When you set just for cats at d-holes, flat sets, etc., basically any set besides a blind trail set how much pan tension do you prefer? How much pan travel do you think is the right amount?

Three or four pounds. I miles trigger my traps so not much pan travel. 90% exposed walk through sets.

Same amount for coyotes 4 lbs or so ,,, Monty style dogless not enough travel you would notice.
Blind set included

I always make sure the trap fires between pan level to halfway to bottomed out and seems to work very well on coyotes. Most are dog on traps with approximately 3lbs tention. Was wondering if cat guys thought this might be too much pan travel.

Can or could a cat working a set stepping slow and methodical like they do sometimes feel too much pan travel? What causes toe catches in these kinds of sets??

Is there any advantage to any pan travel? I try to take out all the pan travel I can.

Imo its tension that is more important.
As far as pan travel causing toe catches there is a whole host of other things that could cause that .(lockup) being one of them.
The foot may start all the way in a trap but end up as toe catch when you get there.

I'm sure it's not a lock up issue with the traps I use. I had a couple cats toe caught out of 15. One that was toe caught pulled out as soon as we pulled up. The other was held but toes were in the middle of the trap. Are some cats so fast they can pull their paw back when the trap fires to be toe caught if they don't completely commit with that foot?

I had about 1 out of 100 coyotes toe caught last year so makes me wonder.

Personally I dont believe the animals are quick enough to react and pull foot back fast enough. I believe toe catches are usually a product of being able to step on the jaws and pan at same time. I run bridger #3 with very little pan pressure and rarely get toe catches. I got some traps with smaller jaw spread and a larger pan in comparison to jaw spread and I start getting some toe catches when use them. Even us humans knowing the trap is going to fire can't pull a stick back fast enough to even come close to clearing jaws. My 2 cents.

Not to argue too much but imo cats have much better reflexes than we do. Think about it for a second, some people are way faster than others. Go in the ring with a boxer or Mma fighter to see the difference. You do it and I'll watch. Lol
Why couldn't some cats be much faster than others? I'd have to think age would play a huge part in this.

I can't help but think that sometimes it comes down to a fraction of a second whether it's a good catch or not.

I bet the cat guys that run exposed pans and get the cats to step dead center on the pan rarely if ever get toe catches

I agree cats have quicker reflexes than us but knowing its come and reacting and not knowing and reacting is different

My ? Was just on the sets the cats are stopping to work, dirt holes and flats etc.

The exposed pan trail sets are completely different . I agree with no toe catches on those sets.

Only way to know is to have a slow motion camera on a set where this happens .

I look at it like this on pan tension it's like walking on a snow drift or crusted snow,,, once you are up on top with your step you fall to the bottom. There is no coming back.
Yes sir brought up a good point imo.
Cats foot placement on the trap ,,,something to consider.
Not all states can you use or not all set either warrant it either but a second trap is pretty effective at times.

I'm running 2.5 to about 3 lbs on my traps with very little pan travel. I have a mix bag of trap duke #2 rj bridger dogless #2 and a few 550's.
4 of the the 5 cats that I caught were with Zags pipe dream good front foot catches the other one was a flat set by the hind toes that pulled out when I tried to get a picture.
J

Just curious, which trap did the cat pull out of?

Here’s my 2cents. I’d like to have a trap with 2-3lbs tension on pan. I can’t see where any pan travel would be helpful. I think for cat trapping I’d like a nice crisp trigger.

I agree on the thought of a cat being that fast. It would have to be the Bruce Lee of the cat world. Lol

Let me ask this, is the ratio of toe catches on cats the same as it is for coyotes? Like 2 out of 10. Or is toe catches higher on cats? This is just on sets where they are working the set.

No right or wrong answer, just what you have observed on the line
Thoughts?

Same here.

I have seen far more in and out sets than I have cat tracks everywhere on a set. But it might be the type of sets of used also.

I couldn't agree more I prefer none! If something makes my pans drop I want to hear a snap! 3.# tension and no travel perfect!

