PHOTOS OF CAT SETS

Been talking with some top notch cat trappers about cat sets, troubleshooting, the year in review, etc. I know I learn something every time I come across another trapper's set . . . even if they are old sets. I always have a range of questions . . . Why did he set here instead of there? Why did he make this type of set instead of that type of set? Sometimes its along the lines of "I thought I was the only one stupid enough to climb up here/come all the way out here/set this far from the road."

Anyway, just thought it might be an interesting thing to post a few photos of different cat sets and locations. I'm not saying these are done right, so any critique, comment or suggestion is always appreciated.

Here's an easy one . . . an overhanging ledge to keep the weather, deer, burros and horses out of your set. Blocked it up tight. This was the last of the PRCC so I left the lid at the last set down the slope, and the old container here at this set. Besides, the white container is an out-of-place object that a cat would probably want to check out.


This is a good game trail along the edge of a crumbled bit of rock ledge. I used a bit of rock for stepping "sticks" instead of so much stick. I like the stick, but rocks rarely blow away in the wind or get kicked onto my trap by a non-target animal. Also, a little tip I picked up from BuksNBows is the stick in the foreground. I call it the ladder effect. Put sticks 4-6 inches before your stepping stick at the trap to get the cat in the right "pace" or "cadence" to hit the trap pan. Otherwise, he may wander up to the trap stepping stick, stop, sniff, turn around, and leave. The ladder effect makes it less likely that the cat will leave the set without walking through it.



This one shows why cactus can be our friend. Sure, you may cuss it when you dig one out of your kneecap, but cats won't step on them either, so use them to your advantage.




Please post some of your favorite sets so I can learn more.

I love saddles with trails running through them. Even low lying saddles are often used by cats to get from one point to another, especially when there are interesting rocks to check out along the way.

This is going to be a good thread!!

I am by no means a cat guy but I sure try lol. Here is how I am setting. I just try to make sure that I make the blocking high enough that it makes it awkward for the cat to step over the set completely and that there is no where else for the cat to step except on the pan.

This set is and mid level of the MT. I had sets in the bottom as well and is where I caught the last cat.

The dangled is a peace of white carpet on a fishing swivel.

I can not take all the credit for the ladder as Cameron calls it. I know some other trappers that are in his neck of the woods that showed me some pointers. I used them and made some adjustments to fit my needs.

I also think a trapper must be diverse in his sets. Sometimes cats are pretty finicky and don't always want to go thru your walk thru. So I also use cubbies.

Just mix it up.

Sometimes the spot will predict what type of set you will put in?

I really like the rock ledges like Cameron.

Sometimes with this many scratches its obvious how this cat is traveling. So walkthrough seems like the best set for here.

Ok I have shared someone else take a turn.

Nice photos Bucks. I really like the walk throughs under the juniper/pinion trees, although they seem to pick up more fox and coyotes (not always a bad thing for some of us).

Walk thru under ledge. Pink flag for remote check (mile away). Drag marks, pacing sticks, faked tracks, flag, faked fur and scent sticks, exposed pan =walk here+ step here

Tree walk thru with pink flag for remote check (1.5 miles away)

Flagged walk-thru under tree with my step-here exposed pan (bare metal - no problems).

Walk thru by a pipeline, no rocks to ring the jaws - improvised with sticks. Can you spot the kitty?

Walk-thru under tree in a wash. And a repeat.

Complete committment!!

Another 550 user I see!! Awesome!

Trapper76 Nice looking sets. I thought I took a longtime putting sets in but man that looks like and engineering degree set those up! Great work and they paid off for sure. One question what is that big black pipe in the one pic?

Also I love the look on the last cats face with both feet in the trap!! He is like REALLY !!! Cameron nice set up partner. Funny how different country makes you set a certain way.

Trapper76 . . . are the danglers just polyfil and video tape? Kinda looks like a magpie tail. Bet that would get a cat's attention with the contrast and the idea that magpies are always the first to find a gut pile/dead deer, etc.

Great photos and information. Thanks to all who have posted.

trapper76- I really like the flag idea for remote checks. Would you mind explaining how you have it set up to fall when you make a catch?

Thanks.

This big tom crossed the road in the snow 4 days before and I was trying to find a spot to set up for him. 100 yrds down the road was this big rock pile that some people set the top before. I walked around and set the backside bottom. There he was next check to my surprise.

Make sure you know how the rules and regs read. In NV it has to be a visual inspection of the trap. Almost got busted on this one time.

This cat fell for the cubby set.

This pic belongs to the rock ledge set in the pics I posted earlier. Take not of the foot full of MB450. And the not so happy face.

Just talked with my rule book specialist and he calls BS on the visual inspection of the trap. So read the rules and regs and see what your state tells you. I am going with what may partner tells me because we all know I can't read !!!!

Excellent point Bucks. I'll double check my state's regulations. Thanks.

This cat was spotted by one of my friends that call coyotes. Set up a cubby in a draw along with 2 walk thru sets and he fell for the cubby posted earlier.( Not with the rocks. )

This is the same cubby where I am holding the cat with my tan sweatshirt and the cat. Coyote got too interested in it and now look at that poor tree. Looks like some C4 was used! Stinky dawgs!!

Minimum Visitation of Traps (NRS 503.570)
1.A person taking or causing to be taken wild mammals by means of traps, snares or any other devices which do not, or are not designed to, cause immediate death to the mammals, shall, when the traps, snares or devices are placed or set for the purpose of taking mammals, visit or cause to be visitedat least once each 96 hours each trap, snare or other device during all of the time the trap, snare or device is placed, set or used in the taking of wild mammals, and remove therefrom any mammals caught therein.

