More bobcat questions

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ColoradoHillBilly

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With our little storm, I found a lot of cat tracks and started setting traps on the trails and points of interest of 4 cats. When I went back the following days, there were no more fresh tracks. this happened in 4 different areas. I followed 3 of the tracks for a considerable distance cross country. Almost nothing cought their attention, one walked close by to one of my sets and no interest, i know it likes my sets because it worked them for 4 days, went inside of one, and didn't get cought. Is this normal activity? Will the cats eventually return to the same area and find my traps? Our snow is all but gone now so tracking is over, but it was a nice experience and good exercise. I've read that cats work a territory and work different parts of it everyday, constantly moving, This is nothing like what i've seen and I can't seem to outguess the little guys. Did the snow push the cats into new territory and now that it is gone are they changing their loction? I am doing this to learn how, because I enjoy the outdoors, and hopefully to pay a few expenses. I'm on my second order of lure and urine only to find more cold cat trails. Is this what is to be expected or am I chasing my tail? Thanks.
 
In my few years experience I am seeing two types of cat tracks. Hunting and traveling. Some places are travel corridors, the cat is moving from one hunting ground to another. These are usually (for me) found along brushy fence lines, creek bottoms and two tracks through the flats. Other tracks are in hunting areas. Like the name says the cat has moved into an area and hangs out while the hunting is good or it gets a mind to move one. If you set on a travel track and miss you have to be patient till the cat comes back through, it may be a couple of weeks. Hunting tracks you may have a couple of nights to catch it.
Personally, if it were me, I would move your set a little ways, maybe even just ten or 20 yards down the trail and reset. Sometimes something just isn't right where you are at, and the cats like it better a little ways away.
Keep it up, sounds like you are in a good area, its just a matter of time.
 
I generally rebait every three to four days, just redip my bait stick in the jar and rehang it. Give the trap a fresh squirt of urine. This trap had no "outside" flagging or attractor. It was set on a known travel way. I (or more like the kids) thew lots of feathers around the outside
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Well i still have yet more questions. We got about 6 inches of snow and it helped with the tracking, however The sets I had made prior were in hunting areas of 4 cats. Really active hunting and lots of tracks in the area for about 4 days so I set cages on all of them and with the fresh snow 3 of the cats returned, hunted for 3 days and left. My sets were in the heart of the previous hunting grounds and now the cats hunted around the same roads and draws but down about 300 yards from before, never even getting close at all to the old area and staying out of sight of my sets. Is this normal for cats or are these cats retarded? I didn't move my set because I thought that within 300 yards it would venture far enough to find them. Not quite. The one cat hunted for 3 nights in the area and 2 of those tracks were inside of themselves, he walked in the exact same places, almost the same track in the snow for 2 consecutive nights. What are these things trying to do? Their activities are fascinating watching how they move and jump and can follow rock ledges for hundreds of yards in the snow not leaving tracks but here and there, knowing just how to step so as to miss the snow but just on occasion. I love following them throught the draws and trees but how on earth are you supposed to make a set that will work consistently?
 
I have been waiting. I am thinking seriously about heading out with the call and just ending it NOW!! I would love nothing more than to see a cat in my cage waiting for me though. The supense is taking its toll. i get about 4 phone calls everyday asking me if I have caught anything yet, that is worse than the suspense of running the line everyday.
 
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