I was looking through a lot of bobcat pics this morning and noticed something I hadn’t really paid attention to or thought about. I have a tendency to set right of center on all sets, slightly. Looking at a bunch of pics at once there are a high percentage of left front foot catches. I really never cared what foot I got but what could this be telling me? Been catching cats 40 years.

Not a professional but I’ve always offset my traps in scent post or dirt holes.
With scat sets I try an figure what direction they’re traveling and how they’d approach to take a dump.
Something I’ve been doing the last couple of years is make a dirt hole set and put the trap behind the dirt hole. Started using cameras and I’d have cats circle the hole and approach from the rear like they’re peeking over to look in and some would never set foot or step down in front. So, I started putting the set in the back. Sometimes I’ll put one in the normal spot and one in the back.
As far as left or right, it’s always been which ever side I’ve put the actual trap.
I’m not a cat trapper, we just have a lot of cats.

Cats walk with their feet in a straight line.
Same with canines.

Any thoughts on being too far back and missing right foot but picking up left? Just some July discussion. Most are walk through type sets even the hole sets. Maybe no reason?

I need to set more behind the hole. We’re allowed to use two traps at a set on private property. I just trapped for years with one and never have gotten into doubling up. Be interesting to have one type behind the hole and another in front to tell the difference if on the same drag. I guess you could use separate dtags.

lol, on bobcat sets! I will often bed the trap first then build the set around the trap! This has reduced misses for me.
I think offsetting the trap is a waste of time. Guiding is more important. Bobcats will climb all over the set, give them a good place to step. On the trap.
On most dirt hole sets I prefer to crowd the hole. On scent post sets the trap is set a little further back most times? Looking forward to trapping Season!!!!

Maybe I should’ve added, all my sets are coyote sets that catch bobcats. I’ve noticed coyotes circle as well. If the dirt is nice might as well optimize my chances.

I just looked through my camera roll and noticed that about 90% of my cats I catch are caught on there right foot. That is likely because of how I guide them at dirt holes and walkthrough. My cat sets are heavily guided and I always offer a spot to step about 18” back from the hole and offset about 2” to the left. The next spot for the cat to step is about 10” from the attractor and 2” or so offset to the right which is where my trap is. I think it has a lot more to do with guidance than anything on the spotted critters.

Almost all of my cat sets are walk through sets. On the rare instance I throw in a dirthole or use a natural cubby as an attractant, I still set a walk through configuration in front. Of those, 99% of my setting is with exposed traps. With an appealing look to a trap pan a cat will bullseye the pan dead center every time. Switching to exposed trap sets works for me by eliminating problems with freeze/thaw and also helps avoid "most" yotes in my cat sets. Looking over some of my cat pics I seem to get a 50/50 mix of right and left front paws. The only time I ever remember hind footing them is at scent post/rub sets or occasional dirtholes when I was still setting for coyotes too.

About every cat set I make is formed for a walk through the set while investigating the set. Even hole sets. I should have further clarified that I use stepping guiding with the trap to the right too. I’m beginning to think I should be setting trap closer than I do to the smells. Maybe there’s nothing to be learned from my pics. It was just pic after pic of left front foot caught cats mostly.

On my walk through cat sets I pretty much control where the cat steps so I'm not understanding the,"maybe need to set closer" thinking. And when it comes to cats I tend to think more in the terms of blocking them than guiding them.

I don't think this could be stated more accurately. Maybe just semantics, but I think of "guiding" as subtle, more like what I'd do with coyotes. With cats, blocking is definitely a better description. Whether I'm blocking in a wash, or blocking in a trap, I'm giving the cat nowhere else to step except on that inviting looking trap pan. My cat sets will give most paranoid dogs night terror sweats, but a big old tomcat doesn't fear much, he'll step right on through that brush pile blocking his way, and like we do when hunting cottontails, will choose his foot placement carefully. I just try and put my traps in places a cat wants to go, then give it an enticing place to step. Flagging and scents definitely help, but in my humble opinion, nothing beats putting the set right where a fickle cat already wants to go. I hear over and over how stupid cats are, but I think sometimes we confuse fearless with stupid. In my country the only thing a big tom fears is man, and a bigger longtail cat. And I'd even question "man" considering I don't give human scent or disturbance a second thought myself.
Here's how I personally "guide" a coyote foot placement


Verses How I might "block" in a cat set