Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping A little V-day pussy

Caught my first Bobcat

Congratulations!
If you hadn’t known, be very careful of the claws particularly the back claws when you’re getting close. They can rip you up but good.
Also even tho you may have dispatched the cat, just scratching yourself with a claw while handling the animal can get septic in a hurry. Cats claws carry a lot of bad stuff.
How is the belly? Snow white, wide, and sharp black spots are the goal but mostly found in western cats.
Osky

Nice!! Catching a cat is always a thrill.

Looks pretty calm in the pic. Did you pet it?
Asking for a friend..😃

That’s awesome man! For the last 6 or 8 years we’ve let a couple local guys trap on our club property and quail numbers are really coming back.

Congratulations

Don't let up. I try to take out as many
varmints as possible that kill the animals
that I like to eat

👍🏿👍🏿

Wondered if you had done any good lately.

Been seeing quite a few cat tracks up around the new house but too busy building to deal with them this year.

Every set I make is for bobcats. I catch everything but
cats and fox are my goals. Congrats! Hope you get many more.

Had 2 goals this year, catch a coyote and a bobcat. Both would be first for me. Pulled my last 2 traps tonight and calling it a season. Ended with 19 coyotes and the 1 bobcat.

Nest raiders I really didn’t keep track of but well over 20 each of coon and possum. 8 skunks and 4 armadillo.

Word got out that I was trapping and having some success and I have people calling and stopping me in town wanting me to trap their properties. I enjoy it and it’s hard work but worth the effort. It is hard to believe the amount of rabbits I’m seeing around the house and see 2 covey of quail fairly regular. All but one of the coyotes was caught within a mile of my house and still hear them nightly. 14 of the 19 were males. Two of the 14 went over 40 lbs which is quite large for our area. Most of the males hovered around the 30 lb mark.

This was the last male caught after a freezing rain and snow in a No BS extreme. These traps are absolute beast.

Headed out this am to set another farm. Already took 11 coons and 5 possums off it in mid December. It's where I turkey hunt so I'm after their azz.

Had a small possum during the wee hours
in my possum/feral cat bucket.
I tried to make myself wait to mess with
it, but I finally got a headlamp and went out
and took it off. Pretty smallish IMO, but when
I was turning it over to get the tongs on a
spring I noticed it had little varmints underneath
it. They must breed younger than i was aware

Was talking to the conservation agent to tag my bobcat and he asked if I was still trapping. I told him I had pulled traps as it was so close to end of season. He said there is an extended portion that I can continue trapping on private ground till April. Going to boil some traps and reset this weekend a couple of select spots.

Would love to catch #20

Can start on the coons in August as well.

Old video but proves how many critters are in this world.

A guy I know claimed he has caught near 60 in 1 cage at a silo since last fall. Could be true but he also claims to have gutted a deer with a car key at one time.

Varmints are for sure detrimental to huntable
tasty wildlife.
I go after varmints as often as I can, although
I wish I could do more.
I've had a state wildlife biologist at a WMA tell
me before that varmints were the biggest
detriment to reestablishing the eastern turkeys
in the areas I've hunted. ( I know that was very
hard for him to come right out and say it- must
have been a weak moment)
There's just not many people trapping varmints like
there was when fur trapping was lucrative.
I know a lot of people that run deer feeders that
get upset about legions of coons gobbling up
their corn, but just a small percentage will
actively try to trap. They'll spend a lot of money
on cages and special slingers and rig up
contraptions on the legs of their blinds and
feeders, but won't make a one time purchase
of a few traps that will be useful for many
years, and proactively work on eliminating
the problem

Got one put away this morning.
One less problem to deal with later on down the line

I've lost track of the # of Coyotes I have trapped and called in and killed this winter some where over 200 Coyotes and and at least that # of Coons butt I have only gotten 8 Skunks And 7 Badgers I always keep track of the Badger & Skunk #'s , I hang snares all summer for pigs, trapping is almost year around here, this place is a big picnic basket for predators. Rio7

3 Coyotes---2 Coons---Badger-- over night catch on the South Ranch, Some day's are better some day's not so good. Rio7

Rio, that is flat getting it done. Nice work

Large ranch in the west the guy has taken around 45 coyotes this year, most snaring. Listening at night or looking at tracks in fresh snow you’d never known any were taken.
40 plus pound coyotes are big for anywhere. After 50 plus years of knocking them down between the Mississippi and the Rockies I don’t believe the average was quite 30 lbs. you are doing very well.

