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<p class="center vbig" style="padding-top: 2em;">HINTS ON<br />
BOBCAT<br />
TRAPPING</p>

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<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_0a.png" width="293" height="282" alt="Bobcat" />
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<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_0b.png" width="439" height="96" alt="USDOA LEAFLET NO. 78" />
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<table summary="verso">
<tr class="bbox">
  <td colspan="2">

<div style="width: 600px; padding: 2em;">

<div class="dropcap">B</div>

<p class="p0"><span class="hidden">B</span>OBCAT is the name by which the wild cats of the genus
Lynx are known in most of the United States, particularly
the warmer parts&mdash;West and Southwest. Though
related to the mountain lion, or cougar, both being members
of the same family, the bobcat is a much smaller animal and
of somewhat different habits, so far as the selection of prey
is concerned. Its larger cousin, the Canada lynx, is found
in the northern, more forested, parts of the United States
and in Canada. The economic relations of the two are
similar, except as forest-dwelling habits are modified by the
bobcat's environment of plains and deserts in the Southwest.
The bobcat has keen eyesight and a good sense of smell,
though the latter is not so acute as in the wolf or the coyote.
Most of its hunting for food is done at night, and the animal
is aided by sight rather than by scent. The advance of
settlement and the occupation of the bobcat's former ranges
for stock raising have not so much crowded back this predator
as they have given it a new and satisfying provender,
particularly in the young of the flocks and herds of the
stockman and the poultry of the farmer. Control of its
depredations at times becomes necessary to man's economic
welfare.</p>
</div>
  </td>
</tr>
<tr class="bbox">
  <td class="tdl2">Washington, D. C.</td>
  <td class="tdr2">Issued June, 1931</td>
</tr>
</table>

<p class="pmt4 pmb2 center smaller">For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. &ndash; &ndash; &ndash; &ndash; &ndash; Price 5 cents</p>


<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>




<p class="caption1">HINTS ON BOBCAT TRAPPING</p>


<p class="caption3">By <span class="smcap">Stanley P. Young</span>, <i>Principal Biologist, in Charge Division of Predatory-Animal<br />
and Rodent Control, Bureau of Biological Survey</i></p>

<hr class="r20" />

<p class="caption2">CONTENTS</p>


<table style="width: 500px;" summary="ToC">
<tr>
  <td></td>
  <td class="tdr">Page</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">Nature of depredations</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Nature_of_Depredations">1</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">Where to trap</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Where_to_Trap">2</a></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">"Blind" trap sets</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Blind_Trap_Sets">2</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">Scented trap sets</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Scented_Trap">3</a></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">Preparation of scent</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Preparation_of_Scent">4</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">Catnip oil as a lure</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Catnip_Oil_as_a_Lure">5</a></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">Care in details</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Care_in_Details">5</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">&nbsp; &nbsp; Rust on traps</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Rust_on_traps">6</a></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">&nbsp; &nbsp; Frozen ground</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Frozen_ground">6</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">&nbsp; &nbsp; Deodorizing traps</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Deodorizing_traps">6</a></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row1">
  <td class="tdl">&nbsp; &nbsp; Paper trap pads</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Paper_trap_pads">6</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td class="tdl">Resetting traps</td>
  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Resetting_Traps">6</a></td>
</tr>
</table>

<hr class="r20" />


<div class="dropcap">T</div>

<p class="p0"><span class="hidden">T</span>RAPPING has been found to be one of the most effective
methods of bobcat control. On its wild ranges the bobcat feeds
to a large extent upon rabbits and other injurious rodents, but it
preys also upon such valuable forms of wild life as antelope, deer, and
other game animals, especially the fawns, and on wild turkeys, quail,
and other ground-nesting birds. With human occupation of its former
haunts, it finds in the young of domestic livestock very satisfactory
substitutes for its ordinary fare in the wild. When its food is
less easily obtained in nature than among the flocks and herds of the
range country, it may become exceedingly destructive to domestic
livestock, especially to sheep during the lambing season, to pigs,
goats, and calves, and to poultry. The depredations of bobcats in
parts of Arkansas in recent years have made hog raising on an extensive
scale impracticable in such localities. Losses caused by this
predatory animal among sheep are particularly severe when lambing
is conducted on the open range and the lambing grounds are in close
proximity to the broken, rough, rocky canyons that favor the presence
of the bobcat. Sheepmen often choose such rugged country for
lambing grounds because of the protection it affords against storms.</p>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Nature_of_Depredations" name="Nature_of_Depredations"></a>Nature of Depredations</p>

<p><span class="smcap">On gaining</span> entry into a flock of sheep at lambing time, commonly
under cover of darkness, the bobcat carries on its depredations
in such manner as to cause little commotion there.
The lamb is usually killed by a characteristic bite on
the back of the neck or head, and then it is pulled
down to be eaten. If its lust for killing is not satisfied,
the bobcat may kill other lambs by the same method, continuing
its work quietly until a large number have been destroyed. A single
bobcat has been known to kill 38 lambs in this manner in one night.</p>

