The snow's deep here & I'm unsure how it's affecting cat movement. It seems to have slowed it. 1 thing I started doing @ some sets, & I'm unsure it's a good idea, is that I walk back & forth on a sort of natural (narrow) path looking trail, packing it down & making what I think is a path a bobcat would want to follow to my set.
We've only had what seemed like a few days this month where the snow was hard enough that bobcats could probably run on top of it. Now it's wet, soft, & fairly deep.
My thought is to make it as easy as possible for 'em to maneuver, thus I did this @ several sets.

The other thing I did, starting today, is I started hunting this elusive cat. It may be interesting to see if that gets it moving.

I & a friend scouted a ton of properties this winter & cat sign is nill, so I continue to focus on 2 properties that I have seen cat sign.

We were talking about this the other day & it's shocking how little yote tracks we're seeing too.
Things have sure been quiet.
Keeping @ it...
AJE

They have to eat, so they stay or go to where the food is.

I would trap the thick stands of cedar where there is less snow and the rabbits are.

What do you call deep snow.How many feet?

Knee deep in spots.

We don't have cedar Bruce. They're very rare around here, as deer destroy them. I did make a set under a big white pine today though, 3' from fresh tracks.

I have deep powder snow ether cats still walk on top.

Deep enough to where I got my truck stuck twice this week.
But still probly nowhere near the depth you are used to.

AJE,stomping out those trails is a good thing when trapping cats.They will use them IF they find them and IF the trail is going where they want to go.

Deep,powder snow will drastically limit cat movement.In country like yours,I have seen cats hole up for two weeks,in those conditions.Rabbits will spend much of their,tunneling under the snow.After some time,the snow will settle or crust over to the point that it will support the weight of a cat.The second that happens,there will be a flurry of cat movement.Keep in mind,when this happens,there will be no trails.Just like a man on snowshoes,they don't have to stick to trails they used earlier.

In conditions like that,I once had one of those two week slumps.When the snow finally settled,I cut a big tom track,going on top of the snow that I needed snow shoes to travel on.I back tracked that cat to a huge group of boulders where he had spent all that time.He stayed down in those rocks and would come out and pee but never traveled more than 20'from his shelter,till the snow settled enough that he could go.I had been snow shoeing right past that group of boulders that entire time while checking sets in a line of ledges.That cat had been holed up for two weeks,25 yds from my snow shoe trail! It was just above my line of sight and on bearpaws,in deep snow,my travel was restricted as well and I was following my beaten path.I may have caught him the following season but will never know.

When the snow conditions are very deep,12"-16" plus,and powdery,you need to be right on top of those cats to find them.These are bobcats,not lynx.Anyway,good luck.Don't stop thinking and working.

I will add,when you catch a cat in those conditions,there will be just about no fleshing to do.

Thanks.

I've been finding more tracks the past 3 days. Prior to that I think the problem I was having for 2 1/2 weeks was the exact problem u described...no movement.

I have 37 sets out, but the problem remains: they are not following the same trail.

Maybe I s/be spending a bunch of time hunting (calling) them each evening in the area I'm trapping.

Here's a pipe set I put in Monday night. The trap is so low compared to the snow that I hope my guiding sticks'll keep it from coming in from the side just for a quick peak. This set is 3' from the most recent tracks. My guess is it won't be back tho because the cat keeps moving in a different spot, although I hung a CD at the set for eye appeal. I wonder how common it is for cats to always use a different route. It makes trapping super xtra challenging. Maybe I'm dealing with a cat that's smarter than most, I don't know.

I use buckets when the snow gets deep.
Down in the thick alders and cedar swamps.

Those snow conditions are rough,AJE.We talked about random cat movement vs traveling on distinct travelways.Where cat populations are thin,they are very spread out and when you have land like yours that has very few features to narrow them down,this leads to a lot of random travel.That makes it tough.

I hope by now,that you have learned that when someone says a cat will return to a former track,that varies wildly by region,largely due to terrain and population densities.Bobcats are bobcats but all terrains and population densities are not created equal.

Be careful using attractors or lure right on a trail set.It could cause an animal to focus attention there and change his stride,causing a miss.If I use scent in conjunction with trail sets,I will place a strong LDC or a dead skunk,downwind of my sets,some distance where it might pull them where you want one.It might just get them to drop into your packed trail.It just makes me nervous to have attractors cloe above trail sets.

I've been kind of starting to think that too, Taximan, so I appreciate you confirming the belief.

Knee deep is fairly deep snow.I cant say for sure about bobcats,but if they do have more trouble hunting in deep snow,they would be much more suceptable to a snared jackpot set if legal where you are,or a cubby/box with a bodygrip.
Both of these options shine in deep snow over trying to keep footholds operating.

Today now the snow has hardened so I think maybe they can run on it without too much trouble.

They should run very well tonight,maybe even during daylight,AJE.Perfect conditions.I hope all is functioning.I have an idea they are.

I think so.

I'm gonna get out and call 'em this evening. If anything, maybe it'll come in & show interest in 1 of my traps.

It's amazing how much snow conditions can vary every few days, depending on things like temp & sunlight.

Thank you to everyone who has provided such enlightening advice.

5 years ago I had a chance to wolf trap in Wi, and surprisingly I had way more action wolf trapping than this winters stint at bobcat trapping, in which no cat (to my knowledge) has approached a bobcat set even once. I try not to think about the massive amount of time & $ I've spent on this cat.

I catch them on my cameras well into the morning. Some as late as 11:00 am.

I suppose it all depends how hungry they are, or if they're mating.

I try not to check before 8:30 am. Videos of cats at winter sights are almost split between that time and night.
I find them to rarely eat off a bait pile until it is regularly below zero (F).
Snowshoe trails to and from bobcat set sights in the snow. O
n bait piles walk heel to toe 50+ yds to the four winds through the snow and then circle them (spokes on a wheel). Snare and blind set double longs on your trails.
Lastly, cameras can be used to keep coyotes and wolves out of bobcat sets. Just about the only way to avoid a wolf.