New guy here. Trap suggestions?

Hey guys.... I am very green to trapping. My main focus is to trap a Bobcat here in Southern Wisconsin when I finally draw a tag, hopefully this fall. I am trying to learn as much as possible by looking in the archives here on Dirt hole and flat sets. If anybody has a suggested thread for me to read on it, please feel free to point me in the right direction.

Also, trap selection? A couple friends of mine say they use the MB 550 traps and love them. Does anybody have any problem with that trap selection for Bobcats? I guess they are a bit pricey, but I am ok with that if they do their job. Does a guy have to modify them as far as different springs or anything? I do like the idea of what some guys do, with adding on a bigger Pan, so there is a bigger surface area for the cat to trigger. I've seen the electrical box covers installed to them, but how do they attach, are they welded on to the existing pan?

Thanks for any advice you can give me, like I said, I am green, and plan on going to the convention this summer/fall in wisconsin. I do have quite a few cats on the land that I hunt, as I get them on trail camera a lot, so I already have a good idea on area's to set the traps.

Welcome aboard,sounds like you have a good start.

Welcome to you i'm sure there will be trappers chiming in cat trapping here is pretty non-existant There are very prominent Wi. trappers on here along with your state assoc. to help

I have heard a lot of good things about the 550s. You have to start somewhere so I see no reason not to start with them. My advice is to learn all you can about the traps and equipment you choose as in swiveling, staking, pan tension, etc. etc.

You can't go wrong with the MB550s and they don't require any mods. Knock the grease off them, dye and wax if desired and set them. You'll need to decide how you want to anchor them. You have plenty of time and the land trapping archives are full of great info on cat trapping. Plenty of guys will chime in to give you a hand.

Google and you tube. THEN decide how you want to do it. YOU will hear 10 different ways and things to do , and most will work. It is up to you in the end.......

Pick up Clint Locklear's Cat Collector DVD. It will help you with cat specific sets. As far as lure and bate there is a lot of knowledge on here including world class lure makers and trappers. The 550's are a great trap and time tested. So your friend steered you right. Watch a lot of YouTube and you will figure out anchoring your traps which ever way you go. There are several good options so pick the one or ones that appeal to you and suit the conditions you will be trapping in. Also the 550's will cover you on most species so a good all around trap. A suggestion is to decide on the trap and modifications you want like offset dogless or dogged lamination springs 2 coiled or 4 coiled center swiveled ect. and most manufactures offer the traps already set up the way you want them. Good luck and enjoy the learning which never stops. If one of the more experienced trappers offers to mentor you definitely take them up on it. I have one and it has made my life a lot easier and cheaper. Lot's of great ideas that I would have never thought of and it is cutting my learning curve down by leaps and bounds.

Welcome Motley.

Welcome, pull up a chair and your favorite drink.

The below link has a while treasure chest of info on Bobcat trapping.



https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthr...cat-sets-and-locations-vol-2#Post4759431

I am like dirtydogtrapping and like a 3 size trap or even a 4 for cats, but there is nothing wrong with the 550 I like the larger size trap due to the constant possibility of snow here during cat season, I did add larger pans on the traps I use for cats along with extra swivels

I have also started using 220s more for cats which I believe is not possible in WI but they work great here for them even though you do get some that refuse to commit

If you can get to the national in Springfield you will find it well worth the trip

What kind of trap is a can or worms but I learn from experience and I get twice as much experience from two Duke #3 rather than one MB550. If money is no object than just get what you like.

I prefer #3 size traps for both coyotes and cats. I have 550s but start having more toe catches with them.

Welcome and good luck. As far as traps go the guys above have got it covered

A cat in a MB550. It wasn't going anywhere.

Nice pics! Thanks everyone, it’s great to be here amongst all the trapping knowledge.

I can’t use feathers here in Wisconsin within 25 ft of the trap, so I’m looking for a different option for a cisual attractant once I get them to my flag. Something to put back in a cubby or dirt hole. Clint Locklear talks about these bendable “pockets” in this video, but I can’t seem to find anything on the internet by the name of “pockets”.
Here is a video where he talks about them at about the 22 min mark. I suppose I could use stuffed animals, but they could get pretty wet with rain.

https://youtu.be/RlmWzZvQRIc

Ok I got ahold of Clint. He said the “pockets” are the metal pipe, and the animal like thing wrapped around it, is just pipe cleaners. Now I understand, and have some coming.

