This is topic Targeting Bobcats in forum Cat forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.huntmastersbbs.com/cgi-bin/cgi-ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000059
Posted by Baldknobber (Member # 514) on November 01, 2005, 06:27 PM:
Last fall in the T&PC fall issue of Predator Hunting, Steve Craig stated that you'd be surprised how many bobcats you can call in if you specifically target bobcats. I've been interested in that, but have had no luck. Maybe some of you guys with cat experience can fill in some of the blanks. Perhaps Steve Craig could shed some light on this for me since he has hunted in the east in many years past. Thanks, Todd.
Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on November 02, 2005, 12:08 AM:
Baldknobber,I don't think there is any secrete to calling bobcats,just like coyotes,you got to be where they are at and spend more time on a stand.
Call more often and for a longer period of time...I like to call every 2-3 minuites when calling for bobcats and i will spend no less than an hour or hour and half on stand.[You got to be willing to stay longer on stand for cats,than coyotes]they come in slower.
My preference for calling cats is with any good high pitch open reed call.Baby rabbit,full grown rabbit,and most bird distress sounds will work too...Closed reed calls work very good too,but i'm more for open reed calls.[more controle on pitch and sounds]
Be where cats are known to be...Choose a good call...shorten time between calls...and spend more time on a stand.
It's always nice to have a buddy with you,cats are known to jump on moving objects,and they never circle downwind like a coyote.
Posted by seeinspots (Member # 676) on November 02, 2005, 06:03 PM:
melvin pretty much summed it up but there are two more things that i would put at the top of the list.
bobcats are easy to call but unlike coyotes they are very hard to see, so set up accordingly, call them out of the thick stuff into more open areas, and even at that your still only going to see 50% of them. pick your surroundings apart !
secondly, use a decoy ! that will keep them focused away from and not stocking your postion.
i would hate to say how many 'cats i have shot within easy shotgun range of calling parteners that never knew they where there because of there ability to use cover to its max.
good luck,
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on November 02, 2005, 06:41 PM:
A couple things. Learn to recognize good cat cover. Bobcats are not rare, anywhere, that I know of? Their movements are usually slow, with pauses. Humans have a hard time picking up these slow movements, but once you locate a cat, they aren't particularly difficult to follow because he has your attention. It is different than seeing coyotes because we are used to catching the faster movement of a coyote. On the other hand, you will see a certain percentage of large cats that run to the call, or the decoy, as the case may be. Yeah, most move slowly, but some of those fast moving coyotes turn out to be bobcat, on second look.
What was the second thing, now? Oh yeah. Specifically; look for shapes. Many, many times, you scan and there is some dark form next to a bush or a tree or beside a rock. Focus on these somewhat imaginary forms, many times it is not your imagination, that actually is a bobcat and he wasn't there the last time you looked. This is very different than looking for coyotes and depending on the big giveaway....movement. Check out those shapes.
Okay, I know I said a couple, but the other thing is this: yes, go ahead and make longer stands, but.
Cats aren't that slow coming in, but if you spend more time on stand......what it does is increase the odds that you will pick up a cat. He's there and he has been there for a while, but the longer you invest in your stand, the better your chances of locating him, simple as that. In other words, he might have been in front of you for fifteen minutes but it takes you another fifteen minutes to actually pick him out of the clutter.
When people say that you only see half of the animals that you call in, I think they were talking about bobcats. If you intend to TARGET bobcat, you need to change your approach, look for cat cover and change your search habits; and use a remote speaker and a decoy. That's it, in a nutshell.
Good hunting. LB
[ November 02, 2005, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Doggitter (Member # 489) on November 02, 2005, 07:18 PM:
I've called in only one Bobcat. In the sage desert of SE Oregon. We(bro' and I) walked out a couple hundred yards from the truck and setup with him behind and left pretty much facing the same direction. Second "song" and I see a flash couple hundreds yards north. I had been using the binos quite a bit back then so started searching the sage with them. Called a bit, looked a bit then called while I was looking with the binos. Don't do that! When the wailing stopped I heard a slight snap. Looked right and 15 feet away was a big Bob walking away from me. First one I'd ever seen and I was at eye level with the bugger. "Anyone got an extra pair of SHORTS!?" ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Dang they're good looking. Looking at his tracks I see that the trail started within 2 feet of the knees I was down on. He'd come running, took a 20' jump and a 30' jump and landed in my lap. Wow! Because of the bino's field of view I missed the whole thing. :>(
Posted by Baldknobber (Member # 514) on November 03, 2005, 07:13 AM:
I think I will wait until I have an e-caller that I can set up away from me to start calling cats. That way they aren't looking right me when I am calling and won't be pouncing on me!
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on November 09, 2005, 06:43 PM:
Dang, Baldknobber, that only happens once in a while. No need to hold off calling them for that. I do know a guy that got jumped by one, but he was calling turkeys at the time. He was down in a creek timber using a hen cluck or something like that and he kept hearing twigs snapping behind him. After several minutes, he could no longer stand the suspense, so he carefully peers around the tree just in time to see this bobcat coming at him, airborne. The 'cat lands on his face with its front feet wrapped around his head and its back feet clawing for traction up the front of his jacket. Said the 'cat jumped off as quickly as it got on and ended up taking his head net and glasses with it and trashing the front of his cammies up pretty bad. Luckily, he wasn't hurt but man, that would have been funnier than hell to see.
He lives in Alaska now and has invited me up to hunt. I've put coyotes in his lap, and now with this bobcat on his head, I respctfully declined out of concern for my own personal welfare.
Posted by Baldknobber (Member # 514) on November 10, 2005, 04:52 PM:
Lance, I hunt some large private tracts here in Mo. and I'm the only one with permission. I hate to chance educating some uneducated cats. We have lots of cats here and some have long tails. A bobcat pouncing on me is one thing, but calling something up big enough to eat me like a lion or bear is not appealing. A man from our church shot a black bear the first week of bowseason at five feet. The bear was at 40 yards and this guy began taking pictures from his ground blind. At about 20 he picks up his bow and begins to whistle and make noise to scare the thing off. At about 10 yards he draws his bow and shoots at 5 feet killing the bear. My only question is why did he wait so long to shoot? The bear was guessed at 150 lbs and no charges were filed by the Dept. of Conservation.
Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on November 10, 2005, 06:56 PM:
Lance,was that fella a bioligist by any chance?..I read a story about one being pounced on while turkey hunting.
Balknobber,I've called a few bears in [unintentional]while calling for coyotes...So far they all left with just a few barks from my howler...I had one bad experience with a black bear,but its a long story,so i won't get into that now...The closest i've had a bobcat was about 4 arm lenghs...I'm glad i turned and seen it,before it seen me...It was looking under a log for the rabbit that sounded quite misserable at the time...Hand or head movement could trigger a pounce LOL...It only took a few-[out loud]-human words to send it on its way...We have lots of cats and bears,in the area where i live...Cat permits are by drawing and there hard to get...Bear tags are easy to get and i'll be bear hunting in about 2 weeks ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on November 10, 2005, 08:01 PM:
No, Melvin. He's a school teacher and writer. He's had a few nice pieces published in FFG.
I only had one tenacious bobcat myself. Big old tom. I was really new to calling and had him circle me one day. He came up the front of this hay pile to me and at the end of my legs, I ran him off. He had both front feet in close, rocking back and forth getting ready to pounce. After I ran him off, I resumed calling and heard a stick snap behind me. I turned around and he was about twenty feet behind me sneaking in the back way. That was enough. I left. (Season wasn't open on them yet and I couldn't shoot. Yet.)
UBB.classicTM
6.3.0