Wow! We don’t have badger here, but I trap Kansas every so often and hope I’m lucky enough to catch one out there!

I was thankful to have had my .22 mag revolver with me! They are nasty vicious!

Thanks for taking the time to comment, and be sure to stick around as a subscriber; my boys and I will have LOTS of new trapping footage this winter, and I'll be sure to have lots of trail-cam footage again, as well as videos showing drone footage of the farms I'll be targeting and discussing location. Thanks for your service, and God bless!

LOL! At least you get to travel to a state you want to bowhunt and trap simultaneously; we turkey hunt in Kansas but then have to make a return trip to go back to trap...

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge! Appreciate you stopping by the channel!

@@StaggsintheWild It is just that they are a lot easier to catch than people realize and tend to make it harder. But you have to understand what they like and don't. Caught a turkey once, not because I meant to but by the time I found it, it was already gone and eaten. but the feathers helped to make several great sets. curiosity killed the cat and that is for sure. wish that a video like yours was around 30 years ago. knowledge is such a wonderful tool if you use it correctly. liked your pan mods too.

Best of luck to you, sir; please check back in and let us know how you're doing. I'll have more trapping content up this winter too, as well as an out-of-state trapping trip to Kansas hopefully. :)

Thank you. Most trappers I know are very much some of the best conservationists I know. We will never put an animal population in jeopardy; to the contrary, the very act of trapping serves to improve their place in nature as we ensure their numbers are kept in check to help eradicate disease and overpredation. Some of the most big-hearted people you’ll meet exist in this community.

​​@@StaggsintheWild You'd never use one of those cruel gin traps with teeth on it, I'm certain. Trapped bobcats and coyotes, as well as wolves, bears, and pumas have been known for chewing off their trapped legs in desperate attempts to escape. Bear traps are both painful and unethical for trapping. Poachers have used huge bear traps with sharp teeth that slam shut with such force that it can break a leg. Other gin traps are forgotten by them and left to clamp down on deer, elk, domestic dogs, and even people. Trapping is an important tradition for many like you. But we always need to remember that certain traps MUST NEVER BE USED!!

@@CoreyMillionaire2029 well, let’s get some facts out there and not just some stuff you’ve read online by those with some sort of misguided agenda … first of all, you’re right: I’d never use traps with teeth on them because traps like that have been illegal in every state for decades and decades. Now, as far as bobcats, coyotes and every other animal you mention chewing their feet off in a desperate attempt to escape… that is an absolute, downright falsehood. In other words, a blatant lie - despite what you’ve read. I’ve literally trapped hundreds of animals, and if you combine my experience with those I personally know, that number becomes thousands. If you stretch that number to include my sphere of influence on the internet, that total is now in the tens of thousands of animals that have been managed through a sound science-based wildlife-management plan by the use of trapping. NO ONE I know has ever seen a bobcat, coyote, mountain lion or wolf chew his foot off. Not a single one. The reason is simple: traps simply hold an animal in place. They lose zero feeling above the jaws of the trap; therefore, it will not start eating at his leg. I - and most trappers I know - run full jaw laminations and employ multiple swivel points that allow an animal to flip or twist to its heart’s content after it first gets caught with no limb or joint damage. It doesn’t take long and they usually settle in and relax. I’ve walked up on several animals that were sleeping peacefully on my trapline. Adding laminations effectively doubles the surface area of the trap jaw and dissipates the force of the trap closing on an animal’s paw. I’ve caught over a dozen feral house cats and untold fox, and I’ve never even broken the skin on any, despite how relatively small their paws are. Much of that information may come as a shock to you when compared to what you’ve read or “heard” before … but it’s coming straight from an educated trapper with an abundance of real-world experience, and not just “hearsay.” Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for sharing your love and concern for animals. I assure you: we trappers hold our quarry in extremely high regard too.

Thanks for taking the time to comment; I'm a firm believer in that we often learn more from our failures than we do our successes. It certainly makes better trappers out of all of us, especially when we can see exactly where we went wrong. :)

You'll love it! It can be the most frustrating, humbling, yet exhilarating pursuit in the outdoors. Check around our channel for other tutorials and educational videos on trapping and how to get started.

I would have never released that cat if I lived in Australia; if that were my personal land, I’d probably not released it, either. But since I was trapping on someone else’s land by permission, and it COULD have been a neighbor’s pet, I didn’t want to create strife between the neighbors.

@@StaggsintheWild Oh I know. I was just sayin'. I rescue lots of feral cats, got three of them at my house all tame now. But man, one of them one day I got to work had to show me that it had killed a full grown rabbit! I was stunned! ^..^~~

Thank you Judith; appreciate the kudos and the tip!

