With the exception of the coyote, bobcats probably vary more from region to region of North America than any other furbearer. Trappers have long argued about bobcat characteristics such as hunting habits, whether they kill deer, where they can be most effectively trapped, and how big they get. As a general rule, bobcats in the Northeast tended to be larger and prey on deer in deep snow country, while the western ‘cats were a little smaller and focused on rabbits. Western bobcat pelts are far superior to other parts of the country, as they represent the perfect combination of thick, prime fur and coloration that the market desires. The bobcat is certainly an interesting critter no matter where you are in the species’ range, and trapping can be incredibly simple, or it can drive a trapper crazy. Here are some of Walter Arnold’s thoughts on bobcat trapping.
The Elusive Bobcat
First Published in Fur-Fish-Game March 1959
Walter Arnold
Back in the days when all raw furs, including that of the fox, were worth real money, there were a great many trappers who thought the fox was by far the most elusive animal to trap. Those who finally decided to go after bobcat in the wood sections of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Michigan and other states, where the Maine type of bobcat is found, soon learned they were up against something which made the fox look like a piker.
Bobcat Basics
There are evidently certain types of ‘cats in some sections of the country that are easy to take with bait and traps. I do not know, as I have never trapped in those sections, but from reports of trappers I believe this to be true. Now here in Maine there have been men who, from time to time during a year, have turned in many pelts for bounty. From what information I have been able to gather, and I have been much interested, there are usually dogs connected with the catch, along with traps. Or, hundreds of traps have been carefully placed in trails, runways, on crossing logs and other likely places – just plain blind sets – covering many miles of territory, the year around, and in many cases without the use of bait or scent. I have taken quite a few of these deer killers in blind sets. One must have a good knowledge of their habits and understand the business to attain any great degree of success at this type of trapping. It is an art.
Nature has provided nearly all furbearers with a keen sense of smell and this is their most dependable means of seeking out a living, as well as detecting the presence of enemies and danger. As might be expected, this sense is more highly developed in some species than in others and when compared with the fox, the bobcat might be called cold scented. This does not mean, however, that he has no sense of smell. He can still smell far better than you or I. when he walks past a set where there is a nice bait and plenty of scent, it is not because he does not know it is there. There are many, many times when he is not the least bit interested in the ‘nice things’ the trapper has prepared for him. He much prefers to kill his own foot and eat it hot and bloody.
Bobcats will be found here and there in most any type of country, but the greater numbers inhabit the dense thickets and swamps where rabbits and other small animals, or birds are found. In some parts of the country they develop the deer killing habit. This probably originates from the periodic scarcity of rabbits, which occurs every few years. With the supply of rabbits diminished, they soon learn that a deer jumped from its yard into three or four feet of snow is a most helpless creature and is easily dispatched in a few moments of time.
Deer-killing ‘Cats
Even the largest bucks go down before the bobcat. This of course encourages them to attack deer on bare ground, as they do love venison once they have acquired the taste for it. In rare instances, big deer have been known to get in a telling blow with hoof or horn, and either kill or disable one of their assailants. I once had occasion to find where two bobcats had attacked a big buck on almost bare ground. The ground was frozen with just about a quarter inch of fresh snow on it. A big buck was coming down a trail, and two bobcats had crouched down in the evergreens on either side of the trail. At the right time, both ‘cats sprung out onto the buck. There had been a terrific battle there for a few moments. I found where the buck had turned and taken back down the trail in twelve or fifteen foot leaps with one ‘cat in hot pursuit. Soon this ‘cat gave up the chase and walked off into a thicket.
I went back to see what happened to the other ‘cat, and soon found where he had gone into a thicket near where the fight took place and was bleeding. I followed and started the ‘cat many times. She kept circling in the small firs and I could not catch sight of her. Finally I gave up, as I had many miles to cover that day to reach the next trapping camp on my line. I did go back to where the other ‘cat had left the trail. The old buck was bleeding freely and I followed. After a mile the bleeding ceased, but the old fellow was still running. I gave up.
