HINTS ON BOBCAT TRAPPING 



By Stanley P. Young, Biologist, formerly of Division of Predator and Rodent 

 Control, Fish and Wildlife Service 



CONTENTo 



Pago 



Xature of (iopredations ._ 1 



Where to trap 2 



"niiiui" trap sets 2 



Scented trai) sets _ _ 3 



Preparation of scent 4 



Catnip oil as a Ijre _ ._ 5 



Page 



Care in details 5 



Rust on traps __ 6 



Frozen ground ._ 6 



Deodorizing traps 6 



Paper trap pads 6 



Resetting traps 



TRAPPING has been found to be one of the most effective 

 metliocls of bobcat controL On its wild ranges the bol)cat feeds 

 to a large extent npon rabbits and other injurious rodents, but it 

 preys also upon such valuable forms of wildlife as antelope, deer, and 

 other game animals, especially the fawns, and on wdld turkeys, quails, 

 and other ground-nesting birds. With human occupation of its for- 

 mer haunts, it finds in the young of domestic livestock very satisfac- 

 tory substitutes for its ordinary fare in the wild. When its food is 

 less easily obtained in nature than among the flocks and herds of the 

 range country, it may become exceedingly destructive to domestic 

 livestock, especially to sheep during the lambing season, to pigs, 

 goats, and calves, and to poultry. The depredations of bobcats in 

 parts of Arkansas in recent years have made hog raising on an exten- 

 sive scale impracticable in such localities. Losses caused by this 

 predatory animal among sheep are particularly severe when lambing 

 is conducted on the open range and the lambing grounds are in close 

 proximity to the broken, rough, rocky canyons that favor the presence 

 of the bobcat. Sheepmen often choose such rugged country for 

 lambing grounds because of the protection it affords against storms. 



Ox GAINING ENTRY into a flock of sheep at lambing time, com- 

 monlj'" under cover of darkness, the bobcat carries on its depredations 

 in such manner as to cause Uttle commotion there. 

 Nature of The lamb is usually killed by a characteristic bite on 



Depredations the back of the neck or head, and then it is pidled 

 down to be eaten. If its lust for Idlling is not satis- 

 fied, the bobcat may kill other lambs by the same method, continuing 

 its work quietly until a large number have been destroyed. A single 

 bobcat has been knov.n to kill 38 lambs in this manner in one night. 



Bobcats are easily caught in traps of the common double-spring 

 steel type, in sizes 2 and 3. Such traps have been used by many 

 generations of trappers, and although deemed inhumane by some 

 persons, no better or more practical device is jot available to take 

 their place. The brief description here presented of trapping methods 

 to be used in bobcat control is based on field exi)ei'iences of Federal 

 and cooperative traj)pers who have applied methods developed by 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service. 



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