Appreciate the nice comments! I truly feel there's simply no need to shy away from trapping as a sound, evidence-based management tool for regulating and maintaining a healthy predator population. Wildlife biologists all over the country recognize that fact, and we as a community have allowed a group of people with no skin in the game to "armchair quarterback" managing -- or really, the lack thereof -- animal populations for far too long. The ignorant reintroduction of wolves into the Colorado ecosystem is just one more recent example of people sitting in high-rise condos casting votes, completely ignorant of the drastic damage that's about to be bestowed upon the very elk herd that invites millions of tourism dollars on an annual basis.

@@StaggsintheWild Well said.

Thanks so much! It’s one of our favorites too. We’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve and will probably put out a “Catching Cats 2” in a year or two. 😊

@@StaggsintheWild PS If you put wax paper squares, or shrink wrap pieces under your coil spring traps, they'll fire in the worst conditions. I still like the long springs for the over sized pans, but out side laminated mb-650s have been my go to for years now here in the u.p. of Michigan. I also really like cubby cage trapping cats.

@@mikemarcusen4773 Yessir. Learned of that trick after I’d already made the move to DLSs some time ago. I have a buddy in Montana that does that trapping wolves in ice and snow.

Thanks for the nice words, and thanks for being a true conservationist! We need more small females roaming the woods out there! :)

I also had to let a female go last year was the absolute most rushing thing I have ever done.just beautiful cats

That would be sorta awesome, lol … I have friends who trap out west snd I’ve seen them catch some. I’m in SE Missouri snd there’s probably a .00001% chance I’ll ever catch one, lol - but there ARE occasionally verified sightings.

Hopefully you will soon... there's way more of them out there than people realize! :)

Yessir. There are many alternatives to get the job done, for sure. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Thanks for the kind words!

Thanks!! 😁

😂

Same here and that's why I'm here....lol

@@Ben92912 for cats, I place them right on the ground … there’s an example set here in the video. Block in with guiding sticks and leave the pan exposed … For coyotes I would bury them.

Thank you for the kind words; they are much appreciated. I use Bridger #3s and some MB550s in four-coiled traps. For the double longsprings, they’re Sleepy Creek #2s. I don’t own an offset trap, and will do a video down the road explaining why. All my traps are regular jaw with full jaw laminations.

The lure is less important than the visual of the set itself, though I’m fond of both skunky lures and beaver castor-based lures. Badlands Bob is probably my favorite. Good luck in catching him!

Best of luck this season!! All I can say is... it's addicting!! You can tell how much I love walking up on a big ol' bobcat! Hobby Lobby is going to probably be your friend if animal parts (wings) are illegal; look at boa material, tinsel... anything "flashy", really. CDs -- as your friends mentioned -- are great. You can buy polyfil in the craft section, and it's normally used to make pillows. I use it both as an underall beneath my pans (see my coyote video) and it can be used as a visual attractant as well. Good luck!! Let us know how you do!

Use chicken feathers , no issues

thanks for replying

Great question... and that's sort of the point of the whole thing that has been proven by Western trapping methods. Now... we're talking JUST cats here, pretty much -- a lot of people bury traps in the traditional manner when they're going after a mixed-bag target (e.g., fox, coyotes, bobcats). I myself continue to do so when I'm just looking to reduce predator numbers in general and I'm happy to take any of the three. But ... when I'm making JUST a 'cat set? Yeah, I'll throw down a double longspring in the manner you saw in the video all day long and twice on Sunday.

@@StaggsintheWild Awesome info thank you

See if this helps... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pJuSfZiK09avdY0.html

😎😎👊

Congratulations... there’s nothing like walking up on a cat!

Yeah that is true, if you get a chance check out the video. We did a 2 part video of this season. It was awesome definitely a learning experience. Can't wait for next year!

We cover our coyote sets... we use double longsprings for exposed-pan sets in walkthroughs because cats aren't particular about seeing the trap... it just blends in with a jumble of sticks and other things to them; they don't pay it any extra special attention. It's a very common technique adapted from the Western trapper in states like Montana, Utah, Arizona, etc. The pan and shingle gives them a clearly defined spot to step as they're navigating the walk-through.

Thanks for the informatio@@StaggsintheWild

That too! 😁 Love your channel man!

Good stuff! Let us know how your season goes... we can't wait for it to get cold and start slinging steel again! Gonna do our best to put a bunch of new trapping vids up this year!

