Bobcat grabbed hen not 5 feet from me!

[chkn]

Usually that's what Animal Control does anyway, is shoot them.

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

Greetings from a BYC site lover and professional wildlife biologist. No, a bobcat will NOT attack a small child (unless you are in the habit of leaving your newborn unattended in the woods overnight). They are very small cats and prey on small game. They are not even remotely dangerous. Bobcats look much bigger than they are but it's all fluff. A full grown bobcat seldom weighs more than 20 POUNDS. So they are approximately twice the size of the average 10 pound house cat. (I have a house cat that weighs 18 pounds and I certainly don't see anyone running in terror from him). Bobcats feed primarily on rabbits and rodents. They can certainly kill a chicken. They will also prey on young deer fawns. However, they do not attack humans and on the occasion they do take down larger game it's because the animal was sick/injured/dying.

I've had more encounters with bobcats in the wild than I can count. These are not dangerous animals unless you are a rat or mouse. I've approached a female with kittens in broad daylight within 10 feet. I've observed half grown deer interacting with a bobcat. The deer weren't even mildly alarmed, not even bothering to move or cease browsing even when the bobcat was within pouncing distance.

The taking of one chicken, although heart breaking, does not constitute a nuisance bobcat. Bobcats are primarily active in late afternoon/evening and early morning. You might try getting your birds housed in the coop earlier in the evenings, especially at this time of year, to deter further depredation. Repellents should work well and are easy and inexpensive, human urine being the cheapest and easiest of all! Bobcats have very large ranges and the amount of time it spends near your particular property will be limited. It's also possible that this was a young cat in the process of dispersing and may have already moved on as it seeks an available territory. In that vein, removing one only leads to a vacant territory that will attract another.

Bobcats have faced increasing pressure for small game as coyotes have expanded into areas where they did not historically occur (the eastern United States). In some states, such as Iowa, bobcats are listed as state endangered/threatened species. In all other states they are listed as a fur bearer. If you intend to "take" the animal then you will need the appropriate permit within season unless you can obtain an exception from state game. In some states bobcat hunting/trapping tags are limited and based on a lottery. And one must purchase that tag. Otherwise you are in clear violation of the law and all associated penalties apply. The taking of a wildlife resource that belongs to The People is an act of theft clear and simple. It is a way of saying to your neighbors and community, hundreds of thousands of people, that you and your interests are more important and that you are above the law.

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

Here's the website for NC with a bunch of info you can use and phone numbers:

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Nuisance_Wildlife/Nuisance_Contact_WDCA.htm

Nuisance wildlife
Contact a Wildlife Damage Control Agent
"If trapping, transporting or killing wildlife is involved, a Wildlife Depredation Permit will be needed."

There is no charge for the permit.

FYI: Bobcats are protected under CITES which is an international treaty so possession of a dead bobcat without proper permits can be a FEDERAL violation in addition to the state.

But seriously, I'd take a "wait and see" attitude and use a repellent around your yard/chicken coop.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
they are taken fairly easy in live traps the trap just need to be a good deal larger then the havahart coon traps here is one I build /use with a great deal of sucess

http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/publications/Kolbeetal/Kolbeetal.pdf

 

[theFox]

Quote:
You need to read up on the subject, Bobcat attacks on humans do in fact happen.

The most common reason is that the Bobcat is sick.

I have a domestic cat, it is a neutered male Russian Blue, it weighs close to 20 pounds, you don't want to tangle with him, and since you aren't family, he'd likely take a swipe at you if you decided to make of him.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:

 

[CloggingChicken]

I agree that it is not as likely that children would be in the woods and be attacked by a bobcat, however, this animal is brave enough to come into a yard in a neighborhood. This is the habitat of children and not normal behavior for the animal as they are supposed to be shy. My wife and I were both in shock that it came through the grass in broad daylight while we were talking. If you live in NC then you will know that the entire state is run by interpretations of the law and not the letter of it. If you read through the various portions of the NC Wildlife site then you will see contradictory statements as it was somebody's interpretation when they did the page. They even state that although they were given CITES at one time they are now in a stable populations in every county of the state. Another page shows that you can kill predators on your property as long as they are disposed of on your property in a sanitary manner. This is located at http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/Regs_Wildlife_Depredation.htm.

Here's a couple of excerpts from the document at the following address: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Wildlife_Species_Con/Profiles_new/Bobcat.pdf

Bobcats are currently managed by state wildlife departments and the export
of their pelts out of the country is monitored and controlled by the federal
government.

Adult weights range from 10 to 40 pounds, with males being about one third
larger than females.

I respect all animals and love to see them in their natural state as my family loves to take photos. I have lived with the possums, rabbits, and squirrels in the yard as they do not typically prey on me or my animals. If they change and start preying on my animals then they will also cease to exist. It must go when it comes to a wild animal taking prey in my yard. It has been here for the last 2 weeks so travelling to a new territory is not a valid excuse.

Bill

 

[woodmort]

I agree with TheFeatheredTempest--just because some predator is taking your birds this does not give you carte blanche to take the out the old AK47 and start blasting away at them. Many, like bobcats and other furbearers are protected with open and closed seasons and require a license or permit to take them. Others are fully protected and killing one can cost you not only a fine, but lose of your firearms and, possibly, jail time. Fact it, chickens are near the bottom of the food chain and there are a lot of animals and birds that enjoy a chicken dinner, if you want to raise them you're going to have to take steps to keep predators away from them in such a way as to protect not only the chickens but the predators. If you don't, chances of your feeding some wildlife is pretty good.

BTW, just judging from the post I've read on here, more chickens are lost to dogs than all other predators combined, something that most agricultural laws are designed to prevent.

 

[panner123]

Most bobcats are between 20 and 30 pounds, not seldom more than 20 pounds. It is not uncommon to find them well over 30 pounds, rare for them to be in the 40 pound class and the record is over 50 pounds. A bobcat WILL attack an adult, not just a child and will lay in wait in a tree to bring down a deer. Granted, most of those attacks are by sick or straving cats.

I may not have an AK-47 to use on a predator after my critters. But you can bet your sit down, I DO have the fire power to handle ANY predator, 2 or 4 legged that would like to help themselves to my livestock.

Here in Ca., the Dept. of Fish & Game will give you a permitt to kill any predator after your livestock. Frist, you must prove to them the predator has attacked your livestock. They do however give you the benifit of the of saying the predator put you or your livestock in immediate danger. Personally, I have never killed any predator that was not after my livestock. And I have killed a few. And I have never killed a predator or any animal that was not consumed by either myself or my animals.

Please don't give us the line about rehoming. That in most cases is a slow death for the predator and/or just gives someone else the problem to deal with.

 

[FluffyColor]

So sorry