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So I’m a little behind in my journal. Since I was heading to northern Nevada to visit my family for Christmas, I decided it was a good time to pull my traps then set the area I scouted all summer after I get back home. I am a first generation hunter and trapper and have always wanted to bring family along and my brother finally agreed to come help me pull. It was a very slow night until we were almost done when we find this pretty girl waiting for us.
Now I’m up in Fallon Nevada and brought along some coyote traps and some muskrat traps. Figure I might as well go for some nice coyotes than our Vegas song dogs. I forgot how frustrating coyote trapping can be. This one barely missed the pan.
We still have a few more days to hopefully connect with one in a trap, and maybe call in a couple as well. As for the muskrats, no shortage of them. Just finished day two and now have 6 rats with only 8 traps out. My son really likes this trapping trip. Drive around on his grandpas ATV or dirt bike and check traps without hiking up washes or up to rim rocks.
Between the trapping and duck hunting, we are having an awesome start to our Christmas break!
If traps work like the Antis say......I would have no fingers.
Looks like a good time.Are them some good money cats like the ones in Wyoming or not so much?The ones we get around here,your lucky to get 50 to 100 bucks.Still a lot of fun to chase but we can only keep one a year.
Here’s the cat with a belly shot and the remake. Once again, no need to burry the trap especially when you are using Mike Kelly’s expanded trap pans. First season I’ve ran out of traps. Just got more expanded pans for the traps that will be here on Wednesday! Going to match them up with 8’ of #2 chain and JC Conner’s 2lbs drags.
This last check we hammered the K9s. 3 kit fox, and grey fox, and a coyote.
I’ve been watch Tom Miranda’s videos on YouTube and decided to try out one of the remakes he does on his video. It was a female who was clearly in heat with tons of coyote tracks around the catch circle. Hopefully this t-bone walkthrough type remake works!
Last edited by cat_trapper_nv; 01/07/2012:24 AM. Reason: Added a picture
If traps work like the Antis say......I would have no fingers.
So I’m kind of running two lines right now. They are about 30 miles from each other. The move heavily set area is where I caught the cat on New Year’s Day. I haven’t found new cat sign but one fresh turd at a toilet, and have had fox plugging traps every check. The smaller area has only given me a couple grey fox, but last check I found a few different fresh turds so I set a few more out and decided I’m going to pull the heavily set area and expand this smaller line. Wasn’t sure if I made the right decision till I checked and pulled last night. The smaller area connect on a beautiful Tom while the larger area gave me the middle finger. Lots of hiking and pulling with zero fur to show.
This season I’ve been on my own and have the freedom to do what I want with my lines. So as soon as an area slows down, I start moving traps. It might just be moving further back or trying new canyons in the same area, or it could be packing up and moving to another mountain range. I trap for fun, and it’s not fun checking the same empty sets every check. Haha I rather check empty sets in a new spot. Keeps your hopes high, and keeps you motivated. With only 6 weeks left in the season. I’ll most likely stay in this new area, and if things slow down, I’ll just move sets around in the area.
A real cat trapper knows how to get the animal to pose.
Caught in an exposed MB550 with a Wild River trap pan and cabled to a bush. I’m not exactly sure what lures I used on this set, but I have a gland lure on one side, curiosity lure on the other, and a call lure up high. A strip of tyvek of a swivel hanging above the set for the visual. On the remake I didn’t add any more lure. Just piled up urine drenched dirt and sticks on each side of the set. More than enough calling power there haha. I refresh it will some new smells on the next check. I wish all my cats had this belly.
If traps work like the Antis say......I would have no fingers.
Very nice,it would be nice to trap $$$ bobcat in a short sleve shirt,or a pullover,good luck on the rest of the season,there talking -25 to-30 tonight I have 3 bobcat sets out yet,pretty sure there will be no action at them tonight.
Great thread, first time I’ve seen it. I have a little boy looks a lot your little man, that makes it even more special. Love to see the younger generation involved, my little man loves it also!! Keep it up Joey
I’ve been focusing on my videos and haven’t done a journal update in awhile. So I got my traps all moved to a new area. The grey fox have been hitting very consistently, but the cat trapping died down a lot. I found a big toilet further down the range I caught that last cat in, but nothing in the other range I moved too except a few white turds. I have no where else to go so I decided to set the catty areas anyways and just enjoy the last month and a half of the season. I’ve already had the most consistent trapping season ever, and have been having a ton of fun with my son.
Even with zero cat sign, I knew something would have to move through the area while looking for love. That hunch paid off on Saturday. The biggest shocker was the second stop of the morning (fox at the first stop) when I went to check my coyote dirt hole (bobcat meat as bait and old reliable as a lure) and saw this beautiful Tom in an MB450. It’s actually the second cat I’ve caught in an MB450. One was in a cat set I made when I was out of bigger traps, and now this one.
The following spot we caught a badger, and then nothing at the next. We then walked a new wash and found a few turds so we set it. Then off to the signless range. At the first stop we have a fox in the first set, and at the last set had this Tom.
We were pumped to have two cats in one check. We head to the next stop. We get to the last set there and have another bobcat! This time a female.
Catching here made me feel better about the area. If there’s a female around, the toms should be there sooner or later looking. They all have amazing bellies, but this female was one of those that had white to the toes!
Turned out to be our best check of the season!!!! We finally have a cold front coming in (dry, but still a huge temp change) so hopefully it gets cats moving again. There was one happy and tired boy at the end of the day.
If traps work like the Antis say......I would have no fingers.