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

Nice video were do you put your swivel at on your flags on top or at the feathers do use one swivel or two

@@jonhfish9803 I put the swivel in the middle of the fishing line, or sometimes closer to just above the feather... in other words, I tie the line around the feather and leave about 4-6" above it... then tie on a swivel. I thread the sinker down from the top and then tie the top to a limb. The main thing is that whatever length of line is below the swivel allowing it to spin and dance, you have to make sure it can't become ensnared in any limbs or twigs to halt its motion.

Ok thank you am going to try that

@@stevehughes2105 I hope you were joking I don’t take to kindly to people like you. I think this comment of your was uncalled for.

I don't have one yet of me actually pulling a trap, but in one of my earier videos I do a pretty in-depth explanation of how the concept works and I show me actually building them... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ithgeLR_v8W3ZI0.html See if that helps and if it doesn't, let me know and maybe I can shoot a short video for you.

@@StaggsintheWild Thanks Greg, do you leave the whole trap exposed on that walkthrough set or just the pan? Thanks!

Thanks James! I leave the whole trap exposed... it looks exactly like it does right there when I walk off and leave it. Some of the Western guys who pioneered this method (think Utah, Montana, Wyoming...) sometimes paint the trap a light tan color to simulate the sticks they block the trap down with... it really emphasizes the shingle/pan as the only place for the cat to step. I've never done that, partly because the sticks I use to block the trap in with seem to be a darker color anyway here in the Midwest.

Thanks so much! That's the kind of ringing endorsement I was after when putting all the footage together!

I'd look at Bridger double longsprings... here's a landing page from where you can look at all sorts of double longsprings from various other manufacturers: www.fntpost.com/Categories/Trapping/Traps/Long+Spring+Traps/

@@StaggsintheWild thank you!

Absolutely not! I read that feral cats kill more birds, small game and such than ALL other predators combined. Ask the people in Australia what they think of feral cats.

Thank you! I used to glue them on years ago, but after the first catch they’d get tore off. I started using the largest paper clips I could find (I lay them all out on a piece of cardboard & spray paint them black first) and they seem to get thrown off and stay intact now. I simply pull out a couple new paper clips and reattach it when I remake the set.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes! Yes, they should work. Cats don’t really fight the trap hard … what you’re looking for in a cat trap is a large pan area for them to step on. At least I am.

It's an awesome hobby and will add so many important fundamental skills in being an outdoorsman and learning how animals move... You'll absolutely love it!! As far as dispatching bobcats, the preferred method is with a catch pole like you saw me handle that feral cat in the video. Those poles can be used to safely keep an animal at bay (think dogcatcher...), but a cats' anatomy places their carotid arteries on the OUTSIDE of their neck musculature; they'll choke out VERY easily, and quickly. It's a very humane way to dispatch a cat. On that feral cat, had I just cinched down that cable hard, he would have been out in less than a minute.

Great question. I do NOT cover my pans on exposed-pan sets. The way you saw the trap setting in my yard and beside the creek is the way it looks when I’m done. “Give a cat a place to step ...” 😊👍

@@StaggsintheWild Thanks for the fast reply! Nice way to avoid freezing then! Do you cover/camo the long springs.... last question maybe? for cats do you die or wax your traps does not look like it...

I don’t cover the long springs either ... I just “block” them in tight by laying sticks and limbs right up against them. Sometimes I dye them, but it’s more of a rarity these days. They actually blend in a tad bit better by NOT dying them and just leaving them a rust color. The idea is that by placing limbs up against the springs and the jaws, they end up looking like a part of the clump of sticks that is there; therefore, the pan (exposed) looks like the perfect flat spot to step on to navigate through that opening - because we’ve got the sides blocked down so that there’s just a narrow opening to walk through - right over the trap. 😊

@@StaggsintheWild Thanks !!! good Stuff... New to Cats just got a spot with High population so I am told ..... Only fox/coyote/water trapping before.

Depends on the set, but I’d say I’m an average of 10-12” on most

It wasn't a bobcat.. it was a feral house cat, and I explained in the video that without the landowner's permission I didn't want to kill one of his neighbor's pets. :) Thanks for the kind words, and for watching! Good luck this year!

Bridger makes a double longspring as well … honestly, almost any DLS should work. Go to Minnesota Trapline’s website and search for double longspring and it should give you a few options.

I save the backstraps out of every cat I catch and we fry them up like we do turkey breast nuggets... they're quite tasty. We kept hearing so many people talk about what a delicacy mountain lion is, so we figured it had to have a good flavor too; they were right! I keep the hams and other large chunks of meat for making bait.

