Cat question

[Blsum]

Curious to know from you guys with more experience with cats. How many traps are you running at one time and how close do you set your traps to each other? Do you have them spread out quite a ways or do you have a few in a fairly small area?

[Jonathan_S]

Depends on food sources, how many cats, terrain, weather.

I'm no expert but cat trapping to me was spray and pray.  That said, in the sagebrush areas I trap, I don't have traps very close together but in the timber/mountain areas there are several within a mile or two.

[ouchfoss]

I am by no means an expert either but over here in the brushy wetside I figure a half mile is all the closer I keep. I would assume that the smell of bait would carry about that far over the course of a week and if there was any hungry cats in that half mile to mile area, they would have already been to the trap at one point or another to investigate. That's my tactics this year anyhow. I know last year all three cats I got were within a one mile radius in three different traps. It was a mountaintop ridge area. 

[Machias]

So this is just here in the Virginia mountains, so take it for what it is worth, but a friend of mine and probably one of the best cat trappers I have ever met has caught SIX cats at the same time at one location.  He always gang sets a location and has some locations he uses every year and has for probably 20 years.  He makes a nice cubby set, then 10 feet off either side he'll make a scent post set or a dirt hole or a flat set.  Then he sets snares on the back side at several locations where cats will circle either the sets or will circle other cats already in a trap.  Now he's only caught six cats one time but has caught multiple cats 2 to 4 on a bunch of occasions.  He's also caught cats and then had a fox or two or yotes also at the same set.

[pnwmtnmn]

ALWAYS set on cat sign. If a Cat has been there it will return to that spot.

[JakeLand]

Every area is different some areas I have cages within 50 yrds of each other other cages are miles apart I look at in the mountains when there's snow they get condensed into areas where'd there's more food like drainages where there's beaver ponds rivers etc...

[JakeLand]

ALWAYS set on cat sign. If a Cat has been there it will return to that spot.

  very true whether poop tracks or seeing them pre season scouting is a must or you waste a lot of valuable time

[Blsum]

I've heard set on sign. I don't have snow where I'm trapping and I don't have enough time in the day to go up to where there is snow. So I'm kind of limited to where I can trap. I have trail camera pictures from Oct/Nov of a cat. I had a trap set there for approximately a month with no action. Nothing showed up on camera or in the trap. I pulled that set as it floods a bit when it rains hard. Might try setting close by just not the same spot. Only have the 2 traps out for cats right now. Gonna pull the other traps I have set for beaver and reset them for cats this weekend. Just wan ted to know if I should spread them out or keep them relatively close to each other.

[JakeLand]

If there are some beaver ponds around they are a magnet for cats and with a good size beaver pond I would set a cage up wind and down wind of the pond especially if there is a bench above it

[Blsum]

Had one trap on a ridge above a beaver pond. On an old road grade.  Close to a small drainage that leads to the pond. Still a ways from the ponds but the closest I could get. Really thick in there. Ended up catching the civet there. Pulled out of there cause I didn't want to mess with the civets. Might reset there as well.  But will not use the montana long call lure I used last time. Might have to use the beaver castor there instead.

[ouchfoss]

If there are some beaver ponds around they are a magnet for cats and with a good size beaver pond I would set a cage up wind and down wind of the pond especially if there is a bench above it

I find cat tracks at almost every beaver pond that I go to. Same for coons too.

[Cultusman]

 PRE BAIT EM. Then you won't have to check a empty trap for very long. 

[Machias]

One thing that just sucks about here, I put a beaver carcass out and before I get very far away I'll have 10 to 15 vultures on the carcass.  The other day I took 5 carcass' out and they were picked clean the next day.  I had 35-40 vultures on camera within 2 hours.

[JakeLand]

It's hard to pre- bait up here until December just because the Bears will get them before anything but I will set my cages as close as possible to water and castor is the best scent

[Cultusman]

Put those beaver on a tree with no limbs so the birds can't get at it.
Here is an example pic.  Nothing but the tail left.

[Blsum]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have a rib cage and some other tidbits hanging from a tree now with a camera on it. Been out for a week now and the only thing I've gotten so far is a hawk that will land on it and take a few bites at a time, a stellar Jay and some camp robbers. I found an active beaver pond today I would like to move some traps to. Just need to figure out if I can trap there. Not sure if its private property or not. And if so how to contact the owner to ask permission.

[Blsum]

Put those beaver on a tree with no limbs so the birds can't get at it.
Here is an example pic.  Nothing but the tail left.

Will they not eat the tail?

[bear hunter]

Had one trap on a ridge above a beaver pond. On an old road grade.  Close to a small drainage that leads to the pond. Still a ways from the ponds but the closest I could get. Really thick in there. Ended up catching the civet there. Pulled out of there cause I didn't want to mess with the civets. Might reset there as well.  But will not use the montana long call lure I used last time. Might have to use the beaver castor there instead.

funny you said you caught a skunk. I was 20 yards off a main dirt road and caught a spotted skunk one the first night. Lelf it there for 3 days and nothing. Moved the trap down the road 1/2 mile. Found a creek and placed two traps one 50 yards up hill 30 ft from the creek and 1 trap 10 ft off road in a small drainage 8 ft from the creek. Had a nice tom in the trap 4 day later. I seem to get more action if my traps are closer to the road but this is my first year. Good luck.... The guys on the form know there stuff. Plus I think the skunk helped me to get a cat. After I shot the little guy he left his mark in the trap. Lol

[Skillet]

Put those beaver on a tree with no limbs so the birds can't get at it.
Here is an example pic.  Nothing but the tail left.

Think Naches Sportsman is looking for you

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,190929.msg2525767.html#msg2525767

[Cultusman]

Put those beaver on a tree with no limbs so the birds can't get at it.
Here is an example pic.  Nothing but the tail left.

Will they not eat the tail?

 Yes they will but not often, I don't think it is worth the effort.

[Humptulips]

If I were you I would spread those traps out. Prebaiting is great if you have the bait. If you don't have the bait to spare set on what you think is good habitat is the best answer I can give.
I recently pulled all my traps but I had between 25 and 30 spread out over about 40 miles for almost three weeks. I took 5 cats and turned three loose so I have to say a pretty poor showing but made up for it with civets. I think 36. I did not have a sufficient amount of bait to prebait and I am not going to trap beaver for what they are worth. Gradually cleaning out the freezer.
Hope that gives you an idea of how far apart my sets are.

[wags]

Had one trap on a ridge above a beaver pond. On an old road grade.  Close to a small drainage that leads to the pond. Still a ways from the ponds but the closest I could get. Really thick in there. Ended up catching the civet there. Pulled out of there cause I didn't want to mess with the civets. Might reset there as well.  But will not use the montana long call lure I used last time. Might have to use the beaver castor there instead.

In my limited experience, cats and civets tend to go hand-in hand.

[JakeLand]

Had one trap on a ridge above a beaver pond. On an old road grade.  Close to a small drainage that leads to the pond. Still a ways from the ponds but the closest I could get. Really thick in there. Ended up catching the civet there. Pulled out of there cause I didn't want to mess with the civets. Might reset there as well.  But will not use the montana long call lure I used last time. Might have to use the beaver castor there instead.

In my limited experience, cats and civets tend to go hand-in hand.

 Limited experience HaHaHa

[Blsum]

So I had the cat hit the prebait site. Last confirmed showing was the 12th. How long till you think this cat comes back to look for more? There was still some bait there when I set it on the 15th. Also had a coyote on film as well. Boy was he spooky.