Things others missed

wapiti792 · October 06, 2009, 10:26:00 AM

Got permission to hunt a new farm, so yesterday I slipped out of work early enough to still hunt a drainage/block of timber on it to get my bearings. Using a dry creek for stealth and inching slow with an arrow nocked I notice movement up ahead. To my amazement there are 2 young bobcats playing and rolling like kittens at 25 yards. They are protected here in Illinois so I just got the show of my life! They never knew I was there until I tried to fish my camera out of my pack. They bounded off in a flash. I would have never seen that if I didn't hunt with tradtional tackle. I move slower, soak in more, and enjoy my jaunts more with my recurve in my hand. Just wanted to share that!

Mudd · October 06, 2009, 10:30:00 AM

Great story! Thanks for sharing. I love it when I get blessed with stuff like that. I know you were too.

straitera · October 06, 2009, 10:54:00 AM

Bobcats are rare to see. One of Nature's many surprise encounters found only in the woods. Good story.

44charlie · October 06, 2009, 11:01:00 AM

had a similar thing happen to me the other day while hunting squirrels. iwas trying for position on a squirrel and so was a grey fox! neither of us got it.
also watch a pileated woodpecker the other nite.

mscampbell75 · October 06, 2009, 11:01:00 AM

I once saw a bobcat put a stalk on three deer. He made it with in 15 yards. Thats a sight I will never forget. After he spoked the deer off, I looks back at him and he was eyeballing me.

twitchstick · October 06, 2009, 11:39:00 AM

It is always nice to see cats up close.You know your doing something right when you fool there senses.I know I have only seen few during the day,And not in the headlights of my truck.

Hawkeye · October 06, 2009, 11:40:00 AM

He was probably blaming YOU for HIS botched hunt, Michael!

misfire · October 06, 2009, 04:10:00 PM

One of the more comical things that I've witnessed while hunting happened a few years ago. I was sitting in my tree stand on a very slow hunting day when my attention was drawn to a couple of grey squirrels playing on the ground. One of them was chasing the other all over the place, through the brush, up and down trees, etc.

Their antics eventually brought them to a large tree right in front of me and they proceeded to run around the base and eventually up it to a level of about 20 feet above my head (my stand was 16 ft up)when the one being chased ran out a branch a leaped to the tree I was in. Well of course the one doing the chasing followed suit...only it missed the branch and gravity took over. Now I'm not real certain but when that little tree rat was heading to earth not 8 feet in front of me it had that "OH #%@*" look in it's eyes. It hit the ground with a very audible THUNK and lay there for several minutes before staggering to it's feet and waddling off...just a little bit sideways.

George D. Stout · October 06, 2009, 04:14:00 PM

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having a full grown bobcat walk to within ten yards of me. It had a gray squirrel in its mouth and just sit on a log right behind me for a minute or so.
I had my camera with me but didn't want to move to get it out of my pack. Those are precious moments.

Talondale · October 06, 2009, 05:21:00 PM

I've seen two fox kits do the same thing in a field. I was able to walk right to them and walk by on the log they were playing next to.

Hot Hap · October 06, 2009, 05:50:00 PM

Very cool! What county???? Hap

vtmtnman · October 06, 2009, 05:58:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by misfire:
One of the more comical things that I've witnessed while hunting happened a few years ago. I was sitting in my tree stand on a very slow hunting day when my attention was drawn to a couple of grey squirrels playing on the ground. One of them was chasing the other all over the place, through the brush, up and down trees, etc.

Their antics eventually brought them to a large tree right in front of me and they proceeded to run around the base and eventually up it to a level of about 20 feet above my head (my stand was 16 ft up)when the one being chased ran out a branch a leaped to the tree I was in. Well of course the one doing the chasing followed suit...only it missed the branch and gravity took over. Now I'm not real certain but when that little tree rat was heading to earth not 8 feet in front of me it had that "OH #%@*" look in it's eyes. It hit the ground with a very audible THUNK and lay there for several minutes before staggering to it's feet and waddling off...just a little bit sideways.

reddogge · October 06, 2009, 07:06:00 PM

I was canoeing down a very heavily brushed canal in NC years ago and one jumped into the water and swam to the other side in front of my canoe. He stood on the bank not more that 5 yards from us and shook like a dog.

oddan · October 06, 2009, 08:22:00 PM

What county are you in? I am in Wayne county and have heard them last year. I was told they will climb a tree and drop down on top of Turkeys to kill them. I really hate cats of any kind and don't want to see them around my place.

painthorse · October 06, 2009, 09:00:00 PM

We ride horses and camp out of a campground in Eddyville,Pope Co. Over Labor Day weekend we saw three different cats in the Lusk Creek area.
I think one was a tom laying in the sun on a rock ledge.The other two were females with kittens trailing them.
They don't seem to worried about us. I don't know how bad they are hurting the game population.Still see just as many Turkeys and Deer.Over the July 4th holiday I did help an older gentleman haul a dead coonhound pup out of the woods.Got out and didn't fair to well.It was real torn up by whatever got it.