Bobcat Hunting Tips?????

[HyruleSanders]

paoloi - I can appreciate your question since my father is both eat up with trad hunting and trad archer and is a little reserved about harvesting one these wonderful creatures. He has hunted very hard and in many remote locations over the years, yet has seen only four.



KY's population is, however in ample numbers and are legal to trap. A wild kitty's fate would be a much greater preference to me to harvest with trad than to fall to a trap. I would be inclined to believe that yotes would be the most likely critter that would come in 1st to calling and I plan to take full advantage of this shot opportunity.



Bob cats, to me, are beautiful, exotic and elusive. I relish the opportunity to both hunt and harvest one. Even if I am fortunate to just see one, I will have been blessed with much success.



Please continue to provide me more bobcat hunting advice. I don't plan on tackling this endeavor alone since I am sharpening my BH's tp prod my father in motivating him to take me. I believe my success will be greatly enhanced if he sets his mind to it.



Much thanks!!!

[BuckyT]

Originally posted by HyruleSanders:
paoloi - I can appreciate your question since my father is both eat up with trad hunting and trad archer and is a little reserved about harvesting one these wonderful creatures. He has hunted very hard and in many remote locations over the years, yet has seen only four.



KY's population is, however in ample numbers and are legal to trap. A wild kitty's fate would be a much greater preference to me to harvest with trad than to fall to a trap. I would be inclined to believe that yotes would be the most likely critter that would come in 1st to calling and I plan to take full advantage of this shot opportunity.



Bob cats, to me, are beautiful, exotic and elusive. I relish the opportunity to both hunt and harvest one. Even if I am fortunate to just see one, I will have been blessed with much success.



Please continue to provide me more bobcat hunting advice. I don't plan on tackling this endeavor alone since I am sharpening my BH's tp prod my father in motivating him to take me. I believe my success will be greatly enhanced if he sets his mind to it.



Much thanks!!!

Bobcats are beautiful animals.  I'm very fortunate to hunt in areas with good populations of these felines.

I usually see anywhere from 2-4 a deer season.

Last year, I watched a momma bobcat bring a field rat to her half grown kitten in September while bowhunting.  She dropped it down and the kitten came out of hiding in a dense blackberry thicket and played, played, played, with that field rat.

It was an awesome experience.

I've seen them run down rabbits while in the deer stand, walk by with birds, mice, and rabbits in their mouths, watched one cat try to put a stalk on a flock of turkeys, but he/she got busted, saw a mother bobcat trying to shake her pretty much grown kitten.  She came under me looking at her back trail growling..  She left and 5 minutes later, I heard a cat meowing...  Her young kitten came in meowing, frantically looking and sniffing the ground like a dog trying to find her.  Most of the time I see them silently slipping along like ghost while scanning the woods for deer.

The two times I did call them up that I mentioned earlier, I was coyote hunting both times.

My buddy wanted one for the wall and he shot it with his 12ga with a 3.5" #2 load.  The cat was 15ft from me belly crawling coming at me quick!  It was an exciting hunt.  He put her on the wall.

I've never shot a bobcat, but I will if I'm out predator hunting while the bobcat season is in.

Good Luck!

[Swinestalker]

Patience is crucial when calling bobcats. They are often slow to respond and sneak in to survey the situation. I can't tell you how many times I've thought nothing responded only to see them bolt from a hiding place when I got up to leave the set. They do have weaknesses, they often won't circle to get your wind and if you use a visual lure, they get so focused on it you can get away with alot more than without it.

[HyruleSanders]

Thank you all. This information will help me so much when i go bobcat hunting when the season comes up.

Please keep the comments comeing.

[FDR]

HyruleSanders   I live in Providence KY and i could give you some good tips and possibly a good place to hunt.i have killed 9 or 10 in the past.all with rifles and mouth calls.if you want to talk pm me.

[HyruleSanders]

FDR

PM sent

[LimBender]

Heard two screaming and fighting in the dark real close on the way to my stand, was hair raising.  

Only advice I have is that at dawn and dusk they seem to use the same paths to and from their hideaway.

Good luck.

[Walt Francis]

After reaing most of the posts, I guess when hunting bocats, I'd call it the easy way!

 

[karrow]

cats are curious and us there eyes more then there nose. but that dosnt mean they dont use there nose. i would also say that hunting cats is a waiting game. they have nothing to do but eat sleep and breed so they take there sweet time when coming to a call. more times then not you will see them just setting looking your way just inside the tree line.

[Archie]

I would consider a trad bow bobcat a trophy animal that I would want a full-body mount of.  I have been intrigued by them since I was a little boy.  I have never seen one in the wild.  The closest I ever saw was when a saw a lynx get hit by a car in Fairbanks, Alaska.