MOUNTAIN LION TRAPPING 



SETTING THE TRAPS 



The hole for the trap set should be dug about 15 to 20 inches from 

 a carcass, a single undisturbed scratch hill, or a tree on which a 

 scent station has been placed, or directly in a trail where it narrows 

 naturally or is made to narrow by rocks, brush, or other obstructions 

 placed at the sides (fig. 3). The hole should be only a little larger 

 than the trap, and just deep enough to hold the set at a level slightly 

 lower than the surrounding ground, with the drag and chain buried 

 beneath it. The drag, which should preferably be of }^-inch wrought 



Figure 3. — A 2-trap "blind" set for mountain lions. In the saddle of a divide the traps 

 are placed in the trail where it narrows. A small stick or other obstruction should be 

 put between the traps and one at either approach to make the lion step into one of 

 the traps rather than between or over them. 



iron, should be attached to one end of the chain by a figure-eight 

 swivel, and it should end in two well curved prongs (fig. 1). Bedding 

 the drag under the trap, of course, requires more excavation. The 

 drag chain should be at least 8 feet long and attached to the base of 

 the trap or to one of the springs. 



At scratch hills it is well to place a trap on either side, the springs 

 at right angles to the known direction of approach. In a trail the 

 traps should be in line, the springs at right angles to the direction of 

 travel. Experiments have shown that most of the larger predators, 

 and particularly the mountain lion, tend to avoid stepping directly 

 on any hard object in a path. Knowing this tendency, the trapper 

 may place a stick or a stone between the two traps and another at 

 each approach; these will cause the animal to break its gait and step 

 into one of the traps rather than over or between them. In approach- 

 ing a scratch hill, a scent station, or a carcass where sets have been 