Something like three years later I caught a big female bobcat in that locality. She was fat and healthy, but one of her hind legs and the hip had sometime been smashed up and the leg and hip were stiff. I always believed it was the same on the old buck disabled that day he had such a close call.
Bobcat Strength
In adjusting themselves to the varied conditions existing in the different parts of the United States, these ‘cats do not become equally developed in all respects. They vary a great deal in size, color, courage and strength. The severe climate and conditions of northern Maine and in some of the other northern states has made it a plain case of “survival of the fittest”, and has developed a tough, hardy animal that is nothing less than a bunch of fighting fury when a trap snaps onto its foot, and if the trap is not a strong one the first lunge is likely to free that paw made of tough bone and hard muscle.
No one would believe the strength possessed by a big wilderness bobcat until that person saw for himself what they can do. One time I had a big rangy Tom that looked so large I wanted a picture of him. He had sufficient chain and had withdrawn under the long, low branches of a fir tree. I wanted to get him out into the open. I cut a small maple and trimmed it out, leaving a large limb down near the butt. I cut this limb off so as to leave about eight inches of it on the tree. I left about a foot of the tree below the limb and hewed this out pointed like a fence stake. This pole was about ten feet long. I hooked the stub of the cut-off limb into the trap and started pulling. I was forced to use all my strength to pull the snarling creature out, then I shoved the pointed end of the pole deeply into the ground and slid the top under the limb of a tree. With a sudden lunge, he tore the end of that pole out of the ground and the dirt flew like it would if a big work horse had yanked on the pole. Back under the boughs he went. I tried this several times with the same results, and finally snapped a picture of him under the boughs. That old ‘cat could pull just about as hard as I could!
I am going to relate another case regarding the strength of a big bobcat. Many will not believe this, but it is as true as it is that the sun rises and sets. One day in the winter I came upon the record, written plainly in the snow, of an encounter that had taken place a couple days before. A big bobcat, and he must have been hungry, came upon an average sized porcupine. I think the porky started to go up a small tree and was a couple feet up when the big ‘cat grabbed him in the back and yanked him from the tree. There was a place on the back of the porcupine the size of the palm of my hand that was devoid of all quills. The old ‘cat must have had his mouth and throat almost completely filled with those big quills. This evidently made him very mad and he made one vicious pass at the head of his tormenter, with his big paw, and connected. The head of Mr. quill pig was torn off and lay in the snow several feet from the body. It required a lot of strength to do that. I inspected everything carefully and the head was ripped off and not chewed off. He had killed his victim but with a mouth full of quills, was unable to eat him. I followed the tracks that left the place and soon came to where two big cedars had grown up side by side and had uprooted and blown over, forming sort of a den or cave under the trunks close to the roots. Mr. ‘cat had gone into the place – tracks showed me where he had left from the other side. I scraped away the snow and got down and looked under. Sure enough, he had done considerable biting of and chewing the underside of the dry trees, and a close inspection of the ground below showed many broken off quills. My opinion is that he eventually died from the effects of all those quills. Even though some were broken off, the heads or points of all were still embedded in his mouth, and I do not believe he would have been able to eat.
Dangerous ‘Cats?
Many people believe the bobcat is a dangerous animal and will attack people. I have never known of this happening. Bobcats are not all alike, and there is now and then one that will do strange things. For instance, a friend of mine who lived in a camp in the woods and had a pet housecat told me that one day he heard his cat spitting or making other noises out in the camp yard. He stepped to the door and there was a bobcat out there near his pet. My friend rushed out and the bobcat ran under the top of a blown down evergreen tree. The man rushed over and the ‘cat crouched down. He tried to get close with his hunting knife and get a swipe at it, but the bobcat kept backing away and finally broke cover and ran, never to return.