The term "visit" is not defined in the regulations. But there is no requirement of a "visual inspection" that I can see. However, notice that its not just visiting the trap . . . you also have to remove any mammal caught. Query . . . does that mean you don't have to remove any birds (a non-mammal) caught in your trap?

BUCKSNBOWS wrote:

This cat fell for the cubby set.

What a gorgeous belly. On the cat, I mean.

I told you I don't read and this is why !!!

Love you too Cameron. Its even better this year !

Great pictures guys. I love to see how everyone does things a little different. One thing I learned this year is to really take your time at a set and make it the best you can or you may miss your only opportunity to catch the cat when it come through.

This set was the last set I put in after a long day of setting. Cat walk right through it.


This is also what you don't want to see at sets. Try and pick snow free areas if possible. The snow tee-peed on pan and cat decided to step on the spring of a double long spring. This happened to me way to much this season.

I also think you can possibly over block and use to big of blocking. Thanks for pointing that out Bucksnbows.

What's everyone's thoughts of total length of a set? At what point is it to long and a cat would decide to jump over entire set or even just turn around and decide not to walk through it.

Really depends on size of trap your using. I usually pput an out 4" of sticks on each side of the set with a space then 1 more stick each side for the ladder effect at Cameron calls it.

Little kittie - BIG attitude


Bucks: The pipe is for irrigation water from a reservoir above to a field across a draw. And I agree completely about complying with your state's trap check laws. I'm good in Utah:
All traps and trapping devices must be
checked, and any animals removed, at least
once every 48 hours. The only exception is if
you are using the following types of traps,
which must be checked, and have any animals
removed, every 96 hours:
• Killing traps that strike the top and bottom
of the animal simultaneously
• Drowning sets

I run a wire tight from the chain next to the trap straight, and tight, over a limb or rock to the flag that is visible from a remote observation point. Any movement of the trap should pull the flag down - then your good. Back when I hair-triggered my traps, small animals might have been a problem. But with proper pan tension, catching anything so small it won't pull my flag just doesn't occur.

(Yeh Cameron2 I love my MB 550's - and yes Bucks my 450's too, where there is lots of lion sign!)

I HATE missing a cat that visits a set, because I may be gone before he comes back around. So I've just fine-tuned my sets after I saw where they missed the pan or didn't enter a cubby. I saw in the snow twice the same year where different cats sat their butt down facing the trap at the mouth of a cubby, visually studying the set, then just walked away. They were definitely intrigued judging from the little snow-angel tail wagging marks. But after looking it over decided there was nothing there for them and moved on. Maybe if I had a better, irresistible lure they just had to put their nose in or rub against, I wouldn't have had those refusals. I still use an occasional dirt hole, flat, toilet or trash mound but have gone pretty much to my version of a walk-thru in line with their normal  travel route and telling them exactly where to put their paw (exposed pan - with no other comfortable place to put their paw down) at the funnel point.

I like the polyfill / VHS tape flag on a hinged wire because the black and white combo gives contrast against any background, and movement and flash in the slightest breeze. Yet they are less prone to catch the human eye as bright colors. I hadn't considered the resemblance to magpies Cameron2, but now that you mention it I think you're right.

The great thing about this web site is people can develop their own methods and also learn and borrow things they like from other trappers. I have learned a lot from all my trapping brothers on here and decided it was time to start sharing a little myself. I love the positive atmosphere and thank you for starting this thread.



MY trapping partner with our cats from this year.

Great work Trapper76. Nice put up on the cats. Love to see when people take the time and make the cats look nice! I thought Utah had a limit on cats? Or is that just certain parts of Utah?

Yes there was only a 6 cat limit this year on cats. But your wife or kids or anyone else can trap with you and they also can have 6 tags.

Copy that seabass. Thanks for the feedback. I am glad that you guys and gals in Utah can catch a few more than it used to be right? Didn't it used to be 3 cats?

Yes. It went from three last year with a cap on how many permits the state would sell to six this year with no cap. We jumped from around 6,500 tags to over 13,000. And we had trappers coming out of the woodwork. Lots of theft and setting right against other trappers etc.. The lower prices this year might be a good thing!

Ya we have the same issues in this neck of the woods too. especially those of us who have full time jobs and cant get too far frome home. that is the plus to low prices though. the weekend warriors tend to thin out with bad weather and low prices so hopefully we have both next year.
ok maybe just bad weather.

Holy crap guys, I don't visit this site in a day or two and a post goes nuts. I'll upload a few pictures this evening. I don't take many pics of sets, probably should take more though.

Hey guys,

Great pics and posts.

I don't have any pics of my sets but if I may offer an opinion it is to scale down the Lincoln log look to your cat walk thru sets. You are over thinking it. Those big sticks will stop some cats not compel them to drop their feet inside the fort.

Don't put any blocking sticks or logs in front of the traps. Just a couple of small rocks turned up on the sides to welcome the cat to step over them and onto the pan. Put your bigger stuff, rocks and sticks and brush on the sides, not the front.

My two cents worth,

-John S.

Thanks rock pile for your 2 cents. Somehow I believe it's worth more than that! Would love to pick your brain one day. Maybe Rondy? Maybe we should all bring our favorite trap and make a set and then we all can critique them?

Here's one of my sets on a great location! Too bad I found it about 4 days before I had to pull traps. I had a trap so I set it just in case, but no dice.

Great looking location for sure. Was there any sign there? Now that Rockpile put his 2 cents in I am rethinking how I set. I makes sense not to over crowd the trap with tooo many sticks. Just makes me wonder on there stride if they will walk right over the set especially on a 450 that is pretty small. Guess I will have to pick his brain if he makes it to the Rondy.

Yeah there were tracks right where the trap is. There was also other sign up and down the ridge, only if I had more time!