This past summer we purchased a good size timber tract here in Georgia. I’ve owned 140 acres adjoining the new place for years, always did well with bobcats on it. Last year I got 13 on 20 traps in a month. I’ve had a dozen out for 10 days this year and have trail cam on 6 of them, had five bobcat work 4 sets and didn’t catch any. One double dirt hole and the rest regular dirt holes. They stop short at the hole, maybe 18 inches or so or walk to one side or the other rather than walk strait in. At the double dirt hole one approached and lay down just past a hole and rolled, and played around for 15 min. Several hours later another approached and looked like he was trying to get my bait from one side, then went to the other side never walking between the holes. I have Hiawatha valley long distance bait and a bobcat gland lure about pea size at the hole with natural sheep wool in the hole.
Any thoughts on why these critters are avoiding my trap or is it just bad luck and cats being cats? Traps are bedded rock solid, MB550’s

Try making a walkthrough style set. Lure in a way to make the cat walk over the trap to check out the different smells.

I don’t target cat but when I catch them it is in a big gaudy dirt hole trench type set.May try adding some feathers to your set close to the hole.
If the cats are show a pattern of stopping short of the set add another trap and add some cat lure. I am partial to Sierra Mist.

All these sets had either dove or duck feathers, I like the walk through and trench set idea. I’ll retool and see how it goes.
Thanks

Yeah, if the issue is the cat not investigating the set, try a set that catches it before it investigates

Blind sets are my most productive by a big margin but it just drives me nuts to get these guys on video approaching my set, walking around to approach from the side and play with, or try to get my attractor down, and do the same thing but stick their face in my dirt hole to get the duck wing out that I stuffed in. Happened twice again last night. I’m adding a stinger trap today. We will see what happens.

Cats u can get away with serious blocking. If your just targeting cats you should have things blocked in enough they cant work the hole from the side.

Use different bobcat lures. Beaver castor & skunk essence.

Save any turds/urine from the cats you do catch. Mix it together. They'll want to put their nose right on that.

Not being a wise guy, but if you see where they’re stepping, put a trap there. I give them one place to step and that’s on the pan, especially on dirt holes.
I did have one cat that I had to put a trap behind the dirt hole. He would only work it from the back. It was my fault for where I put the hole.

Yeah I did that, and added more blocking also. It warmed up a bit last night so not many visits to the sets I have cameras on but one cat did just have a look and keep walking. I caught a big female at a dirt hole set 100 yrds from one of my sets that has a camera though. Maybe I need to just take my cameras down lol . I have seen however that if I move my trap back to about 18-20 inches instead of 8-9 inches I’d have nailed most of these that didn’t commit. Probly a good bit of what I’m seeing on camera is just cats being cats. They are some quirky critter.

I watched one of the big cat catch guys thinking might be Locklear. If I remember right he set his trap at 18" instead of regular distance and said was night and day difference.

While this will sound strange to some trappers . . .
Try 24 inches.


( Feel free to send me a PM )

I believe it based on what I’m seeing. I’ll move all of them back to 20-24 inches and see what happens. I’ll add a second trap to some also.

I am far from an expert. I was having trouble with a nice male committing earlier this season. Could not catch him. Made a new, loud big dirt hole and fenced it off tight. Put a trap my regular 8 inch ish distance. And then a second trap at 20 inches.

Caught him in the trap that was 8 inches from the hole. Go figure

If I’m setting for cats specifically I will often set the trap back about two foot and put a lot of blocking between the trap and the hole. That way, they don’t have to commit, they can stay back and satisfy their curiosity and still only have one place to step. Works for me, but I don’t set specifically for cats that often either

Good idea, I’ll try that also. Middle Ga. is absolutely crawling with bobcats and the turkey numbers have tanked! Probly multi factorial but harvesting bobcat seems like a good idea. I hit them pretty hard last year but it doesn’t seem to have put a dent in the population. I plan to regroup this evening and tomorrow, a cold front will be pushing through again the next few days so hopefully it will have them moving.
Thanks for the input guys.
Ray

Bobcats can be fickle. You are trying to force it to step where you want by setting a trap(s) and arranging odor attractants to get it to step on the pan.

Instead think about putting the trap where that cat is already going to step in it's normal travels. Find a pinch-point in a trail they use (where you would set a snare). Set the trap right in that funnel point. Brush in the sides so it can't step around the trap. Now put stepping guides as close to the outside of the jaws as possible for 5-6 inches around the trap. The stepping guides should be sharp rocks, sticks etc. None of these guides should provide a comfortable place to step. The only comfortable looking place to step should be the exposed trap pan.

A trap set this way with nothing else will catch most cats traveling the trail. Sticking some polyfill or feathers (if legal) in the brush on either side of the trap will enhance the set. As well as a good lure or urine on each side of the trap.

These walkthru sets are much more effective for cats than dead end sets.

Thanks Dan, great perspective and this week I’ve added 3 blind sets in well used trails the area on my 750 acres I’m working is 5 yr old planted pines and while my blind trail sets are very productive we have a tremendous deer population also and they constantly trip my traps, just part of it. I also added a few walk through sets, pipe dream sets for coyote and some double dirt holes. The cats here seem to be on about a 7-10 day “circuit”, for lack of a better term. I might see none on camera for 7-10 days and then get cats on all 7 cameras for a couple nights, frequently as late as 11:00 AM. I have one getting in a trap at 10:30. I’m getting a lot of cats approaching my dirt holes and stopping 20 inches or slightly further out so I added a trap to some existing sets and set new ones with one trap 22 or so inches back with blocking as described by Sportsman94. I’m experimenting and using ideas from all you guys to try and increase hook ups on these near misses. I’m having fun but these cameras are humbling, as noted above, they are fickle and unpredictable critters. OH…. I’m loading up now and plan to add a couple cubby sets as Clint Locklear describes in one of his YouTube videos. We’ll see.
Thanks for all the input!