The Bobcat

Bobcats are a trophy in any predator caller's book, luring this great animal to your stand takes tons of patience. Knowing how to identify prime bobcat habitat is vital to success. Any caller who is serious in calling bobcats should learn as much as he or she can about this magnificent animal.

Hopefully, the information contained here will get you started in the right direction.

Bobcats prefer areas of dense cover; the thick cover one finds along stream and riverbeds is prime cat country. Find an area strewn with large rock outcroppings and boulders and you've come across what I call bobcat magnets. Such places almost always hold a cat or two; so anyone wishing to call a bobcat should concentrate their calling efforts on the fringes of rocky areas.

Don't be surprised to drag a grey fox or two out of such areas; as this species of fox considers the same habitat bobcats prefer as a good place to call home. So it's best to be ready for anything. Bobcats will respond to most prey distress sounds, but a caller wishing to focus on calling bobcats increases the chance of success by using distress sounds from birds and small rodents.

My favorite distress sound for calling bobcats is the Yellowhammer Woodpecker. This sound has called in more bobcats for me than all my other sounds combined. But be fore warned; this sound is well known for its ability to call in all kinds of predators. So don't be surprised if something other than a bobcat is the first to show up at your stand.

Bobcats have earned a reputation for taking longer to respond to a call than other predators. So expect to stay 30 minutes on your bobcat stands. Bobcats like to work they're way to your call by stalking the sound in start and stop spurts of movement. They'll take advantage of all available cover during the stalk, and often appear seemingly out of nowhere right before your eyes. So a good cat caller inspects every single detail of the area while calling.

Mating activity for bobcat's peaks in February but the mating season can last as long as from January to June. The home range for bobcats can be anywhere from 5 to 50 square miles. Territories for female bobcats are generally smaller than that of male bobcats. Territories are distributed according to a complex social system. Adult males seem to tolerate sharing areas with other bobcats of the same sex. Adults of both sexes usually tolerate the presence of bobcats that are too young to breed. Transients within the local bobcat population quickly fill territories vacant by the death of an adult.

Will Craig