Author Topic: Traps for Cougars????? (Read 1210 times)

Jacktheknife · « **on:** May 22, 2004, 08:13:49 AM »

Fellow trappers especially ya'll out west, {Whacky!}
I was buying some traps the other day and was talking to some folks from Oregon. The subject got around to Cougar and they said a Cat will tear a #3 L/S to pieces!
Then... later that week I was coming out of the grocery store and saw a guy petting Sandymay, [she loves to ride in the back of my truck.] I said "You a houndman?" and he said "no, I just love dogs"
The talk got around to Cougar and he said he knows a man who lives out near Alpine Texas, who has over 100! skins in his house! Cougar!
"I said it must be a big house. " and he went on to tell me that his friend runs them with hounds, My fur buyer old Al confirmed this, "Oh yeah Cougars a-pleanty in the Davis mountains north of Alpine! By then I was shaking all over! Old Al gave me the number of a friend of his in Monahans and I called to visit, {as he has #3's for sale too!}
Tom said he had a friend who traps a dozen Cougar every year!
The ranches out there are not measured in acres but in square miles!
200 sections, 300 sections... I was starting to drool!
Tom told me his trapper catches Cat in {and get this..}
#8! L/Ss! What the hexck is a #8 L/S! I gotta get me some!
Anyone who is familiar with this strange trap, HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Thats it I'm going! I know now why God sent me back to the world from my murdering, 15 years ago! My hounds didn't make it, but neither did our murderers. But I did! I was in a coma ... God told me : '" Get you some hounds, and go hunting!" " I hurts me to see you greiving for your hounds for 15 years!" "you are missing your life!" "They are all O.K. now, you are the only one suffering!"
and I woke up!

adkguide · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:22:44 PM »

I would have to guess that the #8 LS you are refering is the 8" trap made by the Livestock Protection Company out of TX. Super high quality longspring modeled after the old Newhouse Iron. very expensive, but probably worth it as the venerable 114 goes for nearly twice the $115 that the LPS goes for. Sounds like you got a pile of Cougar in that country, get after them......

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2004, 03:13:18 AM »

I sure appreciate the information about the 8" Longspring.
However after literally hours searching, I can't find them.
Livestock protection company ... L.P.S. ... 8"longspring ... cougar traps...
All returned interesting results but if anyone knows how to find this company or these traps ...Help! I don't recon they have a web site. But I am still looking.

trappenjoe · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2004, 06:00:15 AM »

I havent heard of a #8 can't help you there . But I have seen my dad trap
many cat with his 4.5 dobble longs . ( you might check you laws on jaw spread before you sink alot of money in traps ) If you can trap up there
give me a call I'll help !!!!!!
Lil Joe

adkguide · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2004, 09:00:15 AM »

Hope it's ok to post this link....
Scroll to the bottom of the page to check out the LP. I've also seen their ads in trapping mags.
http://www.mandmfurs.com/Catalog%20Pages/pages26to40/page39.html

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2004, 10:50:16 AM »

Thanks! adkguide I appreciate it!
and thanks to the entire greybeard forum!

Knife

yottey · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2004, 01:08:41 PM »

Buy the CDR 7.5 wolf and Mt. lion trap at less than $30 each! they'll hold anything caught in them!yottey

Trapper RayA · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2004, 02:00:24 PM »

Hi Ya'll Iam with yotey
those CDR's will do the job and hold what ever has the misfortune a steppin in it. there especally hard on fingers so be carefull with that big iron. Wonder if CDR will com eup with a trappers cap for that one. LOL RayA

Wonder if Carl, Don or Randy come here LOL hint hint hint

RdFx · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2004, 03:21:14 PM »

Yep Jacknife the CDR 750 wolf and cougar trap is the way to go... :>)

Bubber · « **Reply #9 on:** May 24, 2004, 08:22:56 AM »

Well first off let me say that a solidly staked #3 will have the jaws popped right out by a cougar. However, we have held accidental catches in #3dbls by using big rocks as drags on short chains. It has happened a couple times now.

We cannot legally trap cougars here so I have yet to try. But I went out and bought a MB750 in case the opportunity ever arises. My point is they can be held in anything larger than a #3 if it is done right. I would say that if I was to start chasing them I would use the cdr 7.5 or mb750. I bet a #5 bridger would hold them nicley too.

They also snare very nicley if that is an option for you. I know some people that snare several of them a year using 11' of cable with a camlock and kill spring. They say that that they die so fast that there is generally very little to no sign of a struggle.

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #10 on:** May 24, 2004, 09:43:29 AM »

Bubber Dude! Howdy! I would love to get some $115.00 longsprings for Cougar, as low as the old money supply is! And I will! But I was thinking right along the same lines as you, about snares! I really like snares and to go and trap where Cougar are, where the ground is rocky if not solid rock, steep and a long way to ride old Red every day... snares would sure do! I would be able to carry a big load of snares easy, no big load of traps, no bait, no shovels, just snares, and snares are easy, fast and cheap and I could, as you suggested, get long ones 10'-11' . I am not familiar with kill locks either... but sounds good to me.
Now I love longsprings, all my Coyote traps {48} are #3 L/S O/Ss.
However where could I find the MB750 and CDR 7.5 Ya'll are refering to?
I will bet the MB stands for Mike Butera, from up in Ohio, who I used to buy my all snares from in the old days, but that is just a guess. Where are they made and what does CDR stand for? $30.00 sounds real good!

