see blue it was a unreal last year when I ran blue feathers vs just duck feathers

One search said coons are color blind , but can see green light.
That’s all I know...

Blue feathers in blue buckets ?? Might just be the best set yet !!!!! LOL
Dennis

IMHO feathers are the best possible attractor for bobcats. I am convinced that bobcats can see color. That said, I doubt that feather color matters much. In Idaho we cannot use them within 30 feet of a set, nor can we use any part of any game-bird-animal-fish, liquid lure excepted.

I don't trap coon and possums, so I will defer on that.

Your probably right there lol

The reason I asked this Is because I have never caught so many as I did this year

Never have used a jay or a blue bird down here. Robin feathers, duck feathers, red bird feathers and dove feathers. I think the action of the grey part of the feather below the blue, red and gray is what gets their attention. Might be wrong too but I have had luck with all kinds of feathers even turkey feathers. If it is working keep with it as it has been producing for you.

I’m with you on the feathers but this last year I’ve trapped more coon and possum then ever with the first year using blue feathers I know I had to of missed cats because of the coons .

Justin, If you are gonna put in a set at a location, put in three just for that very reason. Those darn possum are good for one thing if you are legal in doing it. skin them and to hec with selling them, dry the fur and cut it into strips and use in cubby type sets as an attractor. That white guard hair dances in the wind and if no wind they can still see it. I have caught many a cat using ole grinner fur. Cottontail tails with the bone stripped out and a piece of wire doubled over and inserted halfway into the tail is another dandy method.

Another thing about cats. rub sets using peeled beaver sticks or limbs about the size of post hole digger handles is pure death in close proximity to your cubby sets and other cat sets for that matter. where one may be clogged with grinners and coon your other two sets right there close will probably connect due to mr putty tat and his curiosity issue. Just make darn sure you get a limb that is at least 6 feet and get two feet or so into the ground where mr cat cant push it over rubbing on it. Lord have mercy I miss putting the steel in the ground.

Can't use feathers at sets here within 20'. I work in a cabinet shop and use two pieces of laminate glued together. Brown on one side, white on the other. Use a swivel through the top of these strips and it sure is an attention getter. There are a few scrap pieces of blue laminate at the shop, I'll glue some to a white piece and test your theory. Even have a blue bucket I can stand on to tie off to a tree limb. Lol.

Only critters with color can see color, and color is what your talking about, not shades of light grey or brown,black, they are not considered color in the research of eye tests.

What your arguing or debating about is the spectrum of light associated with that particular color, it may react to them in a way they notice it more on a particular day than a different day, not the actual blue color, although for simplicity one could say well it's the blue color that does it. Cones and rods help the animals distinguish such spectrum, some have more rods and others have more cones, depending on the animals needs to survive.

Well it's not the red flag that upsets the bull in the arena either, LOL it's the motion that does it, the color is easier for spectators to follow whats being done, same way with that spectrum view for animals with out color.

You never have noticed why ducks and birds, fish have color and mammals don't, those with color use it for mating and reproduction, while animals use pheromones and scents to do so, hence the trappers always using scent and lure or baits to harvest with, other wise we would be using all kinds of rainbow equipment, LOL

Cats are curious about movement, any thing that moves will attract them, if they notice a particular feather over another it's probably because it's brighter to notice than another one that's more plain.

Study your animals they will teach you more than you need to if you just take the time to do so !

Good ways to look at things . Thanks

Seems like some tall, handsome, intelligent guy wrote an entire well-researched article in Trappers Post a while back on this precise topic. Hmmmmm.

Anyway, the research shows what colors cats can and can't see. However, sometimes trappers get all caught up in whether cats can perceive a particular color, but assume that since cats can't see that color, they must not be able to see the object itself. Its not like the movie Predator where cats can't see something AT ALL (like the Predator couldn't see Aaaaanold when he was covered in mud). These objects aren't invisible to the cat . . . they still see the object, maybe just not in the color you and I see. Take a red cardinal bird for example. The research says cats struggle to perceive the red color spectrum more than others. Does that mean the red cardinal is invisible? Not, the cat still sees it twitching and bobbing around in the bushes, it just perceives the bird in a different color than the bright red that you and I see. Clear as mud? (see what I did there with the Predator thing and the mud?)

Thanks Tracy . I’m just wondering is coon and possum can see the same as a cat . Seems like I was in the mud all winter lol

I have never written an article for Trappers Post Truman!!!

I knew that would get a response from CH.

LOL