Does anyone specifically go after mountain lions? I live in Utah and they have put a $1,500 per head bounty on mountain lions if they're harvested in a sheep unit. Where I plan on trapping for most the season there I have found a bit of sign and the sheep unit is about 10 miles away and wouldn't mind collecting some bounties and having some fur on the wall. I was thinking of some Bridger #5 Longsprings cause I really like the look of them but I am not opposed to coilsprings. I mainly need help with what to use as bait or lure, never really went after them specifically.

I will check this thread once a day so if it takes me a bit to respond that's why

Thanks

Paracord snare tied to a sapling.piece of fried chicken for bait

Is this a serious recommendation?-

......

Good, you never know on here ya know.

I have caught them at rub sets and in the approach to the attractor, we can't keep them now, they show up in my bobcat/coyote sets. I use the KB5.5 on 15' of chain and a JC 100# shock spring. Wayne Derrick and/or Bob Jamision make good cat lures that I use I also make a lure that has been pretty good, I also trap with a dog so I don't get any "surprises" the biggest lion that I weighed was 150# got one with the dog that I had to butcher at the tree I think it was bigger! Good books on cats will give you some ideas I have several ---Tracy Trumans and Bill Ilchik books will have info. on cats that will work on the big ones! I use a 22 pistol as that's what I carry for everything but Elk!

When I lived in MT, I accidently caught several lions. I caught them in a #2 Duke and #3 Bridger CS's. Releasing them was not fun. But, they did not seem to fight the trap that hard. I would think any large size CS or LS would work for them.

I never tried paracord but have caught several with 3/32 snares. Neck snared, they die fast with entanglement. You can hold them in a pretty small trap, but a big cat needs a big trap IMO. Something like a #4 newhouse would be my choice.

I have caught a few in the MB750’s, the wolf traps. We can catch them after they make a kill on livestock in Oregon. Pretty easy to catch. The little 100 pounders you can hold in a #3 coil.

wws

I’ve caught 5 or 6 without actually trying. It’s just a matter of getting a lion there before anything else works the set. A log crossing a substantial a creek or canal that is wide enough that theyd prefer not to jump it is a great location.

I’ve also shot one off a dead goat that was placed for the purpose. You have to tie them hanging in a tree so the coyotes and birds have a harder time munching them down. I suspect someone could do that then set the trails with enough setback from a visible bait. The cellular trail cams are super helpful but I don’t believe they are legal in Utah. They are super hard on equipment if you get a big one. Set your traps up like you would for wolves, weld J-hooks etc. if you want to reliably hold one.

They are easy to call in with an e-caller if those are legal in Utah. You just need to call where one is nearby enough to hear you and they come in pretty easily to distress sounds and cat noises. PM me if you want the run down on calling them. I’ve call 11 of them into range over the years and killed 6 doing that.

They love those little squeaker things that Gritguy makes too. You can see the squeaker wired to the tree branch. (white thing).

Can non-residents trap them? Trapping a lion is one of those things on the very top of my bucket list......

I thought that I read it was open to non-residents. I think Utah and Texas are the only states you can trap them and harvest under normal trappers license. Probably some other midwest and eastern states that just don’t have anything on books prohibiting it.

This past winter had lions all over my bobcat cage traps using veaver as bait

Definitely on my bucket list. I put together a doz sleepy creek 4 1/2 and a few mb750’s specifically for lion but truth is a no bs extreme or Duke 650 would work just fine imho. Many have been caught and held fine in #3 size traps and even smaller. My biggest worry about going to the larger traps is holding livestock and I can’t have that happen on the ranches I trap in Texas.

We get one that comes through every couple of years but if your wanting to target lion you need to go where there is a good population or your wasting your time probably.

Free rein on lions here in Utah, bounty for them if taken in Sheep hunting areas !! No license is needed right now in the state !

If you don't have gear to trap them calling is quicker, just find tracks and call for 45 minutes or so resting a minute between a one minute call time.

Not advertising but most here know my units are great for lions, if you request lion sounds they work even better

A lot lighter and quicker than setting traps out

How much is the bounty? Got a son that lives in Utah, might have to go visit!

All this talk about lion trapping has me thinking about a lion skin plains bowcase and quiver set as a future project.
Its been on my bucket list for years.

$1500

Bounty only counts in sheep hunting areas, not the whole state, so you have to do a bit of research for those areas, as well as proof of getting the lion in that area, other wise the state is open for lion taking just not the bounty state wide

Might want to check with the local DWR and or the sheep association who are sponsoring the bounty for full info !