I’m new to this but why would you want travel? I make sure all my traps fire at 3.5 pounds. I don’t want any give when he steps, I want a tripped trap and caught cat. I’ve had one cat catch that wasn’t exactly perfect and it might be considered a toe catch, but it was all four toes...just wasn’t my normal full pad catch.
What is the purpose of travel in the pan?

Does a crisp trigger and no travel mean( hair trigger )to everyone?

It was either a bridger dogless or a 550. I narrowd the offset of the bridger to about 1/8 inch to help with the stray coon. He was caught by 1 or 2 toes and he hadnt been there very long barely a catch circle. Probably the biggest one i caught since i started trapping he was big big tom
J

My traps have basically a 1/2 inch from level pan to bottomed out.
I shoot for an 1/8 inch pan drop. I will except 1/4. I prefer not to have a hair trigger. These measurements are at the end of the pan.

I'm very certain this much pan drop is not an issue with coyotes. For cats I'd say very little to no issue.

I feel toe catch issues are more to do with foot size and placement when the trap fires as was stated above. That can wait till tomorrow.

I agree rp toe catchs are more to do with how the foot fired the trap! No way any animal is fast enough to get there foot out of the way even with longs the slowest firing trap on the market. Do a test bed a trap solid and as fast as you can try and poke the pan and not get caught! I'd be willing to bet in a dozen trys you get hammered every try ! Not to mention you got a advantage you know the trap is there a critter don't or shouldn't! I tried to smack a cocklebur off the pan of one of my traps one day. Needless to say I had a catch cicle after! I'm just happy my son didn't dispatch me!

So if we were just targeting cats, should we be using smaller pans to get the cats foot farther in the center of the trap? Assuming we are guiding the best we can would a smaller pan cause more complete misses? Would it help hurt or make no difference?

Or bigger traps if u can. More gap between jaws and pan seems like its helped me reduce toe catches IMHO.

I agree, bigger traps would be better if the chance of non targets wasn't an issue. I trap in cattle pastures during calving season so I have to be very careful with bigger traps.

Anyone know of a good cat set that is cattle resistant? Notice I didn't say proof. Nothing is 100%

Cubby boxes with the floor cut out with a bird wing or fur critter tied to the rear of the roof. If natural fur or feathers are a no no then fake fur with plastic eyes. As bovine resistant as you're going to get. Keeps snow from burying the trap as a bonus.

Sounds like a good set. Room is tight for extra gear but will make a couple to try. Thanks for the tip.

Think of three or four teepee poles/tomato stakes tied at the top and spread out over the set, then size that picture down to where a cat can enter but a cow wouldn't- say tied at ~4' above dirt and spread enough to be stable; or lean a pole against a tree and set under it. The only extra gear is some hay wire and I always think hay wire (not rebar tie wire) is as essential as chain and stakes. (you can call this a cubby if ya want)

>>Are you concerned with bigger traps hurting the cows or the cows breaking the traps?

I guess this happens a lot of the time (80%?-99%? of toe catches) and it doesn't look like that's what happened. It is easier to pull the trap jaw over the pad than it is to get the jaw out of the divot/groove between the toes and pad.

If a cat pulls hard enough to pull jaws past there pad no harder than they fight a trap I would think every coyote would be toe caught or completely pulled out in same trap as it seems they fight a lot harder than a cat. Take a foot from a cat u catch, bed and cover the trap like normal but leave a small enough area to see end of pan and the jaw. Fire the trap with paw on the jaw and on the pan and c what you get. Remember when you bed a trap your putting dirt over the jaws so the cats foot is already a half inch higher than the jaws.

I feel the same yes sir. My partner caught several old dog coyotes by the hind foot this past season. I watched them start from one side of the catch circle go straight across and hit the end of the chain so hard I was afraid the trap would stop and they'd keep going but it never happened. Once they locked up it was game over. After seeing that enough times I'm convinced no cat is going to pull part of the way out especially by a front foot, not in my traps anyway. Just sayin.

I agree with your points on the feet and is a excellent point on the amount of dirt over the trap. Like what was brought up earlier it can come down to fractions of inches and seconds.

That's an excellent idea, I will definitely be using that one.

Not worried about the cows so much as the calves.