Thanks Ya'll Knife

adkguide · « **Reply #11 on:** May 24, 2004, 09:48:39 AM »

MB stands for Minnsota Brand and the 750s are produce by Tim Caven at Minnesota Trapline Supply. They also sell CDRs which are nmade by carl Jones in Ohio. Both have websites that sell online......

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #12 on:** May 24, 2004, 01:06:39 PM »

I sure appreciate it 'adkguide' !
Got them bookmarked. Where are you at? I recon I owe you several homebrews.
Knife

adkguide · « **Reply #13 on:** May 24, 2004, 03:43:32 PM »

I'm from NY

No homebrews necessary, just take lots of pics of your hooked up lion and post them on the forum.

Bubber · « **Reply #14 on:** May 24, 2004, 04:08:14 PM »

Id take a home brew or two, cripes, id even help you tie into one of them kitties.

Wackyquacker · « **Reply #15 on:** May 25, 2004, 06:27:48 AM »

Jack I didn't realize that you were going cougar trapping. Snares are the way to go for all the reasons you mentioned and more...bait & lure vs swing time on the cats. Here in NM all lion control work (most of it) is via snares.

As for traps, well what will hold one and what makes a trap a good choice for lions may diverge. You can hold lion in #3 modified coils. Mel Hersberger used #2 coils to catch lions. Slim just held a rather large bear in a 2 coiled #3 bridger. A lot depends on the critter doesn't it ...and attitude of the individual is as important if not more so than its size.

If I were going to catch lions I'd snare them. If I were going to trap lions I'd use the largest trap legal (and practicle (would't go using a bear trap if you know what I mean). A lions paw will often be 4 inches in dia. with the pads a good 3.5 inches. ...a lot of chances for thrown feet. In NM you wouldn't be able to use the 7.5's, too big, so I'd use fully modified #3 bridgers with good rivets troughout (lost a trap to a lion last year cause I missed two Bridger rivets when I up graded the chain to my liking). If I had no size restictions a nine inch trap with a stiff screen cover would be dandy...I'm thinking kill area. Also, drags are the way to go, but use long chains 12 too 15 feet min (did ya ever watch a lion bounding?) ...you want the drag marks closer than evey 20 feet. In this regard wiring a weight a foot or so from the grapple will help the tracking. If you are going to stake I'd lean strongly to cables deep and stong maybe even double cables depending on the soil.

oso45-70 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 25, 2004, 10:50:53 AM »

Gentelmen,, you too wacky.
I have cought lion in B&L #3s and never had any trouble holding them
and also used # 4 1/2 newhouse. It seems to that a lion don't fight the trap as much as coyotes or bob cats do. I may be crazy but thats the way it seemed to me. Yall have a good day..........Joe..................................

Jacktheknife · « **Reply #17 on:** May 25, 2004, 09:41:52 PM »

Thanks Whacky, for the information about the paw diameter of a Cougar in the first place! I really had no idea, and the idea to use a drag? I've never used a drag on a snare, but then as I think back almost all the snare sets I have had good experiance's with, were under net wire fences, or natural trails through brush so thick that tying the snare tight to something was never a problem. But way out where Cougar are, and fences are few... Cougar are a big critters too... and now that I think about it, a drag makes profound sense! Thanks,

fishmax2 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 26, 2004, 03:30:22 AM »

I reckon they dont do much in the trap till you get close, imgaine when you get right there they go crazy.

Wackyquacker · « **Reply #19 on:** May 26, 2004, 04:48:07 AM »

RE drags, I was referring mostly to traps, snares I usually fasten solid...you want to set the lock as hard and as fast as possible. That being said I do on occasion tie snares off to logs / rocks which move. I do this almost exclusively for cats and prefer enough mass in the drag to insure the lock sets.

Bubber · « **Reply #20 on:** May 26, 2004, 11:18:08 AM »

Wacky, I say that 4" is a bit small for a paw diameter. For a small cat I could see this. The 90 pound one my friend killed a year ago was about that size. It is common for me to see tracks that are 6" in diameter. The 180 pound cat that was killed south of town a few years ago had paws that were over 6".

I will agree that if you are going to use legholds use an enormous amount chain. The last one we tied into was in one of our cat sets. About 2 feet of chain tied off to a rock that was about 20 pounds.(The rock was right where I wanted to set and a nice shape which is the only reason I used it) In 2 feet of snow there were spots where that rock left the snow and didn't touch down again for a good 8 feet.

Actually when you walk up to a cougar that is in a set they try and hide from you. They fight a trap very hard for a little while imediatly after getting caught then settle down. THe one we caught in the snow that time went about 3/4 of a mile before getting hung up on a very limber tree limb. He was just hiding under that tree when we got there. It wasn't tore up hardly at all.

Wackyquacker · « **Reply #21 on:** May 26, 2004, 02:24:48 PM »

Awhile back I posted pad track PICs of what turned out to be a 150 lion. I believe the post was 1.5 coils or #2DBLs? and is on page 2 or 3 of this forum. The PICs show the track referenced with an Altoids can that measrues 3.75 inches. The lion was a large mature Tom.

In different soils tracks can appear very small or very large.