I had my experience one time with a fair sized ‘cat. I’d been setting traps and doing a little deer hunting one day. About sunset I was in a thicket and jumped what I thought was a small or medium sized deer, judging from the sound of the running animal. I was sure it had stopped after running several rods. There was some open growth that ran down past the thicket where the animal had stopped, so I sat down upon a big flat rock. The top of this rock was covered with moss, no bushes or weeds growing out of it.
Back behind me about five feet the rock came to an end and there was a very thick growth of small firs, just a wall of green fir boughs. I sat very still and watched the opening as long as I could see my rifle sights. I still had about two miles to travel through the woods and knew it would be dark long before I reached home. I got up quickly and when I did, I realized a commotion behind me and heard the swish of boughs. Looking around, I saw the boughs still moving and could hear the same animal running that I had heard in the first place. I realized then it was a bobcat and he had been right out on the ledge behind me and no doubt sniffing my packsack, which was well scented from the trapping lures inside.
The next morning I was back there and made two very good sets and then continued on to my trapping camp. A couple or three days later I returned and found Mr. Bobcat waiting for me in one of the sets. That bobcat was very bold, but made no attempt to attack me, even though he was at my back. There is a bit more to this. A friend of mine was doing some lumbering and had a lumber camp about four miles back in the woods, and used to come out home every few nights to take back a pack load of doughnuts and other pastries his wife would cook for the crew. When he heard about my catching the ‘cat he came to me and said “I am glad you got that animal, there have been several nights he has followed me up Quarry Hill and made funny noises, he had me nervous”. That ‘cat was a very strange acting one, but had no intentions of harming anyone.
Trap Selection
When getting ready to trap bobcats, the selection of traps to use should be given very careful consideration. Different sizes and types of traps all have useful purposes. However, there are but few which are suitable and effective in the trapping of the larger bobcats such as those found in Maine. The old, big ‘cats are the ones we all enjoy bringing in, but some of these are the ones that escape from inferior traps.
For general trapping purposes I always liked the #3 Oneida Jump trap. I still think it is a fine trap for fox, otter and some other animals. I even have some that I had teeth put into and cut the pans down to a smaller size, and find them as effective on beaver as the #14. However, I got three different large bobcats into my regular #3 Oneida jumps that applied their strength and pulled out. Many bobcats have been taken in this same #3, but I know from costly experience they do not always hold the big ‘cats. It is the big ‘cats I want.
My old favorite was the #31-X with teeth. This trap is not made anymore. I still have a few old ones which I would not sell for love or money. The #2 and #3 Newhouse will hold the largest ‘cat. Many are also taken with the #14 beaver trap, which is a fine ‘cat trap. Size does not always make for holding power in a trap. For instance, the old #3 Gibbs coil spring would hold the big ‘cats, yet the #4 Gibbs would not always do the trick. For its size, one would be forced to hunt a long time to find a trap with more holding power than the #2 Victor coil spring. I do not hesitate to use this trap for any size ‘cat, and never have had one escape. I believe this trap is legal to use in about all states and it sure has great holding power.
Toggles and Drags
Years ago the fox was worth money, and we used to put out many fox sets in our woods trapping. There were never any great numbers of this animal in the wilderness, but usually enough to make it worthwhile to go after them. I had many traps all cleaned up and fitted with fox drags for my fox sets. Other animals got into these sets. Now and then a bear would get his toes pinched, and I would find the trap twenty feet away, where he had thrown it as he had snapped his powerful arm around. I think probably it would average once a season I would find a trap gone. It would be evident something had gotten in and taken off in a hurry. There would be no signs to follow and I would spend hours searching, each trip checking in a different direction. I surmised bobcats, but couldn’t see how they could do it.
