Guys, This is my first post, i just subscribed to this forum. I have been seeing a big very nice bobcat, very spotted with good markings on my property. I have pics on two of my trail cams. Trapping season in Louisiana starts November 22. I have hunted deer, squirrel, coyotes, ducks, you name it i have hunted it.
I would like to start trapping. This seems like a new challenge but im green. I have watched about 50 video's on youtube about trapping. Im interested in trapping this bobcat and a few coyotes ive been seeing. My question is.... what is the best way to catch this cat and what is the best bait.
I bought a few foot traps and a half dozen snares. The foot traps are #3 duke traps. I dont know if this is the best or not.
Any advice would be appreciated. A couple of years ago a buddy( he bought a trappers license) and I set a snare on a random trail not knowing what was using it. We caught a bobcat the very first night. We were so pumped i cant tell you.
Now i would like to catch this one in particular. Any advice would be appreciated.

There is no best way. Depends on you the area and terrain. Cat are finicky but curious. I would recommend practice setting your trap a few times and getting used to making solid sets and firm and covering them right. You don’t want to try it on the cat til you figure it out and everything is smooth. Double rebar for stakes those cats are strong
Best advise really buy a trapping video and the go try. Cats and tires don’t usually step on sticks. Place some around trap so his open spot is your set. Lure him in with a scent to check things out. In my area things are very open. Not a lot of trails to locate so I draw them to the trap. I like the cubby set it has been effective on hard to catch cats.

Thanks
Buck

get some rub lure, put a bit on a tree, hang a single feather on a string overhead on the tree, set a couple traps around the base of the tree
JS

As like all wild animals, they have incredible noses. But by the same token, bobcat do not have nearly as strong of a nose as coyote and fox. They usually choose to rely on their eyes, which are better than yotes and fox. So what I would do is make a set with A LOT of eye appeal. I like old turtle shells, bones of any sort, and the like. A duke #3 is a great trap for bobcat but sometimes is hard to bed firmly. Which brings me to another point, you need to get your traps to be bedded as solid as rock. No, it's not going to be perfect, but you still need to make sure that the trap hardly moves when you press on different points. Hope this helps.

Mason.