Cats like rabbits and cats and rabbits both like cover for their living room. If you have a lot of cats you can find them in a lot of areas but if I really need to hone in on them thick cover is king.

I know we are trapping two completely different areas of the Country, but the rabbits comment is accurate down here as well. Brush piles, roads next to overgrown clearcuts, roads through thick small pines, etc are all prime bobcat areas. And coyotes too for that matter.

Find and follow the turkeys.If there are turkey dinners running around there will be cats.

Funny you mention that. On 1 of the properties I own, there's more turkeys than ever. I've seen cats there before, on trail cam, but no tracks or pics lately so I've been avoiding it b/c it's a long drive. But I put a came up along the creek there last week & will check it Friday for potentially 1 last hoorah. I checked the cam yesterday & no cat. But half the creek was froze. Do cats like to run frozen streams? This is a large stream, like 10 yards wide.

Interesting you mention edges of thick pines. My uncle mentioned a spot today that's along an edge of a christmas tree field, w/ a thicket on the other side of a the field road. He mentioned rabbits are probly under the xmas trees or in the thick grass around 'em. Any thoughts on the edge of a xmas tree field? It's only 2 miles from where I'm trappin now & I think I could gain access.
The low land I'm in now...the cats seem too sporadic...no routine. I put a beaver out today next to the last place I saw tracks.
I'm trapping 2 locations currently. The other is a mixed forest near light agriculture w/ a snowmobile trail runnin thru my land. I had a cat walk down the snowmobile trail a week ago. The trails have since opened so the machines may spook them. On the other hand, the snow's so deep that I'm hoping the cat may WANT to walk the groomed trail.

Cat_trapper_nv, I agree about 95% with sets you pictured. The tops of some of your trap-side rocks are wide and flat enough that in snow conditions many cats would step on the rocks. I have followed enough cat tracks in snow to know they will go out of their way to walk on rocks, sometimes jumping some pretty wide gaps between rocks. Narrow-topped rocks make better guides.

Yes cats will run the frozen creeks . It’s a superhighway. If it’s narrow block it off and make a walk through. Sometimes right after a snow you can see the tracks.But the thing with cats you never know where they will get off lol Set the edges of those trees! You can also set just inside of the tree line. Cats hunt along that type cover.

Thanks. I was caught offguard when I scouted it yesterday & the creek had ice. I wasn't sure what to do. We got snow today. I'll try to check it this week. Maybe I could make a pinch point & anchor to a tree. It's a hi bank creek so I thought I was golden, with a natural funnel along the shore, then this ice developed.

I made my own set this week out of field stones. I pounded some sharp ones in vertically around the trap to make 'em wanna step on the trap.

True if the cat is hunting. A tom on the prowl, or cats traveling between hunting areas, is likely to follow a trail. I say this because if you are snaring hunting areas are not the best bet. A hunting cat creeps & pauses and for that reason is harder to snare.

Hopefully I can find 1 on the prowl. I think that's what they're up to & why their behavior has been so sporadic, but I could be wrong. On the other hand, they gotta eat too

Be careful on that ice! If you see tracks out there try to pull the cat to the shoreline. Throw some kind of bloody bait out there on par cord and make the cat follow the trail to your set. Something like that so the cat has to investigate it. I use squeakers at times I know cats are around but not sure where the set should go. I have had lots of good luck pulling cats in with those. The sound I like are a bird in distress.

The apple orchard and the cat I was telling you about, AJE. Cats use the orchard to hunt for grouse and hare but they're not predictable on where they come through. Flagged, lured and beaver baited cubbie took him.

Another beaver baited cubbie a cat walked all around but didn't commit to and a couple of rub sets I pulled too soon. Had traps set on the rock and the stump but got discouraged after a month and pulled the sets. Then the cats decided to show up. It's a waiting game.

That’s a good set you made for cats AJE. Sometimes ya just gotta wait em out.

How did you make the set at that stump?
I threw a partially burned stump in the truck tonight that I may use tomorrow for a set.

I like your idea, but we can't use a bloody trail, I'm afraid, as my interpretation is that would violate our exposed bait law. But I'm sure I could use certain types of flagging.

Thanks. I think I'm doing all the right things, but no action...

I wonder if they move slow in this scenario. I could be wrong, but it seems like everything I hear about cats is they move slow.

There's a lotta grouse where I currently have a few sets. Hopefully that means 'cat country'

My trapping grounds. Waterways and logging roads are where I look for my sign.