Stanley Paul Young

“ When traps are set near carcasses additional care should be undertaken to underpin the trap pan so that it will not spring under the weight of a magpie, buzzard, or other carnivorous bird that may be attracted to the carcass.
In forested areas a mountain-lion hunter may find his traps sprung by small animals, for squirrels and other rodents (and sometimes small birds) may dig or scratch around and between the jaws of the trap. Unless the trap pan is properly supported, these animals are unnecessarily endangered, and in addition the trap is frequently sprung. ”

“ Traps set along a trail and near an obstruction meant to divert the mountain-lion close to a scratch hill, are only partly successful. The trapper may, however, take advantage of the mountain-lion's « 5 » keen sense of smell by dropping a few drops of oil of catnip in the center of the undisturbed scratch hill, as a lure.
Why catnip is so attractive to members of the feline family is not yet fully known. Experiments have indicated that it produces sexual excitation and also that it has a soothing effect on the nervous system, similar to that of opiates on man. ”

“ Where the control of mountain-lions is essential, the principal means employed is the use of trained hounds. Kentucky fox hounds and a cross between the Walker hound and the bloodhound have been found most satisfactory for trailing mountain-lions, though any good dog may tree one. The hunter must keep up with the pack, however, for a mountain-lion that fights at bay instead of treeing, may kill all the dogs. When it chooses to fight, it uses teeth and claws, backed by powerful neck and shoulder muscles, in a telling way.
The use of poisons in mountain-lion control is not recommended. ”

“ After the trap has been firmly bedded near an undisturbed scratch hill, scent station, or carcass, or in a trail, it should be covered with earth and the surroundings left in a condition as nearly natural as possible. Dry horse or cow manure, finely pulverized, may be used to cover the inside of the trap jaws. Extreme care should be taken to keep all dirt from under the trap pan and to see that the open space there is at least one-fourth inch deep. ”

“ After making a kill and taking one meal, the mountain-lion will sometimes, though not always, bury the remainder of a carcass under leaves, litter, or other trash, to return for a later feast. Whether it will thus return depends to some extent upon weather conditions and on its ability to find prey elsewhere. Its killing and feeding habits vary in other ways also. In one instance, a lone lion attacked a herd of ewes and killed 192 in one night. Frequently more than one mountain-lion may feed on a single carcass. ”

“ In approaching a scratch hill, a scent station, or a carcass where sets have been made, or in passing over a blind set in the trail, the predator is usually caught by one of the forefeet, though it may step into a bedded trap with a hind foot. No scent is used at carcass or blind sets. ”

“ The mountain-lion is trapped as it comes through the saddle of the divide and stops to visit a scratch hill, being attracted either by the hill itself or by a catnip lure placed there as described at the top of page 5.
When the carcass of a domestic animal, deer, or other prey found in a control area shows unmistakably that a mountain-lion did the killing, at least three traps should be set around it, each 15 to 20 inches away. ”

“ The trap pan should be covered by a pad made of canvas or old descented slicker cloth, and cut to fit snugly inside the jaws, and all should then be covered with finely pulverized earth, leaving the immediate area looking, as nearly as possible, as it did before the trap was buried. Finishing such a task properly and thus leaving the ground over the trap in a perfectly natural condition so that it blends with the surrounding area is an art that requires much practice. ”

“ Because of their « 3 » remarkable endurance, hunting them takes stamina and strength. Biological Survey hunters on the fresh track of a mountain-lion have trailed the animal for 10 consecutive hours or longer before treeing it. ”

“ Such contrivances will permit the trap pan to carry the weight of the smaller mammals or birds without endangering them or releasing the trap jaws and thus spoiling a set well placed for a mountain-lion. Devices adjusted to mountain-lion traps to prevent their being sprung by small mammals and birds are illustrated in Figure 4. ”

“ Hunting or trapping is more satisfactory, and it is unsafe to expose poisons on ranges where hunting dogs are being used.
Under certain conditions mountain-lions can easily be caught in traps of the sizes known as Nos. ”

“ Figure 4.—Devices to prevent capturing small animals and birds in traps set for mountain-lions or other predators: A, Fan supported by twig (grass or a light coil spring may be used) ; B, splint support ”