No curiosity?!

[JimmieD]

Window shopping? Not hungry? Not curious?  Whats wrong with this cat? 4th times he's walked by my trap in 3 days with no interest!   

[buckfvr]

trap savvy

Maybe try breaking up the vertical and horizontal outline with some brush......

[carpsniperg2]

Also maybe switch up bait or lure scent you are using.

[WapitiTalk1]

Try sprinkling some sardines inside.

[JakeLand]

With cats that are Leary of going in spread a bunch of feathers in front and on top of the cage also a cat turd inside the cage really helps too
Cats are thieves

[JimmieD]

Thanks for the suggestions (encouragement!), going to go do trap checks with a few change ups at this set see what happens!  Other sets are producing, this one is just finicky......told the chickens not to worry while I was plucking a few feathers off them, its for the betterment of society, dont think they agreed!!!!

[Cultusman]

 
  Adding feathers to the set is a good idea. I would suggest removing the camera.
  Most Cat’s won’t stick around long having their picture taken. Do you have cameras on the sets that have produced?

[wags]

Once the bobcat rut starts they can become pretty baulky; getting pretty close to that time of year.

[Humptulips]

Once the bobcat rut starts they can become pretty baulky; getting pretty close to that time of year.

I find them easier to catch in rut. 

[wags]

^^^^^
I could never get cats to stick around a pre-bait at this time of year. It seemed that they were on the move a lot more and wouldn't camp-out on a beaver carcass like they will earlier.
You've had a different experience Bruce?

[Humptulips]

I can't answer for the pre-bait but I think they have less hesitation about entering a trap.
I think the males aren't hunting for food so they are hungry and are not as finicky.

[wags]

I can't remember Bruce, but do you pre-bait, or just set on good locations?

[Humptulips]

I do a lot of prebaiting for civits and do work off that when a cat shows but the baits are smaller so the cat usually eats it all. They usually come back but often takes a while so they are not sticking around for me anyway no matter the time of the year.
I do not have the bait available to put out large baits. If I did put out large baits cougars would most likely get them anyway. There are more cougar on my lines then bobcat.

[UrbanTrapper]

Is it possible the cat is upwind and didn't get the scent coming from the cage?  Which way is the prevailing wind in that area?

[lewy]

^^^^^
I could never get cats to stick around a pre-bait at this time of year. It seemed that they were on the move a lot more and wouldn't camp-out on a beaver carcass like they will earlier.
You've had a different experience Bruce?

I would have to agree completely with this

[wags]

I think it is interesting how different trappers can have different experiences than other trappers.
I heard it said once that if you move a hundred miles you have to learn how to trap all over again. There is a lot of truth to that statement I think.

For example, the standard answer as to what is the best marten bait will always result in "beaver": that is what I always said and believed. However, when I started trapping in SE Alaska I learned that duck or grouse works MUCH better there than beaver.

There is one particular island in SE Alaska where both Mike M and I have determined that marten have very little interest in ANY bait; and marten are considered everywhere to be one of the easiest animals there is to bait.

There is always something to learn (or unlearn) in this trade.

[Bango skank]

  I would suggest removing the camera.
  Most Cat’s won’t stick around long having their picture taken. Do you have cameras on the sets that have produced?

Ive never had bobs or lions react negatively to a camera.  Even with 2 cams side by side, with one snapping pics and another recording video, they never seem to notice.  Maybe just having the cams 6ft up helps with that.  Not a valid vimeo URL

[Bango skank]

  I would suggest removing the camera.
  Most Cat’s won’t stick around long having their picture taken. Do you have cameras on the sets that have produced?

Ive never had bobs or lions react negatively to a camera.  Even with 2 cams side by side, with one snapping pics and another recording video, they never seem to notice.  Maybe just having the cams 6ft up helps with that.  Not a valid vimeo URL

This is one of the very few cams i ever put right down at ground level.  Set it up watching the bones and scraps from my lion.  This cat came in 2 days in a row and wasnt concerned even with the cam a foot off the ground.

[JimmieD]

To go through a few of the comments,nope, don't pre-bait, have started using urine with glands for a lead-in scent due to breeding time of year, some beaver meat inside with a bit of bobcat gland lure inside for some curiosity.  Wind is not a factor as the location is centralized between a few trails and it swirls, I make a set here every other year and it produces 1 to 2 cats like clockwork....except the clock seems to be broken so far this year.  Cameras are at a few of the other locations that are producing, ditto on the comments, never really had an incident where the cat was leary of a cameras no matter at what height it was placed. 

Back to the set, freshened up the bird feathers, added a little skunk long call, usually use Gusto mixed in Vaseline (as my daughter calls it "Dis-gusto") but for this cat I went and changed up and tried some Hellfire for the long call and used Weisers Bad Company for first time with a fresh hunk of beaver rear leg.....completely changed my sets set-up lures for this set except location and my 2nd largest trap from Mercer.  Anyways, surprisingly I did draw in a curious cat....just not the exact type of kitty I was looking for!   

[Humptulips]

Well, I was talking about how few cats there around here and lo and behold I caught this big Tom. I had four baits taken today, one for sure by a cougar but two for sure by bobcats so we shall see if they come back soon.  Fourth one I can't make up my mind cougar or bobcat.
Traps set so  we shall see.

[carpsniperg2]

Dang big kitty’s likes the new offerings!

[JimmieD]

Hes a beut Bruce!  Good luck at the other sets hope you get em!