Mountain Bobcat set location?

[Team4LongGun]

Those of you trapping in mountainous areas for cats, what terrain features do you look for? I've heard the rocky stuff and creek bottoms, but any others?

 

[mcr-85]

Saddles, the sides of two track roads and habitat edges. Travel routes for where they are moving is what I'm looking for. Stand out features where there may be a cat toilet is also a good location. I've caught them on ridgelines and in the bottoms of washes. I typically trap from 5500'-6500' elevation but have trapped around 7500'-8000' in light winters.

I had a buddy send me a pic recently of dusty cat tracks going down a big 10-12 inch water line in the mountains. He's planning to block it off and direct them into a walkthrough set.

 

[TaperPin]

Those of you trapping in mountainous areas for cats, what terrain features do you look for? I've heard the rocky stuff and creek bottoms, but any others?

It can depend on what they eat. Randomly setting traps in rocky areas might work eventually, but traps in rocky areas with healthier concentrated pray populations is better. All forms of life are more concentrated along streams, but it helps to have areas with structure that might concentrate the odds of a cat getting dinner, or help define its travel path. A dusting of snow is the best teacher of where to go and where to avoid.

Many high mountainous areas become pretty devoid of anything, so I’m picturing foothills more than mountain tops.

 

[Team4LongGun]

Thanks Gents

 

[wytx]

We trap some pretty open country that is rocky and has a creek.
We make a bunch of cubby sets along the creek and might use an attractant in the rocky sets, a visual attractant.
Lone trees get a set, we have few trees on the place.

Go out after a snow and look for tracks, it can be eye opening. Our bobcats really use the creek drainage but we catch them where ever there are rabbits.
We found a nice toilet but it is far from where we can get when the snow gets deep.
It is a big rock out in the middle of the open.

Good luck, your cats should bring a nice price.