<p>Bobcats are easily caught in traps of the common double-spring
steel type, in sizes 2 and 3. Such traps have been used by many
generations of trappers, and although deemed inhumane by some
persons, no better or more practical device has yet been invented to
take their place. The brief description here presented of trapping
methods to be used in bobcat control is based on field experiences of
Federal and cooperative trappers who have applied methods developed
by the Bureau of Biological Survey.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Where_to_Trap" name="Where_to_Trap"></a>Where to Trap</p>

<p><span class="smcap">In selecting</span> a site for trap sets, one should be guided to a large
extent by the tracks of the animal (<a href="#fig_1">fig. 1</a>) and by other traces of its
presence, which are commonly found in the rugged recesses
of the open range. Such places as leached limestone
ridges, limestone cap rock, or eroded granitic canyons
containing an abundance of small caverns and holes surrounded
by rather extensive underbrush form the ideal habitat of
the bobcat. This may be in low-lying country or in adjacent higher
mountainous areas. Though it is advisable to use the greatest caution
in setting bobcat traps, the care with which the art is practiced need
not be so great as in the case of the wolf or the coyote.</p>

<p>When the trail of a bobcat has been found, by track or sign, along,
or leading from its rocky lair, traps may be placed in either double or
single sets. If the trail is not frequently used by livestock also, or by
such big-game animals as deer, the so-called "blind" trap set may be
employed. This set is called a blind because no lure or scent need be
used around it when completed.</p>

<div class="fig_center" style="width: 415px;">
<a name="fig_1" id="fig_1"></a>
<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_2.png" width="415" height="328" alt="" />
<div class="fig_caption"><span class="smcap">Figure 1.</span>&mdash;"Blind" or trail set being placed for bobcats. Trails used by both bobcats and cattle
make ideal situations tor placing the blind set for predators during periods when stock is removed
from such parts of the range</div>
</div>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Blind_Trap_Sets" name="Blind_Trap_Sets"></a>"Blind" Trap Sets</p>

<p><span class="smcap">Whether single or double</span> blind trap sets are employed, they
should be placed in holes dug directly in the trail of the bobcat
close to such an obstruction as an exposed root, a rock,
or a clump of weeds, for the bobcat seldom fails to step
over rather than on such an obstruction in its path.
(<a href="#fig_2">Fig. 2.</a>) If the double set is to be used, the trap holes
should be only about 1 inch apart, separated just far enough to prevent
interference of the jaws when the trap is sprung. Each hole should be
dug only slightly larger than the size of the trap and just deep enough
to hold the set trap and allow this to be slightly lower than the level
<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>
of the surrounding ground. When two traps are used, they may be
joined together with a lap link at the ends of their chains, which in
turn may be attached to a stake pin driven slightly below the ground
level; or a drag may be used either made of wrought iron or consisting
of a fairly heavy stone. The drag should be bedded under
the traps, in which case more excavating will be required. It is well
to have a free-acting swivel at the top of the stake pin to prevent a
captive animal from
twisting and breaking
the trap chains
attached to it.</p>

<div class="fig_right" style="width: 291px;">
<a name="fig_2" id="fig_2"></a>
<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_3.png" width="291" height="314" alt="" />
<div class="fig_caption"><span class="smcap">Figure 2.</span>&mdash;Details of setting trap for bobcat in trail; trap bedded
just beyond a natural obstruction in the path; the working parts
of trap are lightly packed with cotton to insure springing when the
ground is frozen</div>
</div>

<p>After the trap has
been firmly bedded it
is advisable to cover
it with fine pulverized
earth similar to that
found in the mound
of a pocket gopher.
This will do for the
spring of the trap.
Dry and finely pulverized
horse or cow
manure may be more
advantageously used
to cover the inside of
the trap jaws. Care
should be taken to
keep all loose dirt
from getting under
the pan and to see
that there is an open
space beneath it of
at least a quarter of
an inch.</p>

<p>A trap pad made of canvas or of old descented slicker cloth for
finally covering the pan should now be placed on the inside of the
jaws; then over all should be sprinkled dry dirt to the depth of a
quarter to a half inch, of the same color as the ground surrounding
the trap. The spot where the trap is buried should be left in as
natural a condition as possible.</p>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Scented_Trap" name="Scented_Trap"></a>Scented Trap</p>

