Double Naught Spy
New member
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.
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.