I’m a flat lander from the prairie and am struggling with location in the forest as I always do. Where I’m from “structure” and “travel corridors” stick out like a sore thumb to me but when I get in the forest I struggle to see the subtle nuances.

The obvious ones like base of a cliff or a couple of two tracks intersecting or a beaver dam and so on, I need to know what else to look for in a vast forest area that looks as though there is no difference in any of the 2000 acres

Help………Where should I look for cats when a very large area all looks the same? PM or reply here which ever you prefer please

I would think that you would want to find some game trails, and go from there. Speaking from inexperience though.

Not sure about bobcats but for lynx-find their hunting pockets.Lynx hunt pockets of rabbits for several days,sometimes in family groups,then move on to the next rabbit pocket for a few more days and so on.The pockets themselves are good places to snare cats,and their travel routes between pockets are predictable,and sets made along these travel routes will produce when they move.
All these areas are identifiable thru tracking in the snow and being familiar with your trapping grounds over several years and many miles of travel out on the land yourself.
depending on the movements of the cats your sets may produce overnight or may not produce for a couple weeks.

Regardless the cats always return to the good hunting areas along predictable travel routes.

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I dont know your area that you and your kids trap,clear cuts regrowth 5 to 10 year old can be good,are ridges and valleys,edge features pinch points necked down areas.You all ready talked about two tracks logging roads check those places for edge features in valleys and ridges water ways beaver colonies can be very good locations it all comes down to where the food is find the RABBITTS you'll find the cats if there in the area deer yards are good also those 30 + lbs bobcats kills a fair amount of deer,but rabbits and grouse are their main food source,good luck looking forward to your adventure.

Ok, I know of a handful of areas that are loaded with rabbits and I was going to set those areas, will focus on edges near them and see what happens.

.. thickets ... edges of the nastiest tangles you come across... grown over open areas in mature timber ... that’ll hold the prey

So when did Minnesota get some boreal forest.?
In a boreal forest a red squirrel has to have a back-pac to carry it's food from one tree to another.

How has your search turned out so far?

I believe it's a more northern ecosystem as well....

https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/15/1273/2018/bg-15-1273-2018-f01-web.png

powerfinger I'm just yanking the chain of those southern Minn guys,
when they see two trees together,
they swear they are in the deep woods
wait for it
and have to pull out their GPS to backtrack out of the woods.

lol... i believe it. it is open country there. large tracks of timber really do require locating funnels/ choke points. Takes time to scout such an area. Good luck and keep us posted.