Stormcrow's Hobby Farm

[U_Stormcrow]

Any bobcat sign around? (Sounds like one).

I've found some deer scat, and some hog signs, but nothing that resembles dog or cat droppings inside the electric.

So, that's not a hard "no", its a "not a certain yes". Its certainly possible. Though we are high ground and not densely vegetated, there is plenty of swamp nearby. I did think bobcat were big enough they wouldn't need to drag a carcass or focus on my smallest birds.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I've found some deer scat, and some hog signs, but nothing that resembles dog or cat droppings inside the electric.

So, that's not a hard "no", its a "not a certain yes". Its certainly possible. Though we are high ground and not densely vegetated, there is plenty of swamp nearby. I did think bobcat were big enough they wouldn't need to drag a carcass or focus on my smallest birds.

Even a big bobcat has to drag an adult-sized turkey. They can pick it up, its just that the turkey is too long not to drag. A coyote does not have to drag one. They can pick up a grown turkey and walk right off with the entire carcass.

But I would presume and agree that a bobcat wouldn’t have to drag a small poult and would probably just walk off with it like it had caught a quail. If the poult was more like the size if a largish chicken, it may appear to have been dragged simply because of its height and body parts touching the ground. When I had suspected bobcat predation on a Liege hen, it had to drag her. She was simply too tall.

If it happens again and you get fresh on the trail, look up a lot. Especially if you find the carcass. Its possible to walk within perception distance of the bobcat and for it to take to a tree and watch you once it becomes aware of your approach. Once a bobcat did this to me when I found a large jake it had killed. I found the jake but not the cat by following its drag line, and then I retreated to get a gun. When I returned 20 minutes later, it had moved the jake another 25 yards or more. It was likely right up the tree watching me and I never looked up to see it.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

The other candidate would be fox. But I’d bet on the bobcat first. They’re great turkey predators and are a lot more elusive than a fox. Not that foxes aren’t slick. But you’d know if you had a resident fox at some point. The bobcat, on the other hand, could slink all around and never be seen.

Edit: wait I remember now don’t you have a fox known to live there? (I now remember mentioning the FWC permit).

Any trial cameras?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The other candidate would be fox. But I’d bet on the bobcat first. They’re great turkey predators and are a lot more elusive than a fox. Not that foxes aren’t slick. But you’d know if you had a resident fox at some point. The bobcat, on the other hand, could slink all around and never be seen.

Edit: wait I remember now don’t you have a fox known to live there? (I now remember mentioning the FWC permit).

Any trial cameras?

No trail cameras, and yes, I most definitely have a fox. In the opposite direction. Buying, and baiting, two traps...

 

[troyer]

Have not heard them in months.

Lost another bird in the last 12 hours. Several piles of feathers. Whatever it was had to drag a 4# +/- hen, couldn't carry it. I found the initial attack site in the pasture, another puff of feathers in the pasture, a third as it hit the tree line, lose the trail, find it again, 4th pile of feathers deeper in the tree line, lost the trail again. Sand is dry enough that the drag line is clear - but the footprints are indistinct. Once it gets under the trees, its not disturbing the large dried leaves enough that I can track it.

For the record, I make no claim to being even a barely competent tracker.

Dragged the bird a good 150' so far.

Sounds foxy.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Traps set - one on either side of the pasture. Using sprats as bait - should be a strong enough odor to distract from my own (wore a fresth set of gloves to minimize human smell transfer as I assembled.

Worried I may still end up with my cat in one of these, but otherwise...

Fox, bobcat, or one of the neighbor's hunting dogs.

Both traps placed near where I found broken eggs, outside the electric fence.

Do NOT want to cage my birds, but measuring space for a 64x26 enclosure, just in case. Will not be inexpensive.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Traps set - one on either side of the pasture. Using sprats as bait - should be a strong enough odor to distract from my own (wore a fresth set of gloves to minimize human smell transfer as I assembled.

Worried I may still end up with my cat in one of these, but otherwise...

Fox, bobcat, or one of the neighbor's hunting dogs.

Both traps placed near where I found broken eggs, outside the electric fence.

Do NOT want to cage my birds, but measuring space for a 64x26 enclosure, just in case. Will not be inexpensive.

Live traps or foot traps?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Live traps.

The neighbors dogs are trained hunting dogs, and I am fond of my cat

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Live traps or foot traps?

Florida only allows foot traps with a permit. Yet we can use killing snares without a permit. Go figure.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Florida only allows foot traps with a permit. Yet we can use killing snares without a permit. Go figure.

Its rare that I find legislation that makes sense as a cohesive policy. Why whould this be any different?