Trapping Lure – Thinking Outside The Box

When you hear of someone talking about Clint Locklear’s Cat Collector, you envision images of stretchers full of nice white bellied spotted cats hanging in your fur shed.  But have you ever tried Cat Collector in a creek bank hole for coon?  What about using it in a mink box?

But Its Called “Cat” Collector!?

One thing that I have learned about the animal kingdom is that nothing is cut and dried.  There usually is no black and white, more like lots of shades of gray (way more than 50).  However, there are some universal commonalities.

Cat Collector is one of Clint’s most popular offerings.

For one thing, there is something in Cat Collector that attracts bobcats.  This we know to be true, because Clint told us so and it has been extensively tested and proven on them.  But that same ingredient(s) happens to be attractive to raccoons as well.  I know this for a fact because I have caught them on it.  These are the commonalities that occur on the trapline.

The Not-So-Secret Secret Ingredient

If you thought beaver castor based lures only belong on a mud pile on a creek bank, you are missing out on the vast potential of this product.  Jeff Dunlap makes one of my favorite beaver lures, he calls it Big Pile.

Big piles of fur from Jeff Dunlap’s beaver lure.

It is deadly effective against old chisel tooth.  But if you are a mixed line guy like a lot of us are, try it down a canine dirt hole sometime.  Fox and coyote love the stuff. In my experience, it causes a circling, digging reaction, which you know what that leads to when there is a trap buried effectively near. Beaver castor is a universal attractant.

When To Jump Outside The Box

Its hard to know when to try something different.  If your traditional coyote lures are piling up fur, then you are doing something right.  But if you are having a case of the walk-by’s, not-interested’s, and ehhhh, been there done that’s, then maybe its time to switch up the smells.

Really, There Are No Rules

Now before we get all crazy here, make sure you understand that when a lure maker specifies a species on his product, it means that it has been developed and tested for that species.  I’m not talking about just slapping some lure on a stick and putting a trail cam over it.  The testing process is extensive, at least for the successful lure makers.

With that being said, when you want a change up of something different, give these a try:

• Dunlap’s Big Pile down a canine dirt hole set
• A dab of Locklear’s Cat Collector on top of a Coon DP (with regular bait in the dp)
• Cat Collector in a bank hole for coon
• Locklear’s Enrager on a bobcat rub set
• Reuwsaat’s Muskrat Lure in a coon set

Mix it up, have fun with it and Think Outside The Box!