Beautiful Animals. It just very quietly padded in towards the blind and the caller speaker, that was sounding a "Fawn Bleat". It was VERY close, and although I missed the shot, it was well worth the up close look.
There are good numbers of them around here but you still don't see them often. I think I've shot three in my life.
for Bobcat, personally...If I could I would use something light...to save fur for the mount I think most would pick a round to save fur. around here they get up to 20-ish pounds which is not very big, I would not be suprised if at 50 yards or less, a .22LR would work :shock: I was carrying a .223
All cats are tough. I'd use a 223 and nothing smaller for a bit of insurance. We should respect the animals we kill and make good clean kills. A friend of mine used to hunt 'yotes in the winter to supplement his income. He was calling one night in the snow with a bed sheet covering him, backed up against a big greaswood bush. A small bobcat had snuck up behind the bush and pounced on the distressed rabbit (my buddy). :shock: :shock: He said he didn't know who was the more surprised. :lol: The cat left a yellow trail in the snow, and my friend used snow to clean his drawers. It was a good thing that he was wearing a thick parka and hood... :wink:
Re: re: Saw First Bobcat I shot one with a .357 mag revolver, one with a .270 and the other with a .22 right in the ear. I could care less about the fur as they are hard on the game bird population here.
When I was a kid my dad hunted them with dogs and either used a .22 or #6 shot in a shotgun. It doesn't take much to kill a bobcat.
Re: re: Saw First Bobcat That's pretty good. The bobcat may be little more than an overgrown housecat on steroids but don't forget that it's a WILD cat and could kick your ass if it wanted to. I have rarely seen them in the wild to be honest. Also, and take note that I'm not an "animal lover", I'd never shoot one if I saw it, bobcat or otherwise. I believe that wild cats are essental to the habitat that our critters live in. They're also not that terribly common in my neck of the woods. Coyotes on the other hand, I'll blast them to pieces. No guilt there.
Clay... I have to agree with you. I haven't done one in for the last 35 years or so. They are a beautiful animal that are just out making a living. :idea: They were here long before we were, and are due some respect. I saw one this last fall carrying a groundhog that was making burrows in the sides of an irrigation ditch...almost gave that kitty a medal!
You gotta remember that the cats live mainly on.....rodents. And prarie dogs and other such vermin. I wasn't kidding about rarely seeing a bobcat. I've seen ONE in my lifetime. I'm not exactly a stranger to the countryside either. I won't shoot them because they're a rarity and that list of critters for me is mighty short. Something to enjoy seeing and not shooting. I'll get off my soapbox before folks start thinking I work for PETA or some crap like that.
I'm sixty and I,too, have seen a total of ONE bobcat. It was a small critter, maybe a yearling, but when it looked me in the eye, my skin crawled. :lol: Beautiful animal... don't think I could drop the hammer on one.///olde 8) pharte///
The one I saw looked at me like it was going to kick my a$$ too. I left him alone. He (she?) surely wasn't just a little yearling though, it was rather large. More the size of a small dog or a HUGE housecat. Pretty sucker though! I really wish I'd have had a camera. Speaking of camera's anyone here ever go "camera hunting"? I used to do that every now and then, instead of the rifle take the camera and photograph the critters rather than shoot them (usually AFTER I filled my tags). It's actually kinda fun.
I guess I've taken a dozen or so over the years, mostly with hounds but I have called a couple in too. I run a side business in wild animal control and one of my employees caught one in a leg hold trap outside of the season. He called me for help and it was an interesting time pinning the animal down to release it. I tried to pin its head between the tines of a pitch fork (works well for fox) but it was too hyper to allow that to happen. We finally threw a thick canvas tarp over it and tackled it. The howling was frightful!! The tarp protected from the claws well enough while I pinned the head against the ground. Wrestling with an enraged K-9 is kids stuff in comparison!! My employee tripped the spring and we ran as fast as we could away from the beast fearing it would want revenge. The next time this happens I'll pass it off to my new partner, he only owns 49%.
Re: re: Saw First Bobcat I camera hunt in the off-season. I put a sidearm on my hip for "insurance", put the longest lens I can on my camera, and head off into the wilderness. We don't have many bobcats in these parts (either that, or they're just REALLY reclusive). I would do almost anything to get a good picture of a bobcat in the wild. I probably wouldn't shoot one even if I had the chance. When I hunt, I like to be able to eat what I shoot (though I would take out a coyote in a heartbeat). I would just like to watch the bobcat in its natural environment.
I just saw my first bobcat at my father's property. Beautiful things they are. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me.