Back when I filmed this, most of it was filmed on a simple Canon Vixia HFR500... I have a Canon HFG20 now that will produce a lot better footage. I do all my editing in DaVinci Resolve. It's free, and does way more than I need it to -- plus there's plenty of youtube tutorials available on how to use it.

Thanks so much! I use extra-large paper clips that I lay out on cardboard and spray-paint flat black... they hold on easily enough, but also get "thrown" after a catch, and more times than not I'm able to find them nearby and reuse them.

@@StaggsintheWild thank you. I got me some double long springs and expand a pans. Hopefully have some luck this year

I used to glue them on with some varying type of adhesive (tried many different ones...), but these days I just use a large paper clip on either side. The shingle is usually easily found and can be reused in most cases at the catch site with just a bit of looking. I do lay out several paper clips at a time on a piece of cardboard and spray paint them black to help deter them becoming an object that attracts unwanted attention.

I use a lot of regular footholds... both fully modified Bridger #2s and No BS Lure's KO Jrs... always 4-coiled, always with jaw laminations and ALWAYS regular-jawed and not those stupid, gimmicky offset jawed traps. The exposed-pan walkthroughs are constructed using Sleepy Creek #2 double longsprings, and I cable them off 1/8" aircraft cable using aluminum double ferrules. I replace the stock pans with Chip Davis's Expand-A-Pans. Sleepy Creek went out of business a couple years ago, but there are other doublel longsprings on the market made by companies like Bridger and others.

I use Sleepy Creek #3s with Chip Davis's Expand-A-Pans (a quick Google search will turn up his website). You may have to search a bit to find Sleepy Creeks now, as they went out of business a couple years ago but I believe Brian at Southern Snares bought the rights to make them again.

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to comment; good luck this year, and let me know how you do!

Tons … turkey populations are plummeting at an exorbitant rate across the country in large part to the lack of predator management as just one example. The animals themselves benefit tremendously from a sound wildlife-management, science-based strategy to control their numbers to reduce overpopulation, disease, & starvation.

@@StaggsintheWild Yeah I’ve heard of that being a major problem, really I ment financially what do you do with the catch? Do you sell it?

@@kemac722 cats actually commanded pretty decent prices this year at fur auctions across the country. Obviously it varies dependent on region, but even our plain Midwest specimens were bringing $75/cat. Western cats continued bringing their usual premiums and it wasn’t uncommon to see $600 cats all day long.

Thanks! That'll probably be an upcoming video this summer as soon as we can catch our breath from turkey hunting! Four states in four weeks... :)

I've never caught a yote in one. I'm not going to say it couldn't EVER happen, but the chances would be REALLY slim. Coyotes just tend to shy away from such loud and flashy sets. If you really wanted to ensure you didn't catch one, stick with the exposed-pan walkthroughs or the cubby sets. That's about as close to a guarantee as you could get in not catching a coyote.

@@StaggsintheWild that's so cool to hear. I was under the impression you'd get them both no matter what, so that is super helpful and inspiring. Excited to use my turkey feathers and try to get my first wildcat! Thank you!

Awesome!! Congratulations!

favorite set!

Yep. They’re killers out in the Wild ...

Grew up in Kennett

Unfortunately about as far away as I can be from you and still live in MO; I’m just above the bootheel in SE Missouri.

@@StaggsintheWild Just found your channel. Originally from Wayne County, MO

@@hillbillyb4u Welcome aboard!! Glad to have ya!

I use 2s and 3s … and no, you won’t find an offset-jawed trap on my line. Ever.

So I use a few different ones; not sure exactly where in the video you're alluding to as far as me mentioning the name -- but I use Bridger #3s a lot (that's a coilspring trap), some MB 550s, and the double longsprings are Sleepy Creeks (those are the ones that I use in an exposed-pan manner and replace the stock offering with Chip Davis's Expandapan and put the roofing shingle on). Hope that helps!

@@StaggsintheWild Thanks it does where do you order you traps from I hunt in Missouri so I want make sure I get the right one the one you use with the shingle replacing the pad is the one I’m looking for thanks

Thanks! They’re Sleepy Creek #3s

@@StaggsintheWild your welcome thank you very much

I think this was 3/32 and the matching double ferrules. You could use 1/8” as well … just whatever you have handy.

...and Sleepy Creek is no longer making traps? Bummer. Have you switched? Looking at Bridger #4 LS?

You got the general idea ... go back and watch our “Catching Cats ...” video, as well as our newest video “8 sets to catch a coyote” or whatever it’s called ... piecing those two together will show you EXACTLY what to do - much better than I can try to explain here. 😊 Good luck!