6 CIRCULAR 1, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



some distance from the set. It is well also to wear gloves while 

 setting traps, and to use them for no other purpose, though the pre- 

 cautions against arousing the suspicion of bobcats are less necessary 

 than those m trapping wolves and coyotes. 



Rust on traps. — Rust is often the cause of the failure of traps to 

 spring properly, particularly when the trap pan rusts on its post. Most 

 steel traps are so constructed that when the trap pan is moved back 

 and forth it will spread the joint and thus permit the pan to work 

 freely. Putting a few drops of fine oil on the post, as well as in the slots 

 thathold the jaws at the base of the trap, will overcomesuch difficulties. 



Frozen ground. — When the ground is frozen it is difficult to keep 

 the traps in working order. Some hunters overcome this difficulty 

 by lining the bottom of the hole in which the trap is to be bedded 

 with clean coarse cotton or wool, and by packing more of this material 

 around the pan, springs, and jaws after the trap is placed. When the 

 ground is frozen, the dirt cover for the set can be made of such debris 

 as is found on ant hills, or by using dead leaves or the fine earth 

 obtained under spruce, fir, hemlock, or aspen trees. 



Deodorising traps. — When received from dealers or manufacturers, 

 traps frequently smell of grease, perspiration from human hands, or 

 other odors caused by contact with various kinds of merchandise in 

 the course of shipment. As some of these odors are likely to arouse 

 the suspicion of predators, it is advisable to clean all traps before using 

 them. This may be done by boiling them in a tincture of sage leaves, 

 or of leaves from other native trees. Common soil is a good deodor- 

 izer, but it acts slowly. Simply bmying the traps for a few days in a 

 manure pile (the odor from which does not arouse the predator's 

 suspicion) will often remove all other odors. It is better, however, 

 before using traps to clean them by boiling, as mentioned. Never 

 attempt to burn off an odor over a fire, as this may destroy the temper 

 of the springs and make the trap worthless. 



Paper trap pads. — Paper pads are not dependable, as they are 

 usually too smooth to hold the covering of soil. This is soon swept 

 ofi^ the paper when the trap is set in a windy place, and when this is 

 gone the trap is exposed. Furthermore, rain will readily soak a 

 paper pad, causing it to break or collapse and expose much of the set. 

 Another objection to paper pads is that when an animal steps lightly 

 into a trap jaw, resting its toes barely inside of it but not on the trap 

 pan, it is likely to hear the rustle of the paper under its foot as well as 

 to feel its smoothness. The result is that it will be shy of that par- 

 ticular spot, and thus a catch is lost. Trap pads made of fairly thick 

 canvas or woven Avire of fly-screen consistency are therefore preferable 

 to paper pads. Such trap pads should be free from all odor, and when 

 not in use should be kept in a clean container, such as the 1-pound 

 cans used for ground coffee. 



The trap may be reset after a bobcat has been caught, the same 

 spot being used if the ground and the natural surroundings have not 



been too badly scratched up or otherwise defaced, and if 

 Resetting evidences of disturbance can be cleared away. It may 

 Traps be highly desirable to reset the sprung trap in the same 



place, particularly if other good spots are lacking for 

 scenting or for taking advantage of the natural obstructions needed 

 for blind sets. 



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