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[socially_inept_butterfly]

So I've decided to set up a bunch of cage traps in hopes of catching various wildlife with which to sell.
Now, I'm not sure what a good place to put the cage traps are would be...so I decided to ask here.
Where do you guys put your cage traps (other then at choke points in case of invasion)?

[Kidiri]

Randomly. Or everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Not a single trapable tile may remain untrapped. This way you're certain.

[Deathworks]

Hi!

Unfortunately, wildlife roving seems to be more or less random, so there is no really good spot (like for instance a water source if drinking had been simulated by the wildlife). The only exceptions among normal wildlife seem to be racoons and macaques who will try to get close to stuff to steal, so making a finished good stockpile outside and surrounding it with cage traps would catch them.

With normal wildlife, there is a tendency to avoid your dwarves, so usually, you would want to place your traps somewhat away from your main activity zones.

Beyond that, there is very little you can do to increase your chances. One thing you can try is to start out with laying lines of traps, one directly next to the other. That way, you would at least catch something if the animals crossed that line in any way.

Deathworks

[Neoskel]

If you dig a channel around the perimeter of the map and leave a couple trapped choke points, you'll catch pretty much anything and everything that ever wanders on to your map.

[HungryHobo]

I sometimes trap the whole boarder of my maps.

[Charlemagne]

I usually construct an exterior crafts/funature storage facility to clear away the clutter in my fortress. I make a two tile wide two tile long choke point and fill it with cage traps. Every animal I've ever captured (read: Raccoons and Monkeys) were from these traps. It works pretty well since tradegoods are basically raccoon bait.

[userpay]

Place a small "group" of traps randomly over the map, chances are most of the herd will get caught in it.

[Overdose]

I dig a few minor chokepoints by removing walls, or making a small channel if need be, then a loose cluster of traps in around the choke point. Usually, a herd of animals will roam through to get to where they are going, and i'll catch some, but not all of them. It's how i got my fort filled with Elephants, rhesus, goblin snatchers, groundhogs, and a cougar, among other things.

[LegacyCWAL]

If you have multiple biomes in your area, you might be able to identify a general area where animals tend to hang out.  Then you can do what the others have mentioned in that specific area.

[Duke 2.0]

 I place 'em randomly near clumps of trees. I don't want anybody to think "Oh, traps in that direction." I want them to think "There MIGHT be traps in that direction."

 Give 'em something to fear!

[Stregone]

If your map is very hilly you can remove ramps to create choke points too.

[Golgath]

Lately I've only been placing a few cage traps in my entrance for the purpose of advancing the Megabeast Breeding Project. 
Last time I tried it, I got bored too quickly, and I'm hoping there is a breeding pair of some sort, since I didn't check the legends beforehand..

[Mech#4]

I tend to think "Since any dangerous foe will instantly head for my fortress, I'll place a number of cage traps around there".

My fortresses usually consist of a outside wall with a drawbridge, around the drawbridge on both the inside and outside of the exterior wall I'll place cage traps. The fort I've got at the moment has got two bridges protecting the... uh... chewy centre so there's weapon traps around the outer bridge and cage traps around the interior bridge.

Edit: Like so

[1138]

If you have multiple biomes in your area, you might be able to identify a general area where animals tend to hang out.  Then you can do what the others have mentioned in that specific area.

That. In my current fort I noticed that most of my wildife wandered in from the South. I put one trap in that area, and before I knew it I had run out of cages to load it with.

Fun minigame: Dwarven Roundup!
How to play:
1. Build a smallish section of funnel-shaped wall, with either cage traps or a corrall at the end of a corridor.
2. Activate the military and set them to "stay close to post" or whatever it says
3. Find the nearest herd of horses (or benign herd animal of your choice)
4. Station your dwarves so that they gradually herd the animals into your traps/corrall (animals will scatter at the approach of your dwarves, so you have to be careful and subtle with this and use multiple military units to surround them)
5.
6. Profit!

I have never been successful at this game. 

[Asehujiko]

Surround the entire map with a trench 1 tile away from the edge leaving a aingle 3 tile wide(or 4 if you suffer from OCD and want to maintain symmetry) entrace for caravans etc. Trap the hell out of the chokepoint. Make the trench accessible from inside to collect everything that falls in and to catch wildlife that tries to move into it. I reccomend 2 layers of 10x masterfull steel spiked balls behind them to act as buffer should you be zerged. That should puncture everything that can take damage if something gets across.