2016-2017

Oh ya guys, sweet photos. I'm trying like hell to add some and finally have some to add but am experiencing technical difficulties. Stand by I have my IT guy (Lance) on the other line.

Testing

Think I may have it

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For a minute I thought I was skunked. Looks like Lance has many more talents. Thanks bud.

Anyway here is my first Cat of the season!

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Nice! Way to go on the cat, it looks like a great one! Erie you able to dispatch the skunk without spray everywhere? Every time I catch a skunk, I've caught either a coyote or cat the next check or two.

Oh it sprayed!

Nice cat Tracy! The spots on the back jump out at you!

I checked my North line today and ended up with my first double of the year,  it's about fricking time! Good day overall, I even punched in a few snares in the tall sage trails. Anybody have pointers on how to avoid the mess with snares, it reminded me of bait cast fishing for the first time.

I think maybe part Leopard Cameron2. Lol. I have yet to catch a cat with markings like that. I love seeing them and keep hoping for the day. I would have a hard time not keeping my first and paying for the taxidermy bill that followed.

Way to go nevadaagteacher! I really need to get my act together and target some dogs. I check tomorrow and have my fingers crossed that I have some of the luck you do after a skunk catch.

Excuse me, its time to floss.

There was supposed to be a cat in this set, but I'll take number 24! One day check, but it was a close set and I wanted to see how much snow hit higher up the hill.

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Man this place got busy all the sudden! ''Tis the cat season! Great everyone some purdy cats and a bunch of coyotes. Had the first check of the cat line today. Good tom we were both smiling!

Great job guys! Looking like it could be a great season

Wish I had something to offer? 3 greys and 26 bighorn sheep is what I seen.

Moneyspots I think we have the same Toyotas.

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Nice to see no snow on the ground moneyspots! I had to walk in about a mile yesterday to pull a bunch of my traps,  can't mother nature find a happy medium? Sensing this storm  I set out three snares on Wednesday to see how they would work, beginners luck probably! I also had a chance with all the snow and rain we got to put up some fur!

Nice work guys! Nothing but Greys so far.

Bucks, catching a grey is on my bucket list! We don't have many in my neck of the woods, I think they have a few over by the Utah border by Wendover though.

Man you have some beautiful coyotes over there. Such different colors from me to you man. Congrats on the snared coyotes those are some pretty good catch ratios.

Went out and checked today. Picked up another nice big tom.

I got lucky with that storm teach. I've been battling my share of snow this month. Actually put a tire chain on one tire the other day to keep from sliding down the mountain. First time I've done that trapping. Looks like you are having a great season!

Bucks your story reminds me of a place I trapped a couple years ago that had allot of Cat sign where I did catch a fair amount of greys but only one cat for some reason. That season still haunts me.

Well Lance, they don't get better than that. I love seeing those Giants. Reminds me of the one bucks caught a while back. Congratulations!!

You guys are killing me!!! Nice job fellers. I see some snare spots on Lances line!!!!

I caught a coyote today, a ratty little female. You all know the type. So now I have a question.

How come if I'm coyote trapping I can blend in and camouflage a trap so you can't even tell its there, and apply a minute amount of lure in a very specific location . . . . and have a coyote walk up to it, make half a circle and leave --- and yet, if I'm trapping cats, I can make the most gaudy, obvious exposed trap set, with poly fil strewn around, a flag, skunkjunk, and Christmas tinsel everywhere, and catch what seems like every coyote that comes down the trail? Lance, AgTeach, you guys seem to be the experts. Help me out here.

Expert by no means but here is my opinion....

This is exactly what got me to start trapping coyotes. My first trapping season I was targeting cats... trapped the entire season from November till the end of February. Caught 1 cat on the last day of the season and 6 coyotes through out those 4 months. It was after this cluster of a season I redirected my focus to coyotes only.

I believe we all set travel routes. The routes are used by both cats and coyotes this time of year. I use travel routes for my coyote sets in early fall that are (IMO) mainly used by coyotes in the lower valleys. I have seen tracks that indicate a coyote never even broke stride going down the trail and missed my blind/trail set... lured or not. I think this happens with the cat sets too. They never even want to investigate the set but its in their travel way and in some instances are stepping over similar obstacles along the trail....maybe no bling and smells but it's along the way. I was checking traps yesterday and could see where a coyote had stepped in my tracks in the snow from previously checking. The coyote made it to the set came up smelled the lure on that side of the set... made a huge loop around all my blocking, went around the other side to smell the other lure. I believe this coyote was hunting not traveling and in my opinion the majority of the coyotes we catch in our cat sets and the ones traveling.

Don't get me wrong I do believe the age of the coyotes also makes a difference. A YoY or even last years YoY will for say work the sets unlike the older coyote that looked at my set yesterday.

Just my opinion and am no "expert" so take what I have said with a grain of salt.

