BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM VOL. 33(4)


 Meat baits were more effective than live baits or live and meat baits
 combined. All captures with live baits were in traps baited with chickens.
 Capture rates per 100 TN were meat baits 2.5, live baits 1.1, and mixed baits
 0.4. The difference in capture frequencies between live and meat baits was
 significant (X2 = 6.59, 1 df, p < 0.05). Bobcats also tended to be captured
 sooner with meat baits than with live baits (X = 1.8 days vs. 7.9 days).
 The overall capture rate in this study was relatively high compared with
 that (0.26/100 TN) reported from northeastern Florida by Progulske (1982)
 and elsewhere in the southeast. Trapping success with steel traps, live traps,
 and mixed steel and live traps in studies in Alabama, Louisiana, South
 Carolina, and Tennessee ranged from 0.10 to 4.8/100 TN, with a mean of
 1.5/100 TN (Hall 1973, Kight 1962, Kitchings and Story 1979, Lueth 1962,
 Miller 1980). Trap success rates in the southeast are generally comparable to
 those in other parts of the bobcat's range. Capture rates with steel traps at two
 sites in Arizona were 0.72 and 1.33/100 TN (Jones 1977, Lawhead 1978); and
 Lembeck (1978) and Gould (1980) reported rates of 1.02 and 1.04/100 TN with
 mixed steel and box traps in two areas in California.
 Critical comparison of trapping efficiency in different studies is difficult
 because of the great variety of types of bait, traps, and techniques used by
 different workers. One of the factors that may potentially influence capture
 success in mark-and-release studies is a change in susceptibility to capture of a
 given individual as a result of previous experience with traps. In the present
 study, trap success generally was high when new, unmarked bobcats were
 targeted for capture. In contrast, previously captured bobcats often appeared
 to avoid traps. Tracks showed that marked individuals walked past open traps
 on numerous occasions. Behavior of females (especially those previously
 trapped) with young may reduce chances of capturing the young. For example,
 despite intensive efforts the two kittens of an adult female in 1980 could not be
 trapped, although her three offspring the previous year were captured two or
 more times each using similar traps, baits, techniques, and approximately the
 same level of effort. However, in 1980 the mother urinated on traps or made
 fecal or urine scrapes in front of them on a number of occasions, most
 frequently after she had been captured. This behavior, which may have served
 to inhibit the kittens from entering, was not observed the previous year.
Berrie (1973) reported what seems to be similar behavior of an adult male lynx
(Felis lylnx) which deposited very small amounts of feces (= "tokens," Schaller
1967) in front of 6 traps on 1 night without being captured.