<p><span class="smcap">A scent attractive to bobcats</span> may be used to advantage to lure
the animals to trap sets. When scenting is resorted to, however, the
traps should not be placed in the runway proper, but on
either side of it, or on one side only, and parallel to
Sets the trail. They should be set in the same manner as described
for the blind sets, between the trail and the spot
selected for scattering the scent. (<a href="#fig_3">Fig. 3.</a>) This spot should be no
more than 6 to 8 inches from the trap. In placing the scent, advantage
should be taken of any stubble, bunch of weeds, exposed
root, or object known as a scent post. These are so termed from the
fact that they are the places selected by the animal for voiding urine
or feces.</p>

<p>Bobcats usually have their scent posts slightly off the trail, on
stubble of range grasses, on bushes, or even on old bleached-out
<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>
carcasses. Where the ground conditions are right for good tracking,
natural scent posts may be detected by the claw scratches and the
small mound of dirt where the bobcat has covered its excrement.
Such habits are similar to those of house cats. In passing along its
trails, the bobcat will usually revisit these scent posts.</p>

<p>When natural scent posts can not be readily found, one may be
easily established along the determined trail of a bobcat by dropping
scent (of a kind to be described) on a few clusters of weeds, spears of
grass, or stubble of low brush. The trap should be set between the
trail and the place scented, about 6 or 8 inches from each. (<a href="#fig_4">Fig. 4.</a>)
Any number of such scent stations may be placed along a determined
trail. The farther from the trail a trap is set, however, the more
scent will be needed. For dropping the scent, a 2 to 4 ounce bottle
fitted with a shaker cork may be used.</p>

<div class="fig_center" style="width: 418px;">
<a name="fig_3" id="fig_3"></a>
<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_4.png" width="418" height="216" alt="" />
<div class="fig_caption"><span class="smcap">Figure 3.</span>&mdash;Placing a scent set for bobcats: A, double trap set, placed as in blind sets, but a few
inches off the trail instead of directly in it; B, traps bedded, and springs and jaws properly
covered and pan unobstructed, ready for covering with a trap pad, on which the topsoil is to be
spread. Scent sets are placed between the trail and a clump of weeds or other natural or artificial
scent posts</div>
</div>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Preparation_of_Scent" name="Preparation_of_Scent"></a>Preparation of Scent</p>

<p><span class="smcap">The basis of the scent</span> may be any kind of fish, but oily varieties,
such as sturgeon, eels, suckers, and carp, are preferred. The flesh
should be ground in a sausage mill, placed in strong tin
or galvanized-iron cans, and left in a warm place to
decompose thoroughly. Each can must be provided
with a small vent to allow the escape of gas, otherwise
there is danger of explosion. The aperture, however, should be
screened with a fold of cloth to prevent flies from depositing eggs, as
the mixture seems to lose much of its scent quality when maggots
develop in it. This preparation may be used within three days after
mixing, but it is more lasting and penetrating when it is about a
month old.</p>

<p>Fish scent alone gives excellent results, but several modifications
have been found highly effective. To the decomposed fish as a
basis may be added mice, beaver castors, musk glands from minks,
weasels, and muskrats, and the bladders of coyotes and bobcats.
Oil gives body to the scent and to a certain extent prevents freezing.
If the mixture appears too thin, glycerin, brains, fish oil, butterfat, or
other animal fat, such as that from woodchucks and ground squirrels,
may be added.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p>

<p>The hunter may commence with a quantity of ground fish placed in
a large galvanized-iron container, similar to a milk can, and as the
original lot is used on the trap line, he may replenish it by adding
more fresh fish and others of the ingredients mentioned. The addition
of new material from time to time seems to improve the desirable
qualities of the scent mixture.</p>

<div class="fig_left" style="width: 299px;">
<a name="fig_4" id="fig_4"></a>
<img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:s:stanley-young-hints-on-bobcat-trapping-page_5.png" width="299" height="256" alt="" />
<div class="fig_caption"><span class="smcap">Figure 4.</span>&mdash;Details of placing scent set on cleared space between the
trail and a clump of higher weeds or grass used as a scent post.
Between the trap set and the scent post may be buried a jar having
perforated top and containing cotton saturated with oil of catnip; or
other scent material may be sprinkled on the clump of weeds to lure
the bobcat to the trap</div>
</div>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Catnip_Oil_as_a_Lure" name="Catnip_Oil_as_a_Lure"></a>Catnip Oil as a Lure</p>

<p><span class="smcap">Oil of catnip</span>, diluted in the proportion of 35 drops of the pure
oil to 2 ounces of petrolatum, has proved an effective lure in bobcat
trapping. As this is a fine oil, the petrolatum is used
to give it body, and this tends also to prevent loss of
the scent when exposed to rain. Pure catnip oil is
manufactured at a few places in the United States, but
if the pure oil is not obtainable, the leaves of the catnip plant may be
boiled to a pulpy consistency
in water, and
this will produce a
mild tincture of catnip
which can be
drawn off. Catnip in
this form has been
used as a lure by some
trappers with a fair
degree of success. A
few drops of the mixture
of petrolatum
and pure catnip oil,
or of the tincture,
should be placed on
the scent spot every
third day.</p>