One day I came in sight of a blind set which I had prepared on an old log across a brook, and was just in time to see a good sized bobcat leaping off the log with the trap on his foot. He took off like his shirt was on fire. I went after him, shedding my pack as I ran. I just managed to keep in sight of him. The grapple was in the air most of the time, and if it did hit something it bounced. Finally the ‘cat ran into a fir thicket, and I dashed over and dropped to my knees so I could see under the branches. He had almost made it through, but had been temporarily snubbed, and crouched down and watched me. I took no chances, knocking him off with my .30-30 from where I sat. if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed a bobcat could have snatched a fox grapple so fast and far through the woods without getting hung up or leaving a lot of signs. From then on the grapples started coming off my trap chains and were replaced with wooden clogs two or three feet long. They were awkward in making water or land sets for fox, but I did it just the same, and that was the end of traps disappearing into thin air.
Baits and Lures
There are a variety of baits that are used in bobcat trapping. Some of the better ones are deer heads, half or whole rabbits, large chunks of fresh deer pelt, fresh beaver carcasses, and salt water fish. Sometimes the fresh carcass of another bobcat will do nicely for bait. A porcupine slit up the belly and the hide rolled back often attracts ‘cats as well. There are other items one may use, such as muskrat carcasses, but they should be as bloody and fresh as possible. This furbearer much prefers to kill his own food, and must be hungry before he will take any of the above mentioned baits.
Bobcats are not as easily attracted by scents or lures as are some of the other animals such as foxes or coyotes. They are finicky – one day a ‘cat will be much interested in a certain scent, while the next day another ‘cat will come along and pay no attention to it. There is no one who should try to tell me they have a lure that will stop every northern wilderness bobcat that comes along. I would dislike very much to have to tell anyone they were full of condensed prunes. Using scents or lures on bobcat is like a poker game. All one can do is to try and work out something that is likely to work on the greatest number of ‘cats in his section.
Much has been written about pure oil of catnip for bobcat trapping. I have used it a couple or three seasons, but still am not too sure what value it has for ‘cats, because porcupines kept my traps occupied. I do think that without porcupines to bother, the pure catnip would be a good lure, but not a surefire scent by any means. I have taken quite a few ‘cats in blind sets, such as crossing logs over water or in trails. Many a time in making such sets, I have reached up and pulled down a branch of a tree, opened up my skunk musk bottle and getting it soaked with the musk, allowing none to drip off onto the ground. I feel confident that there have been times this has drawn a ‘cat in to investigate what happened to Mr. Skunk, and then finally started to leave and walked into my set. I know this set has paid off at various times and I have not only taken bobcat in it, but also fox.
Although I still advocate the making of some sets and placing the scent right by the trap, and of course this is always the custom in making a dirt hole set, I have, as the years have rolled by, resorted more to placing a nice fresh bait by the trap and then if possible, applying the scent several feet above the trap. a very fine item to use is bobcat urine itself. A few drops of this sprinkled around over the trap covering and around the set many times means the difference between making a catch and not.
There is one scent, or scent making ingredient, which is used by many of the old woods trappers. Even though the bobcat prefers his food fresh, I believe this scent has considerable value. It is fish oil, either the rotted fish juice itself, or the top oil. Many times it is used alone, and other times it is used as a base to make up a compounded scent. A compounded scent that will stop some of the ‘cats is made as follows. Mix thoroughly about ten drops of skunk musk with one ounce of ground beaver castor. Add one ounce of ground mink musk and mix well with two ounces of top fish oil or rotted fish juice.
Bobcat Sets
In making sets, there are many different types that are made. As one gets into the business he will come upon situations where he will scope things out and put in a set appropriate for the occasion. Here is a very good blind set. If a den in which ‘cats are living or a big bait upon which they are feeding is located when the ground is covered in six or more inches of snow, the trapper will notice the bobcat travels in his same tracks when approaching or leaving. One set of tracks may have been traveled in many times. If possible, approach such a trail from behind a bunch of bushes or other concealment. Reach over and remove some of the snow from a track and then place the trap in so the pan is an inch or more below the level of the surrounding snow. The pan is to be exactly where the imprints of the track was. Now place a piece of wax paper over the pan and out to, but not over the jaws of the trap. Sift snow back over the trap lightly, and fill in even, then very gently make a hole down to the pan that resembles the track that was removed. Use no bait or scent, and by all means keep away from the den or the big bait they are feeding on. The set should be twenty feet or more away from the bait or den. This set has taken many a trap-wise old Bob.
