Around here any trail I make gets used by deer. Maybe he creates some sticks across the trail in strategic spots to cause deer to jump over the traps.

When using exposed sets like we do our mule deer will usually step over them. Sometimes you get one that steps in but they mostly just step over. Not sure if your whitetails would do the same

That's a good question

Yes, deer will jump over or go around, while cats will slink on under.

I was talking about whether deer step in an exposed trap set. I think you're talking about a cat going under some sort of stick.

Do bobcats change patterns in winter? It's amazing how many properties I've scouted since 12/24 & only 1 time did I see cat tracks.

Also, is anyone else other than Wiplumber trapping bobcat in Wi this winter?

I’m not trapping Cats but talked to a very solid trapper in the Ladysmith area and he said he hasn’t seen a set of Cat tracks in a week and he told me he’ll probably eat his Fisher tag. He’s also a logger and said it’s the worst start to a winter that he’s ever seen. Logging roads are snapped over and grounds not froze, he sent me this pic of this logging road from the job he’s on now. He’s not sure about the Cat movement but he said it’s eerie, they will move at some point.

Thanks. Sounds like my experience Eagleye. Yes, you'd think they are around & would move at some point. This is crazy.

I made three pass-through sets tonight






Consensus on here seems to be pass thru's are the way to go.

Even though I didn't see tracks on this 103 acre parcel, my friend that owns it told me where the three prime spots are based on trail cam footage

If those were my sets I’d have way more blocking, IMO there are too many options for a cat to step that are not on the pan. The way I was taught to build a walk through for cats, you pretty much build a log cabin with sticks around your trap tall enough that it has to step over the first set of sticks but it’s too far and too tall to step all the way over both sets of sticks with one step, and the ONLY clear spot in between is the trap pan. It does not bother a bobcat one bit to be forced into stepping on the pan like that.

I always hear about exposed pans but I thought that was for rocky areas you couldn’t bed a trap. What’s the reasoning behind that if a trap can be buried or covered?

More blocking..wow, that shocks me. But then I'm not a bobcat expert by any stretch. A lot of the people I talk to that catch them in Wi seem to get them in coyote sets so I'm thinking less blocking might be the answer. But I'm open to suggestions. Thanks

Those pictures of mine aren't zoomed in enough to show that I actually do have a fair amount of little sticks to guide their feet

I don't know, I've been hearing a lot of people say that exposed pans/traps work good for bobcats in any condition. The reasoning is that Bobcats don't stomp around like coyotes do when they work a set, so I'm trying to encourage them to step on the pan. This method saves on wax dirt I think too, and might be quicker to set for most people.

What bob said, heck you can pile brush for 10 feet on each sidecto get them to the trap and just make the pan the only clear spot to step. .I've even seen twigs used as punji sticks to keep them from step where you don't want them to step. Wild rose branches would be good to since who don't have cactus

The way I was taught to make exposed cat sets, no part of the trap is buried. It’s literally just plopped down on the ground, no bed is dug or anything, if the trap needs stabilized you just put stones or sticks under it to prop it up., or gather some duff to bake a pad fit it to sit on, then add blocking around the trap and sift a little duff on the pan so it looks like a nice soft place to step. I use a fiberglass pan cover to catch the fines in a little bigger area but lots of guys don’t do that. Then I use little stick like Nv wrangler said as pungee sticks all around and even inside the jaws between the pan and jaws, and pile brush in every single spot big enough for a bobcat to get its head through, blocking every other trail for as far back as reasonably possible.

Every bobcat I’ve ever caught came from a set like that, and probably 80% of the foxes I catch are in that set. I’ve never caught a single bobcat in a coyote set.

The reason for not burying the trap at all, is
1. It’s not necessary. Bobcats don’t care. And truthfully, neither do foxes. I’ve caught many many foxes in exposed bobcat sets. Coyotes will even be caught in them sometimes.
2. Saves time and effort.
3. A trap set like that will continue to work through rain, snow, freeze/thaw, almost all weather, eliminating the need for dry/waxed dirt or antifreeze and no need to rebuild sets after weather events, except if the snow gets a hard crust on it then you have to scoop the crust off the top of the set.
4. You have less gear to carry to make that type of set, which is important when building a set in nasty steep country. You pretty much just need a trap and a drag or stake, everything else nature provides.

I put a lot of little sticks around my footholds the other day, including some lateral & some short vertical sticks poked in the ground, to try to dictate their step.
I never imagined spiking some sticks in between the jaws, but was wondering about that gap.
I hope my exposed bare metal pan is not a problem.? This is a lot of work. The last thing I want to do is deter a cat if I finally get 1 in the area & showing interest.
I'm curious what others think about this. There's not many cat trappers around here, so not many folks I can seek out & discuss this with, other than at the trappers convention.
I have to be careful not to put so many sticks at the trap that it gets in the way of the trap firing.
I put crumpled up wax paper under the trap to help avoid freezing.
Sometimes I cover the jaws w/ waxed dirt.
As for fencing around the set, I'm not sure on that. I don't go hog wild, but maybe I could more.

If you dont block those some more, good chance you will catch rabbits traveling down those trails.

I’ve caught cats before with just a bare metal pan, hundreds are caught every year that way. My blocking is always big and bold, the little twigs are the “fillers” for the areas in between the big sticks and between the jaws and pan.

When guiding a cat, you’re not suggesting where it steps, you’re FORCING it to step exactly where you want. Don’t be afraid to be super aggressive with the blocking. You’re literally making it so the HAVE to step directly on your pan if they want to continue on that particular trail. They’re not like coyotes, extreme guiding does not bother them a bit. A cat isn’t going to come to your set in the trail and back out cause there’s too much blocking. Bout the only way you can block too much is by not giving a clean spot to step in the middle, they’ll just jump over if you do that. But the clear spot only has to be big enough for just one paw to fit. That’s why tons of blocking is key, if there’s a space around the trap big enough for a paw to fit that isn’t your pan, chances are good the cat will step on that spot instead. It’s not like a baited set where they put their foot down in multiple spots at the set, when that cat comes through you’re going to get exactly two shots, one front foot and one back foot, so you don’t want to leave any room for it to step around the trap.

As for the fencing, yes, absolutely go hog wild. Literally plug any hold you thing a cat would go that doesn’t lead to your trap. We call it “brushing in” the set. Sometimes we will brush in gaps wider than your pickup is long to keep a bobcat from using other trails