Seriously with regard to the original topic - "foot placement at a rub post"

You nail a piece of whatever (for visual attraction and lure holder) to a tree trunk or whatever, 12 - 20 inches off the ground, and either build some fencing parallel about a foot away to turn it into a walk thru or build a V shaped fence funneling them straight into it or more of a flat set with rocks, sticks whatever for stepping guides. Then add lure to the attractor and if the jar says "rub" on it it's a rub set and if it doesn't say "rub" on it it's just another bobcat set.

Either way the cat is going to approach and first sniff it with his nose. If you guided him sufficiently he is yours. If you missed him and he likes your offering then you catch him while he's trying to rub?

So - since your heavily guiding him does trap placement really matter beyond setting too close? Anywhere from 8" to two feet would work depending on the slope of the ground at the base of the post and the lean of the post. Might need to be minimum 10".

The cats that leave foot prints at the corners of my cage traps as they sniff up and down the frame ( way too many to want to talk about) leave 2-4 prints 7-9 inches from the corner.

Am I close on the rub post deal?

ML

A trapper can learn a lot more about how animals react to lures and the set from their misses then their catches.

Cats are new to me as far as trying to catch them. I have to think if the scent they want to rub on if on a movable object like a bent over corn stalk would make them shuffle around. I may be all wet on that but makes sense to me.

I saw a video a few years ago, first time trapper asking the same question had three cats (or same cat three occasions?)approach his post and each time regardless of which way they came from they all put the leading foot in what looked to be the same exact spot, I'm guessing 8-9" straight out. There was a smooth place there and that may have been the key? That video is all I know about a post rub. his rub patch looked like more than 20" up the cats raised their heads, I guessed 30", but it was a video.

Thanks tjm.

Almost in my back yard Furvor. You wouldn't believe what the town looks like now.

Mercer,

Them's some VERY nice pics my fellow cats nabber. VERY nice! You do realize of course that the moment you post a nice photo on a forum, the wheels of justice begin to turn and the judge and jury bring back a verdict of;

"He lives and traps where there are a lot of bobcats!"
"Guilty, your honor" .... of easy trapping and blue bird love, peace, and karma places. "Anybody could do it given the chance."
"How does the defendant plea?"
"Yes, internet your-honor, It happened by mistake as I couldn't keep the critters outta my sets. I even tried but they were too thick.... they kept coming!"

I must not trap Texas were other folks trap Texas. I ALWAYS follow three earlier layers of trappers shown below prior to me hitting them with a daily charge. A daily charge is different you see than a "price per animal". It's more. Maybe not always the first year, but how many critters you think are left year three and you want to work per animal? Or how about the day you set the traps... you working per animal that day? How much are you getting paid? Zippo. That's a good gig.

#1 The ranch hands. (I get to cut snares from all the holes and see traps set all over).
#2 The government guys/gals. (they work hard for sure)
#3 The trapper from somewhere else who charges. (Many different flavors here).

All my TX ranches are this same format, no exceptions. The cream is vamoose (Spanish for long gone) or no mas (Spanish for no more).
Wish I had virgin ground but folks paying a certain level ALWAYS try cheaper first. I would too (maybe).

Anyway, I'd still bet on Phil.

Thanks Mercer. I have tried Sierra Mist at 5 or 6 sets with no results. There aren't many cats around here and I probably was not on location. Actually, I catch more than half my cats in snares. I had visualized a bobcat rubbing back and forth against a post like a house rubs against his owner's leg. But then saw a house cat keep its feet in one place while lightly rubbing its cheek on a mixture of gland lure with a touch of silver vine. That's what prompted me to start this thread.

tbn and Danny, I made a mistake in that post. I said Williamsburg when I was thinking of Phillipsburg. I was getting school buses from a factory in Hutchinson KS and driving them to Portland Oregon. I deleted the post before I saw your reply.

Mr. June
On your last post I must first say your exactly right. But for the sake of argument let's say ever " scenario" you just threw out there ( the top half) was spot on corect. I guess all of those folks could move there whole operation and life to all those magical places were the cats give there self up! You forgot about that lol cause if all them nay sayers are as good as they think. Well it shouldn't be hard for them to make a living on them high doller easy too catch cats wright?
But too be fair that's every body's enetial reaction, and as you stated earlier high density makes the FIRST animals easier but when you add just a little pressure thangs change quick!

Post script: please don't read this wrong I'm on your side!

This has been a great thread bar the excitment at the beginning. Around here I've always been afraid to catch my limit. Are density is so low id be scared I wouldn't have non the next yr. Thanks guys for all the good insite. For what it's worth I've never done eny good with rub sets possibly for the reasons all ready mentioned. Big flashy dirtholes and blind sets for me. And I defiantly miss some!!

