I don’t use bait for bobcat. I basically blind set, and use a touch of lure on either side of the set. Two different lures, always. Feline fix, violator 7, cat-man-do, super cat, gusto, all are good options and I’m sure there are plenty more.

I set so that as a cat approaches the set, he comes to one lure at nose height, can sniff it and rub on it, then has to walk over the trap to sniff the second one. The key with bobcats is to put your trap where it already wants to walk. Thousands of cats have been caught in this country with nothing more than a heavily guided trap on the right trail, no bait, no lure, nothing at all.

Where you are may be totally different, but here the females and kittens stick to rougher, higher country with good cover, and the big toms are more bold and will often venture down into the low country to hunt along the edges where tall brush meets open terrain. They like to walk along the top of washes on the high side, and up against rock walls. The best bobcat trappers in the state are using all blind sets with exposed traps like I described. Bobcats are simple to catch once you figure out their travel routes. They’re not the brightest crayon in the box, so don’t get too caught up in all the best lures, best color of trap, etc.

I talked to a guy who caught 147 bobcats last year and his sets are all just very simple blind sets with an exposed trap, no pan cover or anything, just a black trap set in the middle of the trail with lots of guiding and blocking.

Beaver castor works well on many species for me and is a good change up for a coyote at least it has been in my experience