Bobcat info?

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I can understand you not wanting to kill the bobcat. One important thing is to understand your predators and know their hunting habits. I can sympathize with losing your livestock. I googled up bobcats and they said they are usually solitary animals and hunt mainly at night or at dusk but this can change in the fall and winter. They hunt mainly rabbits and rodents but are oportunate hunters when their natural prey is scarce. In alot of the U.S. the bobcat is endangered especially here in the midwest but since you live in Cal. it is not.
I would suggest if you don't want to kill, maybe having a wildlife expert trapping and maybe re-locating(this is kind of ifffy since alot of predators have a good sense of smell and can easily travel miles to get back to its home range). I think a good size livestock guardian dog ie such as a great pyreneese or a anatolian shepherd would discourage it maybe a guardian such as a llama or donkey may do the trick.
 
Ah, bobcats ...

Here's ours after the dogs treed it
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After this experience we never saw it again.

A would agree, you will need some very tight security to protect the girls. I am also a big fan of dogs to guard the perimeter. I have seen the bobcat mostly during the day, but saw plenty of tracks made during the evening.

Jim
 
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Yikes, that is EXACTLY where we live (for the next 15 days) then it will be a whole nother host of predators up in Meadow Vista. Panner, I don't suppose you want to come protect my flock?????
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IMO if you cannot haze this animal to leave for example with dogs or electricity you will have to resort to trapping (often they return) a more lethal method. Moms will teach their babies. We have had mountain lions here teach their cubs bad stuff.

Super predators that prey on humans (wolves, bears, lions, jaguars, coyotes etc) are a threat if they are hanging around homes and communites so do consider sometimes living in harmony means removing the habituated animals.

I have riden my horse up on a trail upon many a bear..all have run. I would call those good bears because they respected my presence and showed fear. THey were probably also well fed and not over populated.

Receintly a bear near were we live bit a guy in the butt as it ripped open his tent at a camp ground about 15 miles away. His offence was smelling good. There is no longer any HARMONY when predators are acting this way.

People often blame the victum...but this is not fair. This bear has become habituated to humans and thus was no longer a respectful bear and would probably continue excilating that behavior maybe next time even killing a child. Often time this does nto get reported and then children are put at risk.

So first we need to make sure they do not have a good deal (or meal) when they come near our homes (all we can do is our best being perfect is hard) and second we need to remove (trap and relocate if possible) the habituated animals as all they do is teach their babies to also break into homes, tents, campers, trash etc. We also need to think if their is too much population of the specific species as to the reason they are hanging around. Watching the habituation training of animals....too much gun fire does not haze animals away but habituates them so they do not understand the meaning of the noise...just llke how you can train a horse to be calm to the crack of a auzie whip...habituation and desensitation. Often that is the old and young animals are pressured into human communites for an easy meal due to population expansion or prey decreasing in the area...these animals do not want to go hungry so they prey test to find new or similar foods to eat (chickens are similar to wild turkey maybe easier to catch)...and problems start.

Sometimes even our game and fish people assist these animals in these habituated behaviors...but I will not get on my soap box there as their are many good game and fish people that are not extreme wackos that think it is ok to have wolves around our homes and communities following school children home from the bus stop (yes this is going on in the USA!)

I think many of you already know this even more than I do.

Great pic of the BC in the tree. Wonderful dogs.

it will be intresting to see how you solve your problem. I am sorry for the loss of your chickens. This bobcat is not living in harmon with you is he...
 
In the two years that we have lived here I have seen aBC three times always in the afternoon cutting across our creek and property. We have had our chickens for 1 1/2 yrs and they luckily have not been bothered. But we have our rifle at the ready.

Monica
 
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I have an 8 year old bobcat (pet) that I raised from a 6 week old kitten. Yes, they are VERY good jumpers. They can jump a 6-8 foot fence with ease. They will hunt mainly at night when they dont have a bunch of people around, but would hunt in the day if its quiet enough. If you want to protect our birds, you will have to put a topper on your run. My bobcat sleeps with me, but also has a doggy door and comes and goes as he pleases. (his outdoor pen is chain link with a topper) You can also trap and relocate your pest. A live trap baited with raw fresh chicken would be hard for them to resist. Would he kill my chickens? you bet if he had a chance. Would he kill a small unfamiliar dog? Yup. But he's a great pet and I wub him.
 
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He is beautiful. Is TBone a he? Great pictures. what a beautiful animal. I have had them in my garden getting stoned on the catnip. The lions are not intrested. I think I heard somewhere that domestic cats are decendent from bob cats...is this true?

Love that you have prepared a loving home for your pet and physically and emotionally provided for his/her needs. You also know what this animal is about. I hate it when I hear fish and wildlife here say oh wolves in our yards are safe...no problem nothing to worry about. Then when something goes wrong they have habit of blaming the victum for the animals behavior. Bear are bears, wolves are wolves and as you know BC are BC and will behave like BC.

I really do not want to kill anything but habituated super predators that keep returning are a saftey issue. I personally do not feel BC are a threat to my life and would not put them in the super predator catagory. What do you think?

Like you say BC will want to show intrest in a chicken dinner (after all chicken is yummy)...so I feel it is best to reduce the access of the animal to the chicken dinner. I hope to setup my coop and run to reduce intrest and the posibility of habituation. Your info on BC physical abilites and hunting patterns is great to know. I still have a lot to learn on how to setup a coop so I am lurking and reading here to hopefully build the best chicken fortress I can aford.

So how much does a BC eat a day?

Just wondering how far you feel a BC would need to be relocated (milage) so they would not return?

thanks for your info and personal experience.

Barb
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