I use them, as I want to be able to catch animals where they are. Have had success catching red fox as well as cats where they were causing problems close to houses, livestock pastures etc. Keeping a trap working in the sheep or with calves around is difficult feral animals can be removed using cages, I want to be able to use what will work.

I do use cages here and don’t have to. I set a lot of spots were cages are weather proof. I don’t have to worry about traps freezing. Plus they are simple for my kids to use. We let a lot of our cats go (females and kittens) no damage. Not saying I don’t use any foothold for cats because some sets footholds are a must. Just my 2 cents worth. If you have a couple cages try them.

If you want to collect pee I bet a cage makes it easier to handle the cat.

There must be a learning curve to them. Back in the late 90's I used a trap designed to keep a live chicken in. Cat tracks all around it in the snow and door closed. Several days in a row. I think it was jumping on top the cage. Chicken survived it all. I got mad and foot trapped the cat. I have used the trap as a cage several times but never set it again.

I have a friend who caught 78 nice western cats one season using nothing but cage traps. He said he would not go back to footholds for cats if given the choice.

There is a learning curve with them but if you'll watch Mercer Lawings Caging Bobcats Guaranteed Success video it will really shorten that curve dramatically. Just apply what he does to your locations, and it works. I really like to cover mine with cedar boughs if it's around. Always cover the wire in the bottom seems to really help.

I have caught cats in #2 northwoods that were intended for coyotes. As mentioned, it depends on the weather, however, here in Washington, we dont have a choice.

I'm trying to decide where I should put the Bobcat urine at the cage set

Wolfdog
Where do you get the channels that your door drops down in?

My son is using cage traps now at his plantation since quail season is in and has caught 8 fox and 3 bobcats in cages in the last 16 days. All they were set for is coons and possums with 1 or sometimes 2 eggs in the back. No lure, urine, or any other bait, just an egg. Again like I said in another post, our area just has a lot of cats so that could be the reason for his success. Since mid April he has caught over 500 critters in cages and footholds. That’s everything from armadillos to coyotes.

Great discussion. Lots of good information on this thread.

Cages are all we can use here. Its been a learning experience. One thing i think is true, bed that cage solid, you dont want to moving around if the cat rubs on it. Cover the wire floor with sifted sand. make sure the door rails dont get a lot of sand in them. Sprinkle some of that sand onto the trip pan. Hang a feather or critter inside so it moves in the wind. All scent goes in the back. I trap cottonwood riverbottoms. Almost always there is a dead cottonwood tree nearby. Often i can often pull off a big chunk of bark for a roof, then smaller pieces for side fencing. Box them off pretty good. I want there to be one place that the cat can get to bait/lure/motion and that is the door, not stare at it thru the side of the cage. I want the cage as close to the travel way as possible.

I usually add a IR flash trail camera on a tripod set to video. So I can see what the cat did or didn't see in the case of a refusal. The density of cats here is very low, so I continually fine tune the presentation till their trigger is tripped. Tall traps are better than short.

Good info Ringneck. I plan on using bark to cover the base. I'll try to cover the sides a bit.

It's angle iron and flat stock welded to one side. I believe he may have learned that from my cage building video???

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This is another post drug up from 2017 I see.

That's what I thought too. Very good & informative thread.