Best cat ever

[orcatdog]

Thought I should post some pics of the best cat my trapping partner and I have caught to date. It was the high cat at the Klamath Falls, OR sale. The pics don't do it justice as they came off my cell phone. It was a bigger tom. 42 inches with a premo white belly, spotted back, etc.
$1251.50

[trappnman]

you have to be happy with that!

[michaelweese]

wow!!!

[orcatdog]

These prices bring me a bunch of mixed emotions. At the time I'm on cloud nine with the prices. But after a few days I remember what happens each time prices go up in my area. The next year my area is absolutely flooded with trappers from every corner of the US. It's already close to down right wars with lines / territories, etc. So next year it will be even worse. Even with vast areas of public land, until you have trapped in some of these areas, you would be absolutely surprised at how many people are out there. And when you have ran the same line for over 20 years, a guy tends to get a little pissy if you suddenly find someone else's trap in your set.
Here is an example. This last season I went to one of the most remote areas one could find in my area. In the middle of "nowhere" I found what appeared to be a primo spot, and found 5 different sets already there! Next year it's going to be even worse. Stolen cats, traps, stepping on toes, gun fights, who knows!

[netrap]

I can imagine. Heck I have that problem with coon trappers around here if the price comes up a little. Bad deal, high prices brings out the worst in some people.

[garman]

"Stolen cats, traps, stepping on toes, gun fights, who knows!"

sounds like dakota this spring!

[trappnman]

I think a lot of that Gary, is men acting like little boys.................

[bfflobo]

Now throw some hound hunters in the mix and see what happens. They don't have to return to check anything, unless it might be your trap when it's handy for them next time through. All they leave behind is tracks and their reputation. Some good honest ones, some not so much. Not many checks and balances for a houndsman. Cut, slash and run is to easy of an option for the ones that choose that option.

[FWS]

Stolen cats, traps, stepping on toes, gun fights, who knows!

And a further decrease in the individual quota of Eastern OR cats.

[orcatdog]

Good point. We've all seen everything from unlimited tags to 7, to 5, to 3, back to 5. On Eastern Oregon cats. Who knows. I usually check with F&W to see harvest numbers, etc. a few months after the season.
My understanding (from an inside source at ODF&W) is that tag numbers are primary based on female and kitten numbers when turning in jaws. Not sure what next year will bring.

[michaelweese]

glad i don't have that problem! no one traps around here, almost ever farmer around asks me to trap there land! kinda was a pain in the but, but with rule changes i can now run alot of traps!

[CrossJ]

Michael, we have other problems. We have to deal with marginal quality cats ( in comparison to other places), and our state limits us to 20 cats per year. Lets not forget our limit on coons. Personnaly, I don't feel Ok is a very trapper friendly state.
Maintain

[robertw]

Go to work and change it.

[michaelweese]

i feel that the cat qouta is about right, now the coons could be more! We trapped 67 coons this season, 13 shy of our 80 coon limit. Most of the season we wasnt even targeting coon. Next season i'm going to try to get to 80. As far as cats go we have only caught 50 cats over the past 4 years with a high of 21. But then again i have only been trapping for 4 years and my numbers just keep increasing each season and now we can use more traps. Sky's the limit!