Just stack any kind of brush or natural covering on top and this will alleviate any problems with snow, rain, or freezing conditions putting your cage trap out of working condition. This alone makes them better than legholds for some purposes. Also helps conceal your traps very well, almost impossible for anyone else to find.

Good info. Thanks

Never used cages but just seems logical that it would be easier to get a cat to step on a pan of a trap than to walk into a confined space. As far as weatherproofing, a exposed trap with a enlarged pan takes a lot of weather. Not saying that cages don't have a place.

And you probably don't want to go setting a bunch of cages out In the open spaces. So I'm assuming that cages are more location specific. While you can place foot holds no matter what.
I've caught cats In cage traps but foot holds are more effective.

I started using cages several years ago because of my work hours. I always trapped beaver because it didn't matter that I couldn't check traps until late afternoon. Then I started using cages for bobcats since I could check them late and not worry about damage, etc. I played around for several years until I came up with a system that worked for me. I would place the skinned beaver carcasses in 'catty' looking places and check on them every day or so. When one would be covered with pine needles, leaves, and such I would be sure it was a cat. I would uncover the beaver carcass, drag it four or five feet away. Then I would dig a hole big enough for the beaver to be just under ground level. I then place a cat sized cage trap over the hole with the beaver just past or underneath the petal. It seemed to help if I dug a small hole just to the side of the door and added a cat dropping with a little pee or gland lure. You would be surprised how many cats I would catch the first night, and very seldom non-target species. I attribute it to the fact that the cat that covered it knows exactly where it is, and now thinks another stole his cache. While other non-target animals have trouble smelling the beaver under the cage.

Most of the time I could give a pretty good guess as to what hit on the beaver. When it disappeared completely, with a small drag trail, then guts, then disappeared....almost always coyote. When the beaver is largely eaten at the place I left it, most of the time it would be dogs..... When small portions of it are eaten it was usually coon, possum, or fox. When it's covered almost always cats. You can place several stations out and catch some pretty good catches since you don't have the traps out unless you already have a participant. It's harder to keep the carcasses from being discovered by buzzards than anything else, try to keep under thick canopy like cut-over timber. When the buzzards do find it you'll know by the feathers, or them hanging out nearby.... They hardly ever leave until everything has been picked clean.

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I think I'm going to try one.

Where coons and possums are prevalent, how would you bait/lure the cage to try to exclude them?

I've tried posting this link in Google to find it, but can't. Can you post the title of the YouTube video or you YouTube user name? Thanks!