Sometimes more than one ‘cat will be using the same set of tracks. A friend of mine found a set of tracks, placed a trap and took a ‘cat. He noticed a day or so later that tracks were still being used. He put in another set and took another ‘cat. Before it was over, he caught three bobcats from that set of tracks he thought just one ‘cat had made. After a bit of experience, the trapper will get so he can tell by the looks of a set of tracks if they have been used more than once. Always remember this about bobcats: they do very little treading around.
One may come to a set, look it over for ten minutes, and then walk along and the tracks will look like the animal had walked straight past without stopping. A fox stops at a place, and in half a minute has tracks scattered all over the lot. That is one reason why a fox is easier to trap than a bobcat. Once he is interested his feet are everywhere, and eventually he gets into a trap.
The water set such as made for fox is an excellent bobcat set. When making the set for bobcat, a more powerful trap should be used than for fox. The #14 is a good one, and provides space for a good solid pan sod. The bait mound should be larger and out about six inches from the end of the trap. This bait sod should be large enough to hold a quarter of a rabbit or half a muskrat carcass. A nice, fresh large bait of whatever is used.
The dirt hole set such as made for fox is also fine. In fact, it’s one of the best sets before snow comes. The hole should be large and deep enough to contain a good sized bait. There should also be a few drops of a good ‘cat scent in the hole. A few drops of bobcat urine sprinkled around over the set in front of the hole is also desirable. The trap should be concealed further from the hole than it would be for fox. I like the pan out there seven or eight inches anyway. As the ‘cat is not going to tread around after coming to the set, it is necessary to try and have very small guide sticks put up to direct the foot into the trap.
Here’s another set that is easy to make. Select a narrow, natural opening that leads back from the main trail into a dense thicket for several feet or more. Place a trap and conceal it well, several inches back in the opening. Stick two guide sticks, in V formation, four or five inches beyond the pan of the trap. That is right, beyond the pan. Sometimes a ‘cat will just go to the guide sticks. Nearly all the baited ‘cat sets I have made in the past fifteen years have had the guide sticks between the trap and the bait. I have even gone so far as to put dummy sod where the trap would normally be, and then covered the trap out in front with just the natural surroundings. If one of the old, rangy wise guys comes along, there is a good chance he is going to get fooled. I am positive I have had much better luck using this method with guide sticks. Now back a couple feet from the trap, hang up half or a whole rabbit, or part of a porcupine, even a chunk of fresh deer skin or the fresh bloody part of the deer where the bullet has ruined the meat, or any other good bait. Scatter a few drops of bobcat urine in on the narrow trail
My favorite set, and this one will stand quite a lot of snowfall, is as follows. Some of the better places are at the side of trails running through thickets, or at the end of a big bog or pond where ‘cats are likely to be crossing, at the edge of swamps, or even in swamps where real bushy evergreen trees will be found. I select a really bushy tree with heavy branches running out four or five feet from the trunk. The trunks of such trees will run from three to five or six inches in diameter near the ground. Often, one will find two trees standing close together with interlocking boughs. The idea of the heavy boughs is to have a natural covering above the trap that will shed the snow and keep it off the set. Often the branches grow so close to the ground that it is necessary to crawl in on the side the set is going to be made and trim off the limbs close to the tree. When completed, there will be a clear space on that side two and a half or three feet high.