<p>Some Biological
Survey hunters employ
this lure by
burying at one side
of a bobcat runway
a small glass jar or
bottle (<a href="#fig_4">fig. 4</a>) into
which has been
dropped gauze or cotton batting, saturated with catnip oil. The
mouth of the container is left open, but level with the ground, and is
protected by a perforated top. If the top is bright, it should be made
inconspicuous by moistening it, and while wet brushing it over with
dust or sand. Trap sets placed, as described around such scent
points have accounted for many bobcats.</p>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Care_in_Details" name="Care_in_Details"></a>Care in Details</p>

<p><span class="smcap">Success in trapping</span>, whether for bobcats or for other predators,
is in many respects dependent upon the trapper's attention to what
might seem to be minor details. While digging holes for
the sets it is well for the trapper to stand or kneel on a
"setting cloth," which is made of canvas or a piece of sheepskin
or calf hide about 3 feet square. Human scent on the
canvas may be avoided by previously burying the cloth in an old
manure pile. The dirt removed from the place where the trap is
bedded may be piled on the setting cloth. Surplus dirt not needed
for covering the trap should be scattered evenly on the ground at
<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>
some distance from the set. It is well also to wear gloves while
setting traps, and to use them for no other purpose, though the precautions
against arousing the suspicion of bobcats are less necessary
than those in trapping wolves and coyotes.</p>

<p><a id="Rust_on_traps" name="Rust_on_traps"></a><i>Rust on traps.</i>&mdash;Rust is often the cause of the failure of traps to
spring properly, particularly when the trap pan rusts on its post. Most
steel traps are so constructed that when the trap pan is moved back
and forth it will spread the joint and thus permit the pan to work
freely. Putting a few drops of fine oil on the post, as well as in the slots
that hold the jaws at the base of the trap, will overcome such difficulties.</p>

<p><a id="Frozen_ground" name="Frozen_ground"></a><i>Frozen ground.</i>&mdash;When the ground is frozen it is difficult to keep
the traps in working order. Some hunters overcome this difficulty
by lining the bottom of the hole in which the trap is to be bedded
with clean coarse cotton or wool, and by packing more of this material
around the pan, springs, and jaws after the trap is placed. When the
ground is frozen, the dirt cover for the set can be made of such debris
as is found on ant hills, or by using dead leaves or the fine earth
obtained under spruce, fir, hemlock, or aspen trees.</p>

<p><a id="Deodorizing_traps" name="Deodorizing_traps"></a><i>Deodorizing traps.</i>&mdash;When received from dealers or manufacturers,
traps frequently smell of grease, perspiration from human hands, or
other odors caused by contact with various kinds of merchandise in
the course of shipment. As some of these odors are likely to arouse
the suspicion of predators, it is advisable to clean all traps before using
them. This may be done by boiling them in a tincture of sage leaves,
or of leaves from other native trees. Common soil is a good deodorizer,
but it acts slowly. Simply burying the traps for a few days in a
manure pile (the odor from which does not arouse the predator's
suspicion) will often remove all other odors. It is better, however,
before using traps to clean them by boiling, as mentioned. Never
attempt to burn off an odor over a fire, as this may destroy the temper
of the springs and make the trap worthless.</p>

<p><a id="Paper_trap_pads" name="Paper_trap_pads"></a><i>Paper trap pads.</i>&mdash;Paper pads are not dependable, as they are
usually too smooth to hold the covering of soil. This is soon swept'
off the paper when the trap is set in a windy place, and when this is
gone the trap is exposed. Furthermore, rain will readily soak a
paper pad, causing it to break or collapse and expose much of the set.
Another objection to paper pads is that when an animal steps lightly
into a trap jaw, resting its toes barely inside of it but not on the trap
pan, it is likely to hear the rustle of the paper under its foot as well as
to feel its smoothness. The result is that it will be shy of that particular
spot, and thus a catch is lost. Trap pads made of fairly thick
canvas or woven wire of fly-screen consistency are therefore preferable
to paper pads. Such trap pads should be free from all odor, and when
not in use should be kept in a clean container, such as the 1-pound
cans used for ground coffee.</p>


<p class="caption2"><a id="Resetting_Traps" name="Resetting_Traps"></a>Resetting Traps</p>

<p><span class="smcap">The trap may be reset</span> after a bobcat has been caught, the same
spot being used if the ground and the natural surroundings have not
been too badly scratched up or otherwise defaced, and if
evidences of disturbance can be cleared away. It may
be highly desirable to reset the sprung trap in the same
place, particularly if other good spots are lacking for
scenting or for taking advantage of the natural obstructions needed
for blind sets.</p>


<hr class="tb" />


<p class="center">U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1931</p>
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