The location: a trail along the buttom of a deep wash leading from the high country to a river (very large Arroyo).
This is a PIC of the remake. All I had to do was remove the snare and rehang. This is a very nice thing about cats :wink: About 10 days earlier a cat side stepped the snare...sooo I added the Chimasa twigs on each side to block and a "chin lifting" stick under the loop.
You can see the details better in the close up. The loop is 8 inches off the trail and since this is an Amberg lock and 7 X 7 cable you get the classic tear drop loop. With these tear drop shaped loops I often hang a slightly bigger loop than the books recomend. Notice the lock is positioned at about "11:30", this makes it a bit "touchy"...just what a fellow wants with a sneaky poke - a - long cat.
Hey, what the? :? My loops gone! :eek: Where the...? :shock: OOHHH there you are :grin:
I guess Mr. TOm decided that that snow was not much fun and was headed back to the high country...his tracks told that part of the story.
If a fellow will just pay close attention around his sets and approaches the critters will let him know what he is doing wrong and where they want the loop. If, as most experienced trappers say, location is very important in trap placement, it is ABSOLUTELY critical in locating a snare. When I first hung the loop I was new to this area and trying to cover both coyotes and cats. While this often works, Mr. Tom fooled me on his way to the river.
By watching what was going on I noticed his faint dusty track pass by my loop. The addition of the twigs on either side turned this into a classic cat set and neted me a high $$$ Tom.
Down in the main river, by noticing the travel patterns in the blow sand, I was able to locate three otherwise obscure passages through the sapling wall which led to favorite trails of coyotes. To date 5 coyotes have made acquaintance with my loops and I had never been in this part of the river until about 12 days ago.
One last thought for you young uns...get out and walk your lines after a fresh snow and if it hangs around go back a couple days later. The critters will tell you where to have snares and traps. When the good Lord provides you with the answers free of charge you're well advised to take full advantage of things.
This was the first snow of the year that hung around for more than 3 hours and I've got a bucket of $'s that say I'll be spending more time at the skinnig rack because of it! :wink:
