HINTS ON BOBCAT TRAPPING 



of the surrounding ground. When two traps are used, they may be 

 joined together with a lap Hnk at the ends of their chains, which in 

 turn nuiy be attached to a stake pin driven sUghtly below the ground 

 level; or a di'ag may be used either made of wrought iron or con- 

 sisting of a fairlv heavy stone. The drag should be bedded under 

 the traps, in which case more excavating will be required. It is well 

 to have a free-acting swivel at the top of the stake pin to prevent a 

 captive animal from 

 twisting and break- iWki9^*£K4* 

 ing the trap chains 

 attached to it. 



After the trap has 

 been firmly bedded it 

 is advisable to cover 

 it with fine pulverized 

 earth similar to that 

 found in the mound 

 of a pocket gopher. 

 This will do for the 

 spring of the trap. 

 Dry and finely pul- 

 verized horse or cow 

 manure may be more 

 advantageously used 

 to cover the inside of 

 the trap jaws. Care 

 should be taken to 

 keep all loose dirt 

 from getting under 

 the pan and to see 

 that there is an open 

 space beneath it of 

 at least a quarter of 

 an inch. 



A trap pad made of canvas or of old descented slicker cloth for 

 finally covering the pan should now be placed on the inside of the 

 jaws; then over all should be sprinkled dry dirt to the depth of a 

 quarter to a half inch, of the same color as the groimd surrounding 

 the trap. The spot where the trap is buried should be left in as 

 natural a condition as possible. 



A SCENT ATTRACTIVE TO BOBCATS may be used to advantage to lure 

 the animals to trap sets. When scenting is resorted to, however, the 

 traps should not be placed in the runway proper, but on 

 Scented either side of it, or on one side only, and parallel to 

 Trap Sets the trail. They should be set in the same manner as de- 

 scribed for the blind sets, between the trail and the spot 

 selected for scattering the scent. (Fig. 3.) This spot should be no 

 more than 6 to 8 inches from the trap. In placing the scent, ad- 

 vantage should be taken of any stubble, bunch of weeds, exposed 

 root, or object known as a scent post. These are so termed from the 

 fact that they are the places selected by the animal for voiding urine 

 or feces. 



Bobcats usually have their scent posts slightly ofi^ the trail, on 

 stubble of range grasses, on bushes, or even on old bleached-out 



^ %'- ■ ' 



Figure 2.— Details of setting trap for bobcat in traU; trap bedded 

 just beyond a natural obstruction in the path; the working parts 

 of trap are lightly packed with cotton to insure springing when the 

 ground is frozen 



