10 pound hen taken by bobcat/mountain lion

[khatar]

Quote:
As long as the buffet is open it will come back until the food source is depleted. I would look into securing the hens at least until the cat get's hungry and moves on, though he'll likely eventually check back in at a place he got a meal before.

I'm just wondering why it didn't return yesterday. He took my hen on the 21st. Do you think it will return today or tomorrow?

 

[khatar]

Quote:
We do have foxes in San Diego, both Red and Grey fox. They are almost never seen though, it is unlikly a fox did this, but to me sounds like it could be a coyote. They often come in the day and snatch prey.

I don't think it was a coyote, they don't climb fences like the culprit did. There also would have been signs of more of a violent struggle. Rather than a quick and stealthy kill.

 

[stormylady]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your Evy,

I think it is entirely possible for a bobcat to carry off a large bird, last year I had a Raccoon carry off a large Cochin girl , we heard her screaming and went chasing but it got away with her, she (I think) got loose and got back in the yard somehow because the next morning we found what was left of her back in the yard, So I would suggest locking up the rest of your flock, because any predator is capable of hauling off a chicken. And they will be back.

 

[cw]

if she was a big chicken the animal has had is fill, it may be a week, it may be at sunset, but it will be back. are 100% its a bobcat, just because you dont hear the coyotes dont mean they aint there. it doesnt make sense to raise as much cane as possible, then try to hunt does it? What ever it is it will wait till it thinks your not lookin then strike again.
And yes a coon will pack off a chicken, the differnce in a coon packing off a chicken and others is when a coon packs off a chicken there will be feathers everywhere, a fox, yote, bobcat. kills em first.
and a large owl will pack off a chicken as well

 

[khatar]

Quote:
Oh I'm sure it's a bobcat, this is the work of a feline, not a canine. The only feline here that is big enough to have done the job is a bobcat. And yes, coyotes moved out of the area years ago, really not sure why.

I'm just surprised how far it ran, we tried tracking the trail of feathers for a while but the underbrush got too thick.

 

[khatar]

I also found droppings along the trail the bobcat left with Evy. I can identify droppings from all animals in that canyon and I had never seen this before. I think the cat moved in recently and that's why no bobcat attacks happened before.

 

[cw]

Do you all have mt lions there? Id to hear you trailed it to the brush then to find out it was bigger then you!. If it is a bobcat can you hunt there? there kinda hard to trap, Id find a predator hunter and turn him loose.

 

[Johnn]

Sorr for your loss!

 

[khatar]

Quote:
It could be a mountain lion, but I doubt it, the area it ran through was too small for a cat that size. The neighbors would have spotted it too. I don't think we can go hunting in a neighborhood area either.

 

[cw]

ok just making sure,