6 CIRCULAR 6, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



made, or in passing over a blind set in the trail, the predator is usually 

 caught by one of the forefeet, though it may step into a bedded trap 

 with a hind foot. No scent is used at carcass or blind sets. 



COVERING TRAPS 



After the trap has been firmly bedded near an undisturbed scratch 

 hill, scent station, or carcass, or in a trail, it should be covered with 

 earth and the surroundings left in a condition as nearly natural as 

 possible. Dry horse or cow manure, finely pulverized, may be used tc 

 cover the inside of the trap jaws. Extreme care should be taken tc 

 keep all dirt from under the trap pan and to see that the open space 

 there is at least one-fourth inch deep. The trap pan should be covered 

 with a pad made of canvas or old de-scented slicker cloth cut to fit 

 snugly inside the jaws, and all should then be covered with fineh 

 pulverized earth, the immediate area being left looking as nearly as 

 possible as it did before the trap was buried. Finishing such a task 

 properly and thus leaving the ground over the trap in an apparently 

 natural condition so that it blends with the surrounding area is an art 

 that requires much practice. 



TRAPS ACCIDENTALLY SPRUNG 



When traps are set near carcasses, additional care should be taker 

 to underpin the trap so that it will not spring under the weight of 8 

 magpie, buzzard, or other carnivorous bird that may be attracted tc 

 the carcass. 



In forested areas a mountain lion hunter may find his traps sprung 

 by small animafs, for squirrels and other rodents (and sometimes smal 

 birds) may dig or scratch around and between the jaws of the trap 

 Unless the trap pan is properly supported, these animals are un- 

 necessarily endangered, and in addition the trap is frequently sprung 

 This can be prevented by setting the trap pan so that it will carry a 

 weight of several pounds. 



One simple way of underpinning the trap is to place a small twig 

 perpendicularly from the base snugly up to the middle point of the 

 pan. Instead of the small twig, some hunters use a fine coiled steel 

 spring. Such contrivances will permit the trap pan to carry the 

 weight of the smaller mammals or birds without enciangering them oi 

 releasing the trap jaws and thus spoilmg a set well placed for a moun- 

 tain lion. Devices adjusted to mountain lion traps to prevent theii 

 being sprimg by small mammals and birds are illustrated in figure 4, 

 The pan spring (fig. 4, B), developed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 can be readily attached to the No. 14 steel trap sometimes also used 

 for trapping mountain lions. A slightly larger spring is required foi 

 the No. 4K trap. A patent on this device has been granted and is 

 dedicated to public use. 



CARE IN DETAILS 



In trapping, attention to simple details is necessary. Though the 

 mountain lion trapper need not be so cautious about human scent as 

 the trapper of wolves or coyotes, it is well, when placing a trap, for 

 him to stand or kneel on a setting cloth, if for no other reason than 

 convenience. This cloth may be about 3 feet square and made of 



