cat

[XBT]

My son is running a trapline for bobcats this season. I went with him to check traps Saturday and we found he had made a catch. The trap was wired to a tree limb to act as a drag and from the sign in the area we thought he had caught the biggest bobcat on the mountain. We followed the sign until we found the drag and trap tangled up in a tree. The trap held a very unhappy lion.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/retiredBT/trappedcatcompressed-1.jpg

We notified the local game warden as required by law and accompanied by the warden went back and used a couple of catch sticks to turn it loose. It was a very exciting operation. I just wish that the Carpetman had been there to help.

[nighthunter]

WOW ... what a catch .. and then have to let it go. I have to bet that it was one PO'd catch. I'd bet he had a real bad attitude. I've had to let a few stray dogs and a few other animals go but nothing like that. Had a Great Horned owl one time that was a real PITA to let go alive but I got it done. At least you got a picture of a fantastic catch.
Nighthunter

[waksupi]

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!

[ron brooks]

Now that is NEAT.

[redneckdan]

what size of trap? I'd venture to say a #2 coil spring based on it was set for bobcat. musta been a heck of a trap to hold a mountain lion.

[XBT]

Dan, It was a # 4 double long spring. Around here many people use either # 3’s or # 4’s for bobcats. The trap held up well, but the rivet attaching the chain to the trap was part way straightened out. If there had been any slack in the chain, it would have came off the trap and the cat would have been loose with only the trap on his toe. If we had known about this we would have been a LOT more careful while releasing it. Turning it loose was an interesting experience but I wouldn’t want to do it very often.

The cat was a medium sized adult for this area, the warden guessed it’s weight at about one hundred pounds. After we got it out of the trap the cat didn’t realize it was free and just laid on the ground for a few minutes, so we were able to get some pictures with a 35MM film camera. If any of them turn out good I will post them.

[kodiak1]

Mam you ol boys in Utah sure grows some awful big bobcats!!!!!

waksupi here kitty kitty kitty just about peed my pants.

Ken

[Topper]

That's a cool pic, what a surprise.
I'm wonder why game wardens don't carry dart equipment for such occassions.
Years back when I worked as a vet assistant at a zoo, we used a product called Rompum to dart the large cats.
I quickly got the nickname of rompum stompem because it was so darn effective at immobilizing even the biggest cats we had, Siberian tigers.

[Slowpoke]

In 1984 I hung one up in a # 4 Montgomery in a blind set off on the side of a big sandwash, I choked it down with a piece of 3/8 poly rope until it passed out then I released it's foot from the trap, I had to give it a little help with my foot on it's side to get it breathing again, then I backed off about 40 yrds ,it came to and made a beeline for my truck and went underneath it, it stayed there for about 45 minutes, I emptied my 22 revolver six time's trying to scare it off, I only had nine rds left on me so I remade my set and walked down the wash about 100 yrds and sat down under a mesquite, about 30 minutes later it hauled ass up the wash.

The next day a retired friend of the family was riding with me and about a mile up the sandwash from where I caught the lion the day before there sat that same lion in another # 4 Montgomery, this time I parked on down the wash a couple hundred yards and the release was uneventful.

During the first 4 winters of my trapping career I hung up seven cougars and lost a boat load of greyfox all in # 3 or 4 traps. I sold or traded off most of the big traps and went strictly to # 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 traps and never had to wrestle a cougar again or find just fox legs in my traps for the next eight years.

During the 12 years I trapped full-time I released a lot of different animals, the ones I dreaded the most were Javelina. Teeth - poppen son of guns !

good luck

[Johnch]

Did it Purrrr for you ??:twisted: :twisted:

I caught a white tail doe years back , in a #2 coil spring .
Had a GW come out to oversee my eforts to release it
When I tryed to release it , it died .

The GW said I did everything right .
The told me to dispose of the carcase .

Best tasting thing I ever caught in a leghold trap [smilie=1:

Glad there are no big kittys around NW Ohio
Just lots of Skunks , 4 so far this fall :groner:

Johnch

[cherok9878]

Did it Purrrr for you ??:twisted: :twisted:

I caught a white tail doe years back , in a #2 coil spring .
Had a GW come out to oversee my eforts to release it
When I tryed to release it , it died .

The GW said I did everything right .
The told me to dispose of the carcase .

Best tasting thing I ever caught in a leghold trap [smilie=1:

Glad there are no big kittys around NW Ohio
Just lots of Skunks , 4 so far this fall :groner:

Johnch

How in the world do you get a skunk out of a trap?????????

[carpetman]

cherok9878---How do you release a skunk. They have a built in release system---walk up to it and pester it and it will release. Try it and let us know how it worked for you.

[carpetman]

Cherok 9878---When I catch skunks in my live trap here in the city limits of San Angelo,Tx,I call the city animal control. Their worker has a fiberglass rod about 4 or 5 feet long. This rod has a recess on one end and they install a rubber "O" ring and it makes the end of the rod the plunger for a syringe. They put something in it that puts the skunk to sleep. They just ease up to the trap and put the needle against the skunk and the skunk will lean into it. It goes to sleep very quickly. While it's going to sleep they change needles and put in another drug that euthanizes the skunk. Beyond me why they cant use the same needle but I was told they cant do it??????? Also beyond me why they cant mix the drugs and do both operations at same time????? The second shot they try to put into the heart. They then put on rubber glove,place dead skunk into a plastic bag and they are on their way. Takes less than 5 minutes and Ive never seen one spray. Several of the workers are women and have done this for several years. One said she had been sprayed twice in more than ten years of doing it and in both cases the skunk had been riled before she got there. The others report having never been sprayed.

[redneckdan]

My dad and I ran a line when I was younger. Never did get a beaver but got lots of beaver toes. Soemone lifted one of our sets, lost a #3 jump trap and the whole set. We kinda lost intrest after that.

[C1PNR]

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!
That would be some pretty good eating, eh?:)