ok, i know 2.5 up to 4 lbs. for coyotes, but i have watched some bobcat dvd's and the guys on there set their traps with a hair trigger because bobcats tip toe into sets, I'm confused on this subject, but i have to mention that i have had cat sets that clearly showed a bobcat working the set but the trap didn't fire, i set the pan tension on #3 northwoods coils at 3.5 lbs, i also bought some mb-550 and bent the dogs to reduce tension, please give me some feedback on this issue, i hate missing cats

There is a difference between pan tension and "hair trigger"

pan tension.......... force (weight) needed to activate traps trigger system

"hair trigger"....... movement in trigger system before it releases trap

'Cats may tip toe around but they cannot circumvent gravity. With about 3 lb pan tension I would be surprised to see a cat track on the pan. Tracks other places I understand... they didn't step on the pan

I don't advocate light pan tension. Too many mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, woods faeries etc. You don't like missing 'cats. Understood but you will grow very tired of haveing traps unavailable to catch said 'cat because of the aforementioned.

"hair trigger" is a little more subjective.This can also be over done makeing the trap prone to miss fires. I want a short drop of the pan to fire the trap. Say 1/4" measured on the pan edge away from the dog.

There are a couple threads on trap adjustment in the archives might want to take a look at some of them

I nite-latch [ which I learned on this site ] all my canine traps, so that the trap fires when the outer edge of the pan falls 3/16 - 1/4", as Ric said. Then I tighten the pan bolt to achieve around 3 Lbs. of required weight to fire the trap. This works for me. We don't have a 'Cat season where I live---so I know nothing about that.
In an archive somewhere on here, there was an explanation of the amount of weight [ down pressure ] that a critter exerts. Thinking logically---even a 20 Lb. critter has 5 Lbs. of down weight on each foot, if standing on "all fours". Here again, I have no real knowledge of this---but I would venture a guess that the front feet of a critter exerts more down weight than the rear feet, because of the head sticking out in front of its body, so to speak---and heads are heavy.

Ron

Don't forget that an animal, or person, doesn't usually slap all their weight on a foot at once - unless they are running. An animal approaching a set does so with caution. They transfer their weight. They are ready to run away in the opposite direction.

If the trap shifts or if something feels funny under their feet they will not continue shifting their weight on that foot. All this to say that 5 pounds is a lot of pan tension.

i did night latch my #3 northwoods, they have about a 1/4 inch fall on them, i haven't missed a coyote like i missed the cats, i hooked two coyotes the other day and a bobcat, i just wondered if anyone else had any similar problems, thanks for everyone's help, i will look up the posts in the archives

I run about three pounds on a cat trap. I don't want to catch a cat so small it can't fire that trap.

Hal