Osky

Set one of the neighboring farms today. Tagged teamed with the owner, he set and I set. He was running a lot of older and smaller gear. Each of us put out about a dozen sets. Hopefully help them out. He has caught 4 coyotes so far this year but has more sign then I have seen anywhere. Both coyote and bobcat.

#20 this morning waiting for me. NO BS Extreme. Female, 22 lbs. I said I was done skinning and stretching for the year as the last 2 makes I did last week we’re getting rubbed, but she is very pale and still prime with no rubs. I have her soaking now in a bucket after skinning.

She will make a very good wall hanger.

I like your anchor point and trap placement.

Noticed a new beaver dam on the creek after checking traps yesterday. I have never tried to catch a beaver but just got a partial bottle of Dobbins Backbreaker in a package deal of bait and lures. Have three old Victor 330’s and made up some cable tie offs and headed to the creek with my waders on. Made a castor mound and lured with the Backbreaker. Set the other 2 traps in what looked like runs. Had a 30 lb beaver at the castor mound this morning at 5:00 when I checked. Didn’t have a lot of time to fix the guide sticks. Ack so just reset the trap and went to work. It was after 7:30 tonight before I could get back and remake the set properly. The same trap had a 27 lb otter in it. The upper trap set in a run had a 40 lb beaver.

You're kill'n it this year CK
Good job mister !

Anybody down your way buying?

Heard there may be a guy at Versailles.

Haven’t really checked into selling. The MTA auction was last Saturday and hides sold OK. I had alway planned on using this as a learning experience to flesh/stretch/tan. If I screwed it up no big deal as they had little value. I honestly didn’t think I was going to catch what I did. The otter and the biggest beaver will be getting professionally tanned for me to keep. The rest I willl be attempting to do myself.

Next year I will do a better job of keeping all of the hides to sell.

That otter is definitely a cool bonus catch.

Caught #21 this morning after a couple cool nights got them moving again. No BS extreme hole set, female with a cool white tipped tail. Rubbed very heavy. Didn’t take home to weigh but guessing 15-20 lbs.



Partner caught a similar female, this was his 6th or 7th. Back foot catch off of a flat set. Modified Duke #2.

2 Coyotes and a Bobcat using Snares. Rio7

Ok I'M Caught. Rio7

Snares are working over time Bobcat, Badger,Coon, 2 Coyotes. Rio7

And somebody has to fix the fence. At least the hole ain't that big. miles

Damn you Rio, can’t let me get one up on you. Nice spots on that cat. Hope you skinned it.

Is that a midget coyote?

Miles the hole in the fence was smaller than the Coyote?? Rio7

Crappie Killer, I give the Bobcats and Badgers to a friend that skins and tans them, and bleach's the skulls it's his hobby. Rio7

Nige cats Rio.

Alright Rio, we got 2 coyotes, one beaver and a skunk today. What you got?

LOL

Very nice cats

Crappie Killer, 1 Coyote 4 Coons forgot to upload the coons pic's. Rio7

Just one coyote today. Big female 29 lbs. No BS extreme

Yesterday pics





Only pic I have of the beaver. 18 lbs. in the roaster with carrots and potatoes

I’m pulling most of my traps tomorrow unless my partner wants to continue to run them. We too 6 coyotes, 4 coon, 1 skunk and 2 possum in a week off their farm.

That old Ruger looks like it could tell some stories

Crappie Killer, My old Ruger has seen better day's but it still shoots real well, I have killed more critters with it than any gun I own, it likes top of the line CCI ammo. It's been riding in my Jeep for over 25 years I bring it in about once a year and clean it.

