Bobcats- Please share your bobcat stories and mishaps and run-ins with bobcats

[BlackRubleHatch]

Well I don't have a story about my chickens and a bobcat but I was turkey hunting last spring and as I was sitting there 30 yards from my decoy and 10-15 hens just scratching around eating acorns I had a big nice gobbler about 60 yards coming in at a full strut gobbeling like crazy. I see some movement out of the corner of my eye, apperaintly the hens did too because they took off, after a few seconds I found out why. From behind a rock a big bobcat appeared and was going to pounce my decoy. I had to run the bobcat off but at least it didn't get my brand new decoy lol.

 

[varidgerunner]

I have caught a lot of bobcats. At least a couple, sometimes a dozen every year, for many years. I have released a bunch of them from traps, as well as let bobcats walk away that responded to a predator call, and left some in a tree after being treed by hounds. I have spent a lot of time in the outdoors. I have seen very few bobcats that weren't in a trap, treed by hounds or responding to a predator call. They are masters at not being seen. Even when caught in a trap and knowing where the trap is, they can be difficult to make out until close enough to see their eyes. I have called in bobcats and not seen anything approaching until I saw a little pink tongue licking lips that materialized right in front of me, at other times I have seen yellow eyes materialize out of a bush just a few feet away. Masters of camouflage. There are always a lot more bobcats around than most people realize.

They are really good eating, probably the best meat that there is. Chickens like them, too.

 

[CGilbert]

I have caught a lot of bobcats. At least a couple, sometimes a dozen every year, for many years. I have released a bunch of them from traps, as well as let bobcats walk away that responded to a predator call, and left some in a tree after being treed by hounds. I have spent a lot of time in the outdoors. I have seen very few bobcats that weren't in a trap, treed by hounds or responding to a predator call. They are masters at not being seen. Even when caught in a trap and knowing where the trap is, they can be difficult to make out until close enough to see their eyes. I have called in bobcats and not seen anything approaching until I saw a little pink tongue licking lips that materialized right in front of me, at other times I have seen yellow eyes materialize out of a bush just a few feet away. Masters of camouflage. There are always a lot more bobcats around than most people realize.

They are really good eating, probably the best meat that there is. Chickens like them, too.

Really? I've heard cat meat is awful. Me and hubby got our first bobcat this year trapping.

 

[varidgerunner]

I always skinned them and noticed how nice the meat looked. Started cutting some up for bait. Noticed that everything loves it. I read about people eating it and holding it in high regard. Talked to some other trappers who had eaten it, so finally decided to try it, this was about fifteen years ago. They are good. I cut the loins out and some slices off of the hams. Shoulders are very gristly.Be careful not to get any big globs of fat or any of the glands in the meat that you take for the table. It is a very sweet and tender meat, similar to pork or veal. It is like a lot of wild game meats, it is all about handling and meat preparation, do it wrong and it won't seem nearly as edible. I don't know about domestics, never tried one, Some cultures seem to like it. I have noticed that they seem to last a long time on the side of the road, bobcat meat doesn't last long out where things can eat it. From observing road killed domestics, the meat appears much darker than bobcat meat, and paler meats tend to be milder.

 

[BlackRubleHatch]

I always skinned them and noticed how nice the meat looked. Started cutting some up for bait. Noticed that everything loves it. I read about people eating it and holding it in high regard. Talked to some other trappers who had eaten it, so finally decided to try it, this was about fifteen years ago. They are good. I cut the loins out and some slices off of the hams. Shoulders are very gristly.Be careful not to get any big globs of fat or any of the glands in the meat that you take for the table. It is a very sweet and tender meat, similar to pork or veal. It is like a lot of wild game meats, it is all about handling and meat preparation, do it wrong and it won't seem nearly as edible. I don't know about domestics, never tried one, Some cultures seem to like it. I have noticed that they seem to last a long time on the side of the road, bobcat meat doesn't last long out where things can eat it.  From observing road killed domestics, the meat appears much darker than bobcat meat, and paler meats tend to be milder.

Thats very interesting! I'm definitely gonna try it the next chance that I get?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

My neighbor who is a hunter, told me a week ago that we have bobcats in Southern Indiana. I was shocked but didn't worry cause I've not ever seen one..... So now I'm wondering if it was a bobcat that killed my chickens when they were free ranging. Would a bobcat have killed my pygmy goat? She weighs about 30-40 lbs....

At 30 pounds a goat weighs less than an adult tom bobcat. So yes a bobcat will definitely kill a goat if the opportunity presents itself. Maybe even a 60 pound goat if the bobcat has worked up an appetite.

As for the sounds that you heard: Now is the bobcat breeding season so I would expect a romancing tom bobcat to vocalize to announce his availability to all the lonely she bobcats in your area. Life finds a way!!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Really? I've heard cat meat is awful. Me and hubby got our first bobcat this year trapping.

Alaskan trappers routinely eat the lynx that they catch. A lynx is nothing more than a bobcat with a gland condition.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Well I don't have a story about my chickens and a bobcat but I was turkey hunting last spring and as I was sitting there 30 yards from my decoy and 10-15 hens just scratching around eating acorns I had a big nice gobbler about 60 yards coming in at a full strut gobbeling like crazy. I see some movement out of the corner of my eye, apperaintly the hens did too because they took off, after a few seconds I found out why. From behind a rock a big bobcat appeared and was going to pounce my decoy. I had to run the bobcat off but at least it didn't get my brand new decoy lol.

I doubt that he would eat much of your faux turkey.

 

[varidgerunner]

I have heard the lynx referred to as a souped up bobcat.

 

[tlundell]

12/21/15: "We live in Los Gatos, California, in the foothills right above the downtown. We have an area of about 2,000 sq.ft. surrounded by deer fence for the chickens to roam, with three coops with automatic steel doors on timers. We also have motion sensor cameras on the area at night, and this month have been visited by a bobcat at least four times (other times we have had large raccoons and a mountain lion), and last week he was apparently laying in wait for one of the coops to open at 7:15 in the morning. Very quickly killed four chickens, taking one away. It is very discouraging knowing that we can't rely on the nocturnal protection of the secure coops as keeping the birds safe."

After losing 10 of our 11 chickens to this bobcat, who had no problem attacking at all hours of the daytime, we were finally able to trap him. The cat was big and beautiful, but saw our chicken yard as a regular source of food and never would have stopped unless we took him out.