Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 2014 annual dead critter, fur and varmint thread

Nice cat.. Didn't realize Ks. had bobcats..

Sage grouse are STUPID thick in parts of Idaho, specifically the desert area south of Craters of the Moon. Lots still here around Rock Springs too, even in the well fields.

Anyhow I have not killed a single thing so far this year; my snares are empty and I have been skunked 3 times out fishing...sucks

Yea,,, Kansas has good cats.
You're lucky a Coyote didn't find him though.
They won't mess with a trapped cat but a dead cat's a real find for ol Wiley.
With todays prices most Cat trappers won't use snares.

Don, that 9422 looks like it could be related to the hornet what with that laminate stock..

Question for Ben as you seem to be pretty good at this stuff...Any tricks or tips for bobcats? I have dabbled for years in trapping, but am not having much luck snaring these things. I know they don't mind tight spots, rock walls and such.

What do you do, what do you look for in a set location, how critical is it to use brush to hide the snare?

Any help would be appreciated.

Dog Hunter, I appreciate you asking, but I am a rank amateur when it comes to cat trapping and snaring.. In my limited experience, the sets that have caught cats have been crowded in with sage, cedar boughs, etc.. They haven't seemed to mind poking their head through tight spaces. Now, my brother and I have only caught a handful of cats, I'm sure Don or FieldGrade could help you out much more than I can.

Ben

This morning when I took the dogs for their ride in the hills, I spotted Mr. Whitetail Jack sitting quietly in a hay stack..
One shot with the old .45 Colt made him into coyote bait..

A bit later on another ranch, we spotted Mr. Whitetail #2.. Used an old style BH in .357 this time.. Kate and Peach had a great time nosing the jack then looking for more..

FWIW, .22-250 is not a fur friendly wabbit wifle....

That's the clean "picture friendly" side...



And also, the snow is melting, resulting in this...






Ben

Ben, you my try some fmj's.. I was just thinking about using my .223 or .22-250 for the occasional cottontail.. I think in my reloading room junk, I have a stash of military fmj's somewhere if I could only find them..
Just think, this is only the beginning of mud season...!!!!!

Wyo, FMJ's would probably be alot better for rabs, but I think I'll stick with the 50 gr V-Max because that's my coyote rifle and I don't really want to shoot coyotes with FMJs.. And the hoppers were just fine. Most of the time I have either a .22 pistol or rifle with me, but didn't for some reason today.

And I'm not looking forward to the real mud.. This here is just surface mud from snow melt right now. I'm hoping most will melt off now and everything will dry/freeze and we'll have a dry-ish spring...but I ain't bettin' on that!


Ben

Ben, I found out years ago if you are going to shoot a bunny to eat with the .22-250 and virtually any bullet, you need to aim for the tip if his nose�NOT his head, just the nose.
Seems nose shots take care of the rest of the head, and aiming any farther back starts vaporizing tender vittles.

Yep, I definitely discovered that today...

I headshot squirrels back in Indiana with the deuce, but squirrels are put together much tougher than wittle wabbits... Not to mention the deuce is milder than the '250.

You might have to tell me more. I want to go to AZ for some Aberts squirrels and considered the deuce, as it would double as a grey fox gun. I presume you just shoot the squirrel in the head, right?

Collateral damage?

Hornady 50 gr SP out of the deuce blows their minds, but not much else.. Just make sure of your shot placement, and you should be fine...

If I recall correctly, this one entered right in the ear on the other side, and was angling towards me...What you see was the extent of the damage. Plenty o' backstraps left there, especially if you make your shot placement better than that..



Those Alberts skwerrels are neat looking little critters..

Kinda what I figured, and it just so happens I load a Hornady 50 gr. SP�..


Thanks Ben!

Them whitetail jacks are worth more than coyote bait. About $2. a piece this year to Petska.

28# Tom stretched 42"
Not much of a belly but he's a big bastid.