Sounds like your trapping is finished for this year, I never stop trapping Coons and Coyotes and anything else I can catch, this place is like a big picnic basket for predators. Rio7

Damn Coons are taking over the Ranch. Rio7

That's because so many deer hunters across the
state won't proactively trap and hunt them.
I've talked to many that get very angry about
coons getting fat from their expensive corn,
and vandalizing their feeders and other equipment,
but won't set out any kind of traps, or shoot
the varmints they see ( " I don't want to mess up
my deer hunt. . ") and they spend goodly amounts
of cash for special cages and coon-proof slingers
and sheet metal gadgets for their feeders, etc.
DP traps are mostly less than a 20 dollar bill,
and if it's fastened properly and some pinhead
doesn't steal it, you'll have it working for you
for a long time.

Just want to thank everyone that helps work
on varmint control and helps save turkeys and
fawns and all the edible wildfowl and small
game. I'll choose edible fowl and game over
varmints any day

Ranger99

Coons Badgers,Skunks, Coyotes, will wipe out our birds nests and Chicks if we don't stay on top of them year around, Coyotes get about 30% of our Quail nests 45% of our Fawns and 50% of our Exotics calf's and Fawns, Pigs are not a Hell of a lot of help they will eat any thing they can catch or find. We are covered up with Turkeys and they are big time Predators in Quail nests and Chicks, Quail are like Cheeseburgers every thing in Texas eats them. Rio7

Yessir. Very true.
That's why I don't understand why so many
that want to hunt different fowl and animals
won't take proactive measures to protect
the various species by whittling down the
varmints that decimate them.
Doesn't matter if I'm watching for walking
venison to come along or looking for a squirrel
or wabbit I'll pop a varmint at the opportunity
that I'm presented with.
Last time I discussed it with him, one neighbor
had put 20+ coyotes out of the game killing
business without a lot of effort. IIRC he has
4 or 5 foot traps out within a hundred yards
of his back door.
I'd rather see something I can hunt and eat
than a ratty furred varmint any day

Exactly Rio and Ranger, it takes a little effort but the rewards are so worth it.

A state biologist told me years back that the
biggest obstacle that was against the restoration
of quail and turkeys and other gamebirds was
varmints. The older people that used to keep the
numbers down are passed away or no longer
trap or hunt varmints since the furs are all but
worthless in this region, and younger people
don't want to shoot varmints or trap at all.
I know of more than a few in my area that
won't shoot or trap any varmints, but can't figure
why they don't see game when hunting seasons
roll around. Many refuse to take a shot while
wt deer season is going on.
Thankfully the laws allow me to take varmints
whenever the opportunity arises.
I'm grateful to others that work to whittle down
the varmints that take away our tasty game

Don't forget raptors. I honestly doubt there is anything harder on rabbits than owls. Both are out in the dark.

Starts controlling both ground and air predators and we would have a goodly amount more of small game.

Around here farmers practices on row crops haven't helped either.

Was talking to a gentleman who had an old pointer. He was saying he sure would like to get his dog to point a couple more covey while they both could. I have been on this gentleman’s farm, the fence lines are all sprayed, brush all burnt, I’ve seen more ‘rough’ on a golf course. For fooks sake, it ain’t rocket science.

Farmers used to be conservationists. Not so much that way anymore.

There's no doubt most people do not want to take the time and trouble to Trap and try to control predators, it's a never ending job but if you stay after it, it pays off.with more game birds and small animals.

Be very careful about killing Raptors as most are protected and there are some huge penalty's and fines for killing them. Rio7

I recall a study done must be 30 years ago or so in western Missouri, they planted quail only to find the number one chick killer was blue jays.

Osky

No surprise. Mean, noisy bastards

We don't have Blue Jay's in S. Texas, but we do get Green Jay's in the winter but nesting season is over for Quail, Roadrunners and Raptors and every other predator play Hell with Quail. Rio7