Or so Keith would have you believe.
Had the opportunity to hunt with Jeff Mock and Scott from Specialized Dynamics, but I had set up a hunt with a friend from work, who hasn't gotten a predator yet, even though he has gone out with me. So rather than stack up 4 guys on one stand, I decided to take Keith north, while Jeff and Scott went south. We headed into some absolutely beautiful rocky cat/fox country.
What a sight
Not long after sun up, got a text from Jeff and Scott, they had taken a coyote, so they were already on the board. Keith and I were struggling a little, as the nice weather had a lot of trash shooters running around, blasting holes in the desert. We found a quiet looking trail that lead us into some of the back country that seemed less traveled. I spotted a very good looking hill in the distance, so we stalked in following a wash where we had found a lot of fresh tracks for bobcat, fox and coyote.
So I set up the stand where I saw the tracks die down, seemed that the critters had peeled off from the wash, and headed toward the rocks about 400 yards away on either side of us. I set up Keith, giving him the main view of the wash, while I watched the back door and the call.
7 minutes in and I spot movement coming down a trail next to the wash. I see the bobcat inbound to the call. I see it pass behind a large green bush, and I am eagerly awaiting Keith's shot on his first predator, and a bobcat at that. The cat passes the bush, and continues toward the call closing the distance. It hasn't reacted to Keith, who should by now clearly see the cat, full broadside, so it hasn't seen him. But as it closes to within 30 yards of me and the call, it stops, looking directly at me, as I am now silhouetted, given the angle the cat has. This should be the time for Keith's shot, silence. I had no choice, so I took the shot, and down goes the cat.
Up jumps Keith, "What the h*** are you shooting at?", yells Keith. "Bobcat", I respond. "What bobcat?" "The one right over there", I say. "Right over where?", Keith asks. I point to the twitching bobcat, all of 18 yards from him. "WOW, I never saw him", Keith says. I guess the bobcat had it's cloaking device turned on as it came in. We both had a great laugh at that, given the clear view that Keith had. Turns out he must have been suffering from some tunnel vision, and he had his eyes locked on the wash. So I had Keith sit down on my stool and I walked over to the cat, and lifted it to it's normal height so that he could see what they look like up against the brush. Mo had to play the kitty.
Keith really did a great job all day, and I was really sorry to have to put down what should have been his cat. But is it seriously against my religion to let one come striding in that way, so I did what I had to do and hung some fur for the team. I did up a powerpoint this morning at work to help Keith properly identify "bobcats", and he is already talking about our next trip out. I really am looking forward to helping him get his first fur.
The "Furse" predator carrier that Jeff(fw707) made is sure getting a workout. It got another seal of approval from Keith, as he volunteered to carry the cat back to the truck. Thanks Jeff.
Had the opportunity to hunt with Jeff Mock and Scott from Specialized Dynamics, but I had set up a hunt with a friend from work, who hasn't gotten a predator yet, even though he has gone out with me. So rather than stack up 4 guys on one stand, I decided to take Keith north, while Jeff and Scott went south. We headed into some absolutely beautiful rocky cat/fox country.
What a sight
Not long after sun up, got a text from Jeff and Scott, they had taken a coyote, so they were already on the board. Keith and I were struggling a little, as the nice weather had a lot of trash shooters running around, blasting holes in the desert. We found a quiet looking trail that lead us into some of the back country that seemed less traveled. I spotted a very good looking hill in the distance, so we stalked in following a wash where we had found a lot of fresh tracks for bobcat, fox and coyote.
So I set up the stand where I saw the tracks die down, seemed that the critters had peeled off from the wash, and headed toward the rocks about 400 yards away on either side of us. I set up Keith, giving him the main view of the wash, while I watched the back door and the call.
7 minutes in and I spot movement coming down a trail next to the wash. I see the bobcat inbound to the call. I see it pass behind a large green bush, and I am eagerly awaiting Keith's shot on his first predator, and a bobcat at that. The cat passes the bush, and continues toward the call closing the distance. It hasn't reacted to Keith, who should by now clearly see the cat, full broadside, so it hasn't seen him. But as it closes to within 30 yards of me and the call, it stops, looking directly at me, as I am now silhouetted, given the angle the cat has. This should be the time for Keith's shot, silence. I had no choice, so I took the shot, and down goes the cat.
Up jumps Keith, "What the h*** are you shooting at?", yells Keith. "Bobcat", I respond. "What bobcat?" "The one right over there", I say. "Right over where?", Keith asks. I point to the twitching bobcat, all of 18 yards from him. "WOW, I never saw him", Keith says. I guess the bobcat had it's cloaking device turned on as it came in. We both had a great laugh at that, given the clear view that Keith had. Turns out he must have been suffering from some tunnel vision, and he had his eyes locked on the wash. So I had Keith sit down on my stool and I walked over to the cat, and lifted it to it's normal height so that he could see what they look like up against the brush. Mo had to play the kitty.
Keith really did a great job all day, and I was really sorry to have to put down what should have been his cat. But is it seriously against my religion to let one come striding in that way, so I did what I had to do and hung some fur for the team. I did up a powerpoint this morning at work to help Keith properly identify "bobcats", and he is already talking about our next trip out. I really am looking forward to helping him get his first fur.
The "Furse" predator carrier that Jeff(fw707) made is sure getting a workout. It got another seal of approval from Keith, as he volunteered to carry the cat back to the truck. Thanks Jeff.
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