A good thing we can dictate that

If you have to release a bobcat on a long chain throw heavy wood on the chain working your way to the animal. Once you get the chain pinned good you can safely handle it.

Beav - We don't have that problem here. No trees = rock! Just messing with ya - couldn't resist!

Thanks guys I see places that will work.

Beav, I get that for sure. The first experience I had that got me thinking about this was the exact opposite. I ended having only about 1/3 of my planned line out as it seemed I was making sets by the end of that day that were dictated entirely by where the ground would let me stake rather than where I wanted to. Plenty of strong trees within easy reach of where I wanted my sets though. Ended up going and snapping all the sets I was able to get set just because they weren’t going to be worth it. Definitely nice to hear what everyone’s areas and preferences have them doing.

Another thing, when I used cable I made sure it was as tight as possible, and doubled around the tree/root, boulder, whatever, etc, with the cable going thru a swivel, attached to the chain with extra in line swivels, shock spring etc. I used the cable as a stake to the trap chain.

Great thread! I wish we had trees lol

Lol Pawnee. I wish I had some open fields. We have some in parts of the state but the closest thing I get would be a gas or logging road and maybe and old mine area. My areas tend to be paths straight through woods and locating sign is next to impossible unless you can catch some tracks one morning before the snow melts. I tend to find the paths that lead to and from said access roads and go into the woods. I go out those paths and make sets. It seems to be the only way to avoid trap theft and trouble makers shooting catches.

A guy needs to be adaptable. With cats especially sometimes a tree is the way to go. Rocks can make bedding a trap almost impossible and your not getting a stake in. A longspring solves the bedding problem and tying off to tree might work. Sometimes even with a few trees there its not the right country for a drag. Sometimes I wrap a drag around a tree to big to hook the drag on and tie the chain to a drag prong with wire to secure it. I have used 3/32 cable for tying to trees and never lost a single animal because of it. After a catch or three though that cable is so kinked up its about worthless. Chain lasts for ever. My drags are kept separate from my traps. I hook them together when I use them. Stay adaptable. My trap chains are short with a double stake swivel at the end. Also have a swivel just hanging there I can hook to a drag or whatever else I need to. No single system will work in every situation.

Good information and points Danny. Thanks for the picture

When I do its like Archeryguys drawing, loosely.
Have one spot that gets 6 dps. All that pounding would draw unwanted attention.
Yep 6, get in, get out, make farmer happy.
As a kid I got chewed out for causing damage to a guys young oak tree, I never forgot that.

Actually to that point. Has any one ever been concerned about ruining the base of a tree?

Always, lots of no value trees in my area.
Learning tree species is fun too.

Unless it's something like a young fruit tree, nope.

If I'm doing a nuisance job in someone's yard, I'm going strictly cages or bodygrips if I can. Trees are expensive to replace.

It happens!

Im like danny tying to trees or bushes is just another tool in the tool bag . Around here you cant afford to let staking conditions dictate your set location .adaptability is key . I like the chestnut rings for double staking because they are so easy to just loop a cable or chain to or if making a set on fresh silty sand that the bottoms are covered with now a couple pogos loop right into them well .they are just so versatile just like another link in the chain .

If I had no choice I would go to tying to trees.
I've tied off to a fair amount of brush and small trees when beaver trapping with BGs but so far In my 60+ years of running foot holds I haven't had to go that route.

Around here you could get by coyote traping with strictly stakes but you are driving by alot of good sets either from rocky ground or visibility from a road. Cat trapping is another story alot of the brushy areas are brushy because of rocks

Bigfoot, I can’t imagine at this point how many good sets I have probably passed up because I have been sticking strictly to stakes. I have chained to trees for coon, just don’t know what I was worried about it with coyotes. I guess somewhere in a shallow mind moment I thought it could be a leverage issue. I’m thinking based off what everyone has said, I’m gonna be carrying some extra chain with a lot of swivels from here on.