Join your local trapping association and meet some of the guys there. You can now get hands on opinion. I am with Jonnytrapper on the duke #3 which is 5 1/2 inch just like a #2 is supposed to be. But I am in the minority on trap choice. The numbering system is not the same with every manufacturing company using their own system of numbers. But 5 1/2 inches is just that . Have fun and don't get frustrated if you do not get critters at every set or even ever day.........jk

duke 3 work great

Our Pa cats are not much of a challenge to hold. But coyotes coon and beaver test the limits of your gear.......jk

550s work great also.

them 550's are a great trap

A 550 will do fine I run bridger dogless 2's but I have 3 550's in my mix and they do great. Clean them wax them and go. Any critter that sreps in one is caught
J

Welcome, I’m not a cat trapper but have 650’s, 750’s, and a couple 450’s good traps right out of the box. As far as stakes I use rebar and freedom brand disposable, depends on the location and if I think I can pull the rebar due to physical probelms. Always remember to have fun especially starting out, as you get into it, it’s easier to find fun in the little things because the big things become easier.

Keep things simple. Don’t buy into the thinking that you need the latest greatest traps and mods to be successful. trapping and hunting can be as simple or complicated as you believe it to be. Cats are curious. Good luck.

You won't regret getting the MB 550's. Great trap.

You can trust what Batman says!

Welcome to the site, a wealth of knowledge to be had here for sure. 550s and bridger #2 and 3 dogless are my favorites, but experience will be your greatest teacher. I started with duke 1 and a half and 3's and still use them as well. Good luck in your pursuits

MB 550 I prefer closed jaw both os and cl are great traps out of the box and are ready to catch and hold consistently any raccoon, fox, coyote or bobcat that decides to check out your set. You will save much time and hold more fur using these quality traps.

If you have not applied for cat tabs b4 it may take 8-14 years to get a tag. This allows you a lot of time to learn to set and catch other species common in southern WI. I have always been a small steel guy but I can see the advantage in larger jaw spread traps and especially for cats. There are numerous new and used 1.75-to #3 size traps that will work well for you. You have a lot more coyotes in your area then cats so traps that are good for yotes should work well for cats. Cats have big feet and thus larger jaw spread. Cats are not hard to hold compared to similar sized coyotes but getting a good coyote rig should work well.
If it were me I would start scouting the areas that you feel are going to be better cat habitats and where you can funnel them as well. Cats will take to thick cover more than some predators so start looking for large sloughs, swamps, dense forested area along edges etc. Nothing wrong with catching some 30-50 dollar yotes as you get ready to lay out the cat line.

Bryce

X2

Hey, Motley. Not sure if you're a WTA member, but each district has a smaller rendezvous in addition to the state rendezvous in Marshfield. My district rendezvous is on Saturday, June 1st in Reedsburg. We'll have trapping and skinning demos all day and trap vendors you can buy supplies from. It's a fun day and an opportunity to buy supplies and learn a lot.

You can visit the WTA website here:
https://wistrap.org/

Click on "EVENTS CALENDAR" and then click on any district rendezvous on the calendar for details. Not sure who is closest to you, but there could be a great resource near you.

Patrice

Knowing where your cats are traveling will help you a lot when you finally get that tag. Nothing builds your confidence like recent intel. I saw this cats tracks a couple of weeks back and set a camera in hopes of catching it on camera when it came through again.

https://youtu.be/CnJGUT08Jig

Welcome. Haha but you didn’t need to announce you were new. The question gave it away. You’ll learn quick that asking what trap is best and what set is best are about the worse questions that can be asked on this form haha. Best advise is to buy a few single traps this off season and play around with them. Then decided from there. I personally love the 550s because they are ready to go. With our western cats, we don’t really complain about how much the traps cost. But some people like to tinker with traps so a cheaper trap like a Bridger or Duke would work great for them.

When it comes to traps and sets, everyone is right and everyone else is wrong. If that doesn’t make sense now, it will soon haha.