My name is Reilee Helms, and I am the owner of Western Cats Inc. I love the sport of trapping, and I live and trap in Southern Utah. In 2012, I bought my father’s lure recipes (on paper) after begging him relentlessly.

My dad, Robert Helms, was a long-line trapper trained by Ray Milligan back in the 1980s. He began building his lures during that time, and has continued doing so since then. During one trapping season, I asked him why he never started a lure company. He replied that he was always too busy. Then, I asked him if I could sell them, and although reluctant, he agreed on the condition that I stick with it for at least five years, no matter what happens.

My dad’s lures and baits are remarkable. They have caught hundreds of coyotes for him personally, with KANEKILLER LRC alone yielding 279 coyotes in 15 days. He has also caught an abundance of bobcats and grey fox. He knows how to create top-quality lures and baits that work under harsh conditions and keep working over time.

Although I am still relatively inexperienced in this business, I am learning quickly and growing by leaps and bounds. My primary objective in taking on this challenge was to get more young people interested in trapping. Having grown up in this trapping environment, I want to provide similar opportunities to other kids, who will undoubtedly fall in love with it, given the chance to go checking traps at least once. Trapping is a sport that we want to preserve, and businesses like ours will disappear unless we get more young people involved in it.

While there are already lots of great lure companies out there, we believe that there is still room for improvement and innovation. At Western Cats Inc., we strive to be the best we can be and focus on customer satisfaction.