Lance, quit with the disclaimers, will ya?  :-)

I think its part of what you've said, but I also think that one mistake we often make is to try and categorize all coyotes (or animals, for that matter), into one category. We often talk about "coyotes will do this," or "coyotes won't do that." The fact is, they have a range of personalities. Compare them to dogs. Some dogs are aggressive; some are not. Some dogs seem to be highly intelligent; some are not. Some are curious, and some are always suspicious. I suspect your recent experience with your Plott dog probably hits a bit close to home. We, as humans, tend to think all animals are alike but they are vastly different. I've owned nearly 100 dogs in my life and I think I've seen nearly 100 personalities. In fact, I had one dog that had multiple personalities, depending on whether he was wearing a shock collar or not. :-)

So I believe some coyotes are just curious, never have seen a trap (or an animal in one), and just don't have that heightened sense of suspicion that many coyotes display. They just fiddle around and finally put a paw on a trap pan. Other coyotes have that heightened suspicion level and just don't hang around long enough to get caught. They are the hard ones; if a coyote will hang around or revisit the set, he will eventually get caught. Its the coyote that comes one time (to any type of set), circles once and is gone, never to return, that is the impossible coyote to catch.

Anyway, good to have the banter with an expert.

The same goes when calling as well. How many times have you said, oh he wont show up from down wind. Or the one that hangs up at 250 yds and barks ya. Or the one that just comes charging in. I had one the other day had the worst case of A.D.D., coming in great on a string, 150 yds out a rabbit breaks and off he went, next time I seen him he was dorking around a half mile away.

Tracy, I have caught several coyotes in my walk throughs, but only YOY  or really famished, skinny buggers.  I really don't think I'm qualified to offer my opinion,  but I think we catch the ones that are just on the move and have their mind somewhere else. In some cases I don't think they even smell the scent we leave there because they are on the move. I think a few coyotes are as lazy as cats and they may realize things are being bottle necked, but they don't want to go around the blocking; they take the chance and step the only place they can- on the pan. The old mature dogs veer off about ten feet before the blocking because they are driving defensively, so to speak, and become suspicious. Maybe they had or saw a bad experience before, or they are just as Wiley as we give them credit for? I also think that in the walk throughs that they can take long steps and get over, we may even miss some of the lazy dogs. I agree with you Tracy, every dog has a different personality and I think we are proving Darwin correct and taking out the loafers.  I've followed a ton of coyote tracks in the snow that didn't get ANYWHERE near the blocking, especially when it was up against a cliff.

Has anyone ever caught one with a bare pan?  Mine have all been from shingles or pan sleeves with waxed dirt on top.

Mine are all caught on the big pans of the MB550's.

I've been a lurker on this site and after running into moneyspots on a fire this summer he convinced me to join so I thought I would add a little to this thread. These are a few cats from my first week of trapping this year. Next check is going to be cold, -24 for the low coming up. Time to break out the wool.

You have some beautiful cats up there average at best. That kinda cold temperature is ridiculous! Wow! It looks like you are off to a great start. Thanks for sharing man. Are you camped out this season?

Here is the one I picked up today.
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Man those are some beautiful cats average. You can just see how long that belly fur is!!

Nice cat moneyspots. Must be one heck of an over hang there with all the moisture we have been getting

Man I love your guy's spotted nevada cats! Ours are so plain jane on the backs compared to what you guys get. How many tom's is that so far Moneyspots? That cat looks like a tom to me. Yep I'm camped out in the wall tent again, but just took a break for 3 days and went home to see the wife and baby. Leavin today again for trapper camp! I'll be cold, smelly and lonely, but loving every minute of it. Keep posting pics guys I really enjoy watching your guy's seasons unfold.

Yep Lance it is a giant overhang. Found that location in a place I'd never been before and there was a big cat track coming out of it in the snow. That canyon is a tad out of the way for me but I had to set that spot. So I made other sets in the area as well to test it out. So far 3 of my cats have come out of those 10 sets.

That is actually a small female average. It had me fooled as well. Only 2 Toms so far. I would love to see some pictures from your line?

Sure glad I finally caught something to share!

Peek a Boo.

Nice job Bucks!

How good are your eyes?

I am pretty sure that I see a bobcat framed by the dead limbs right in the middle of the picture, but what concerns me is the werewolf hiding in the rock with just an ear showing in the right foreground!

Take courage. The Werewolves only come out at night.

Only good enough to see a drag and chain plus a dang werewolf ear. I already proved to myself this season that my eyes are terrible when I almost stepped on a cat hiding on nothing but the pure driven snow. It does appear the chain may lead to a rock. You catch a rock? Lol

I am with money spots all I see is the drag and chain.

So I am no cat trapper like ol Truman here but yesterday was a good day. 20 sets out and 7 different locations. Wax dirt and salt worked well.

One hell of a check Lance!! I've been trying for better than two in a check for years. Congrats!

Here's an easier hide and seek picture lol

Dude, not for me. Not even can I see a wherewolf body part in that. Here is one I can see.

Not to mention the best cat I ever got paid for. (Even after I had to pay my bank $16.00 for the first check that bounced from the buyer.)

I see that one moneyspots. He was hiding pretty good.

Walked past this one twice because I dismissed the idea that a cat could hide on a rock. Silly me.

And then sometimes its a matter of perspective. If you are focusing on the foreground, you suddenly realize there is something in the background.