Colt

rub sets work best when you make a blind set then add the "rub". that's true for every other set also but with rub cat needs to get pretty close to get interested. Like a couple feet max. build fence guide heavy. use whatever is handy. cat sets take a little more time. we have all caught them as incidentals in a dirt hole or flat set for coyotes or fox and we have all seen missed cats at those sets from too many options for foot placement. I look for naturally necked down cat spots then start blocking and guiding.

Your right about building blind then adding the attractor. I've always found if I ant set close enuff on location the attractor didn't matter to much. That's why I blind set mostly. Too me the cats are the mink of the predator world miss that one little thang and they'll rub your nose in it! Thanks for the insight!
Colt

each area of our country will be different with terrain,temps,competition and a bunch of other stuff that makes cats odder than other critters.here if i needed a cat fast i'd be using my dogs,take them out west outta the beaver ponds and small woodlots we have here and their way of hunting would be useless.same with trapping i think.not as much the sets,but the locations.

I never trapped east but locations here in ks and locations in the rocky's and location in the desert really aint that different.

in the desert sandy draws can be good and here in ks a snare over a small frozen creek are good. an old shed with packrats under the floor in ks is just as good as a rock bluff with pack rat nests in wy.

danny,hopefully somebody that has trapped east and west will chime back in.i'd be interested to hear their experiences.

Never trapped west but in my area limited on cats as it is. High rocky bluffs are the mane deal. At the base the mid level and top, they also travel in the hollers that would be drawls out west. The edges of thick cedar brair ridges and along the creeks and they run crossing logs when there's water under them all good places to start here. I've also noticed if there is a long open exspance they will follow what ever cover there is from one side too the other I know that sounds like duh. But lots of folks don't get that around here! They just thanks cats never cross it!!!???
Oh and around here it's more efficient on cats too kinda find and trap them on a case by case basis. Kinda like deer hunting. I have narrowed them down too a 3 day widow of when there due through and caught them in that window before . We don't have a bunch so by doing this I don't need a ton of traps out to catch my cats and I'm only allowed 5 enyhow! Again that's only one state in about 4 county's for me on cats!
Colt

ive seen here in ks where cats will cross a field of winter wheat. for those that don't know winter wheat in jan looks like real short (1-2 maybe 3 inch's tall) grass. a big tom will cross whenever he feels like it. females and y.o.y. like no moon or cloudy nights. if there is a two track or a terrace or a dry waterway cats will use them just like a coyote. don't misunderstand its not a regular behavior but they do it time to time. caught too many setting those locations for coyotes to think otherwise. if there is a hedgerow, tall weed lined ditch, or some other cover that's the spot for cats. they will (occasionally) cross open ground too, though for reasons known only to cats

during freeze up here they run the ice on every stream,large or small.beaver swamps and thick riverbottom is tops here but about the time you think you have it one will cross a wide open forested ridge.

Redsleeves,

I've trapped bobcats in the east (GA, AL, SC) and in the "sorta" west (NE, WY), in the north (Michigan) and in the south (TX, NM) and there are variables to be sure. Mainly the weather. Sets must be kept working for periods of time depending on densities and each state has it's own "fun".
I'd say the heartland states are the most challenging. There's a reason the Comanches were the arguably the greatest Indian nation and the last great nation for the Americanos to bring to bear . They lived in the inhospitable region of the country where weather made it incredibly difficult going after them. Squalls and blizzards and monster winds! Eastern CO to OK, KS to northern TX. Everything that hits this area is a nasty old front. This is what is very HARD on cat traps. Especially blizzards which occur about as often as I set out cat traps. Makes you grit your teeth into the howling wind.

I've found rub sets work better where the weather is easier. You get blizzards happening and cats are after certain things and it's not rubbing body parts.

Mark
I believe your spot on. That's why I have little to no success with mink in pockets they ant as hungry so they don't run in as hard as they can to eat fish in a hole. When they can eat fresh anytime they want, only a couple weeks really bad weather at a time instead of a couple mounths. Defiantly deferance' s when you trap more than one environment and one population.
Again hope you don't thank I'm trying to argue with you I have the utmost respect for you and owe a lot to you, I use to run a k9 longlime pre marriage and your lure was always a BIG help, also talked too you a couple times about some stuff and your first video changed a lot of what I did for the better. Thank you so much for your contributions!
Colt

Dan C said 'that's true for every other set also"
"make a blind set then add the "rub". that's true for every other set also"

Truth right there folks. Blind sets work.
Lure salesman will likely disagree lol.