Big Bobcats - vids

D

Double Naught Spy

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I have been doing hog and predator control for a property in north Texas as part of the landowners' game management plan. Generally, the plan is to hunt hogs (which I enjoy) and then take predators as they are encountered and before this year, I had not seen many predators. This fall/winter (2014), I have seen many more than normal and especially in December.

As I have started seeing (and shooting) more, I have started trying to call predators I see. Sometimes instead of getting the animals to stop or just come a bit closer, they spring into action...which can make shooting even more difficult than if I had not called them at all! This first cat is a pretty good example. She turned out to be a 26 lb female. Instead of freezing in place or coming toward me, she darted across the field and disappeared into the brush. I picked her up once more and lost again in the foliage before finally getting a clear shot.

http://youtu.be/0kCl9Cl6788

This Tom turned out to be 28 lbs and was a spot and shoot sort of deal. I saw the cat crossing at the far end of the pasture about 2:30 am. By the time I got my rifle up and everything turned on, he had covered quite a bit of ground. He happened to have just stopped when the recorder alerted me that it was up and running and I took the opportunity to shoot while the cat was stationary, or that was my intent. He started to move out about 1/3 of a second before my shot (I went back and counted the frames in the video) and the shot ended up further back on the thoracic cavity than I would have liked. A quick followup shot anchored him.

http://youtu.be/z3ZYGNfSk3k

I have shot two other bobcats and they were probably not much over 15 lbs. I will say this, compared to bobcats, hogs are much easier targets. If anyone has any insights on coaxing bobcats closer, I would appreciate the input.
 
I got a few in by calling and using one of those spinner type things with feathers and fur on the top. It kinda spins around and looks like a wounded something or other. But, I quit shooting bobcats. Killed a few and made a rug or two, but just couldn't see any reason to keep blasting them. I've seen two in the last week. Coulda shot them.

That spinning feathered thing sure brings in the bucks though. I had a nice 9 point come to about 30 yards from it and just stare. He'd walk back and forth and stop and just watch it. He'd turn to leave and then turn back around and watch some more. I guess he spent 10 minutes in intense focus. And no sooner did he leave than a 6 point showed up and did the same thing. He was absolutely fascinated.
 
Great job, DNS! You always crack me up with the Angry Birds plush toy!

Oh, and got a kick out of your Secret Squirrel patch. Saw those on my base in AFG in 2012. I kick myself for not picking up a couple for the office!
 
How did it go with the other two you killed? Same deal?

Bobcats are ambush killers and like to sneak into the call. Often times they will keep cover between themselves and the call until they are close and then sneak around at some point and figure out an ambush point. That's the reason IMO that the cat in the first video ran from the open field into the thick wash to sneak to you. The wash offered cover for the cat to get close and try and ambush.

This is why predator callers often describe cats as "just appearing", I think it's because they come as long as possible with cover between the caller and the cat.

My advice is to try and pick a stand that offers ample but minimal cover between you and the calling area so that the cat can come thru that area to you (the call) and feel hidden, but that you can still see into that area and kill the cat.

The other advice may be to try a decoy and set it so that the cat can't use a buch of thick cover to come to the decoy. The serious cat callers like to have a decoy, they say it distracts the cat and gives it something to sneak to. This is a double edged sword if the decoy is positioned to offer the cat a bunch of thick stuff to sneak thru however.

I don't know how this info will jive with your setups as I know you are targeting hogs. Hope it's somewhat helpful though.
 
Thank you for the tips! Maybe a wiggler is in my future.

I think my primary stand actually fits what you described, h.

How did it go with the other cats? Yes in the sense that I picked them up during normal scanning of my surroundings.

The first cat I killed was stalking two young fawns. Sorry, no video for that. I took him when he stood up on his hind legs to see over the grass. I only managed to spy him because he had to cross a lot of open pasture to get close to the fawns. He was within 20 yards of the fawns and 50 from me when shot. Had I not been watching the fawns, I might have missed seeing the cat.
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/...rs taken in numeric order/100_1951reduced.jpg

The second bobcat was taken in the same spot where I took a coyote about an hour earlier. Both animals were seen working inside the tree line during normal area scanning with a thermal monocular. I used a whistle to get the coyote's attention and to stop in place for a shot. Later, brought the bobcat into better view using a rabbit distress call (she was partially hidden behind the log before I called her). Things happened too fast to get the coyote on video and I just got the cat shot on video. Shot distance on both was 120 yards.
http://youtu.be/Cqs1k8IdRio
 
DNS, glad to see that you're still out there.

I've not gotten many cats, but coyotes almost without fail will pause at the sound of the safety being clicked to the fire position. I used to try to be stealthy about the safety until I figured out that curious fact about the animals. Now I flip the safety with a vengeance and they stop long enough for a good shot. But you don't have forever, lol
 
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