Many years ago, (like in the late 60's) when ringtails were relatively common along the Guadalupe River we would catch them in Havahart box traps using sardines as bait.
Thing was they were not our target species but they would come to it.
They are very unique little creatures and have greatly declined in numbers across the state. It was a treat to see them on our ranch by Junction, but in the 30 years we owned it they had declined in numbers to where we rarely saw them anymore.
They are usually very nocturnal and solitary.
If you have one or lucky enough to have a pair consider it a rarity.

I got them in my backyard in bulverde which backs up to a creek and on the dock in granite shoals. Didn't realize how much they declined. Only see them at night on my game camera. Pretty interesting creatures.

Here's one we caught (and released) in the havahart when we had our place in Edwards County. My son used to put table scraps in it and let it sit overnight. We'd catch the usual suspects--ringtails, coons, fox and skunk.

We'd find more evidence of ringtails in our outhouse as they would crap in the same place over and over. And leave behind feathers from birds they'd catch and eat.

[img][/img]

Still have quite a few ringtails in Val Verde County. Especially along the irrigation canals and San Felipe Creek. Also, Eastern Tom Green County still holds quite a few. They like to take up residence in our deer blinds.

Such cool little animals.

It's be nice if someone spent some money on boosting their population back to old territories. I suspect it would be far more effective than the millions going into quail research.

Well the good news is that ringtails aren't considered endangered in Texas. Heck, they aren't even listed as a threatened species.

Caught one at the ranch in our hay barn a few years ago, mean little guy and had a really strong musky smell. Let him go after a picture.
https://imgur.com/a/dExgv5q

Gunny456 said:

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Same here. When we first got our ranch in Kimble county in 1991 we would see at least one or two a night when we would do our game counts.
Now we never see any. Our biologist says it's from indiscriminate trapping and the large numbers taken during " Predator Calling Contest" ….AKA.. Predator Slaughtering Contest.

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I despise those contests. No purpose for them and they irretrievably screw up the predator/prey balance in the ecosystem for many years every time they are held.

A few (25+) years ago I went back to Junction over a break between semesters with my roommate to pop a deer and ride horses on the ranch his family ran. Before we saddled up horses he said he needed to get a ringtail cat out of their feed trailer, old 18 wheeler trailer they used to store feed in but it was basically empty now. He had caught this thing and put it in there (who the hell knows why) and his dad told him to get it out.

He puts on a pair of welding gloves and gives me a fishing dip net. I'd never seen a ringtail cat so I'm asking questions:
Interested Me - "What's it look like?"
Country roommate "Like a cross between a raccoon and a ferret."
Concerned Me "Will it hurt you?"
Nutcase roommate "I mean, they have teeth so they can bite you, and they can climb."
Me ready to back out "And we're gonna catch one, with these?!?!"
Psycho roommate "Yeah, no big deal. It's fun!"

We climb in the trailer and he closes the door. Why he needed to lock us in there with an animal he was gonna piss off instead of just letting it run out on it's own I have no idea. He starts looking under empty pallets and finally pulls up a piece of plywood and here it comes. Think Ray Stevens and the Squirrel Goes Berserk. He's chasing it, I'm trying to use the net to defend myself and I wasn't shouting "Hallelujah". Amazingly faster than I would have imagined he snatches it up by the tail. He shows it off for me and then puts it in a box or something and releases it out on the ranch.

He's a few years older now but he has a passel of kids that are just as adventurous as he is. Not sure what they would charge to catch them for you, or what kind of damage they would leave behind.

Gone Camping said:

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A few (25+) years ago I went back to Junction over a break between semesters with my roommate to pop a deer and ride horses on the ranch his family ran. Before we saddled up horses he said he needed to get a ringtail cat out of their feed trailer, old 18 wheeler trailer they used to store feed in but it was basically empty now. He had caught this thing and put it in there (who the hell knows why) and his dad told him to get it out.

He puts on a pair of welding gloves and gives me a fishing dip net. I'd never seen a ringtail cat so I'm asking questions:
Interested Me - "What's it look like?"
Country roommate "Like a cross between a raccoon and a ferret."
Concerned Me "Will it hurt you?"
Nutcase roommate "I mean, they have teeth so they can bite you, and they can climb."
Me ready to back out "And we're gonna catch one, with these?!?!"
Psycho roommate "Yeah, no big deal. It's fun!"

We climb in the trailer and he closes the door. Why he needed to lock us in there with an animal he was gonna piss off instead of just letting it run out on it's own I have no idea. He starts looking under empty pallets and finally pulls up a piece of plywood and here it comes. Think Ray Stevens and the Squirrel Goes Berserk. He's chasing it, I'm trying to use the net to defend myself and I wasn't shouting "Hallelujah". Amazingly faster than I would have imagined he snatches it up by the tail. He shows it off for me and then puts it in a box or something and releases it out on the ranch.

He's a few years older now but he has a passel of kids that are just as adventurous as he is. Not sure what they would charge to catch them for you, or what kind of damage they would leave behind.

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