A large, fresh bait is placed on the ground close to the tree and wired securely to the tree. This is covered lightly with a few leaves, spills or other natural covering such as a bobcat would use in covering a bait. Large chunks of rabbit, beaver, porcupine or other natural foods should be used. Find some dry spruce or other branches, and stand some up behind the tree. It only requires a few to keep a ‘cat from entering from the back. Using more dry branches, stick some into the ground and make a runway from the bait out a couple feet or more. This runway with dead brush on each side should be about eight inches wide. Conceal a strong trap in this runway, about fifteen inches, or even more, from the bait. Place guide sticks just beyond the trap. Sprinkle bobcat urine around in the runway. A few drops of skunk musk or other good scent placed on the trunk of the tree four or five feet above the bait will aid in drawing a ‘cat to the place.
Making sets for really deep snow, three or four feet for example, is something different. We used to make a set like we would a lean-to, the sides and back all closed in. It took me a number of years to realize that a bobcat does not like to go into a set that he cannot see through. We would catch ‘cats in them, but I do not believe over one out of five would go into such a place. Nearly all of my big ‘cats have been taken in open sets like the tree set I have just described, or other more open sets.
In making a set to stand deep snow, I find at the side of the trail where there are two small trees three or four inches in diameter, or larger, that stand about two feet apart, facing the trail, then another pair of trees back anywhere from three to four feet. If there is a tree lacking, a stake is easily cut and driven into the ground. Up about four feet I will wire on a solid cross stick to the two front trees, and another cros stick to the two back trees. Then three poles are fastened from cross stick to cross stick, forming the timbers for the roof. The middle pole should be solid and very securely fastened to the cross sticks, as it is on this pole the bait will be fastened. Gather a large supply of long, heavy evergreen boughs and lay them over the roof, allowing some of the tops to stick out and fold down around the edges a foot or more. I cover the roof so tight that dry snow cannot work down through. Dead, dry spruce, fir or cedar branches, or even the small trees are found and placed along the sides. A ‘cat does not like to crawl through dry brush.
A large, fresh bait is now hung up from the very center of the roof and fastened securely, close to the roof pole. The lower part of the bait will, of course, be down a foot or more from the roof. Now not under the bait, but back toward the front of the house, a foot or more from directly under the bait, conceal the trap. it need not be heavily covered, many times I leave the jaws exposed with just a winter fern, or the tip end of a fir bough over the pan, and a wee bit of dry leaves or other natural covering sprinkled over the set. The more covering over a trap, the more likely it is to freeze down if it gets wet. After the trap is placed, guide sticks are placed and a dry fir branch stuck down each side of the trap and guide sticks. If it looks like a ‘cat might come into the set from the back, I put another trap at the back end. Now this is a set that bobcat can see through from end to end. There may be dry brush he does not like, but he can see through it. Sometimes there will be so much snow that it piles up at the ends and in that case, I just take my snowshoes and using one for a shovel, scoop the snow away to each side, opening the set up as good as new. I then smooth out my footprints, maybe freshen up the set with some bobcat urine, and proceed to the next set.
Quite often, beaver trappers will find there are bobcats hanging around beaver colonies, especially after a few beaver have been skun out and the carcasses left around. A set often used, and easy to make, is to find a dead tree and cut a log that may be around six to nine inches in diameter and ten feet long. One end of this log is run into the branches of an evergreen tree and fastened securely to the trunk of the tree, about two feet or maybe more above the snow. The other end of the log runs back into the snow. A beaver carcass is hung up in the tree above the end of the log and a notch is cut in the top side of the log that will hold a #14 beaver trap. This of course is up within about a foot of the bait. If a stepping stick or guide sticks can be placed it will be better. A bit of light snow is sprinkled over the trap and in the half inch of snow over the pan, make an imprint about the size of a ‘cat’s foot.The big bobcats are powerful, and when fastening traps at the sets, telephone wire or about six strands of #16 stove pipe wire should be used.
Jumping boot-feet! I didn’t realize it was getting so late. I’ve got to get that kettle of beans to humping or I won’t have swagen for breakfast. Meet you at Mount’n Brook Camp tomorrow night.