Bobcat Hunters

Mtns2hunt

Member
How do you locate Bobcats? Everything I read says find scat or tracks. In the West where its open it may be possible to find tracks. But scat? Do cats mostly bury their scat? I hunt mostly in the East for cats and its thick and overgrown with heavy leaf flooring. I follow creek bottoms looking for tracks in wet dirt or sand. Mostly I find Coyote tracks. I never find scat except for coyote.

I have been hunting cats for a couple years. So far, I am 1 down and one missed. I cheat and use trail cameras but really want to know how others do it. Thanks for any advice.
 
I would not presume to call myself a bobcat hunter as all I have taken came in while I was calling coyotes. Early this year I had 3 in sight at the same time, I elected to let the small one ease on out as I thought it was probably a female, perhaps carrying young. A prolonged hunt with more patience than I can usually muster allowed me to harvest the other 2, both toms. I think I harvested 6 total and each hunt was fascinating.
 
They leave scat in the same types of places as coyotes and foxes. Look for activity/trails on saddles and overlooks. Look for scat on rocks, trails, etc. They'll often return to the same spot repeatedly over time to leave scat. All of the stomachs I've cut open were full of the nastiest smelling black goo that was full of bird beaks, feathers, and feet, and crawling balls of parasitic worms.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGThey leave scat in the same types of places as coyotes and foxes. Look for activity/trails on saddles and overlooks. Look for scat on rocks, trails, etc. They'll often return to the same spot repeatedly over time to leave scat. All of the stomachs I've cut open were full of the nastiest smelling black goo that was full of bird beaks, feathers, and feet, and crawling balls of parasitic worms.

"Crawling balls of parasitic worms" has got to be the saying of the day LOL. I am certainly going to cut open the next one I kill to check this Scenario out!

I was under the presumption that they buried their Scat, apparently not. It is possible that I am mistaking Bobcat for Fox or Coyote. Your information and observations greatly appreciated.
 
Here is an excerpt I wrote for something else, hopefully it is helpful...

"Bobcats are beautiful and wondrous creatures. Cats like thick areas of brush near a water source. Brushy overgrown fields, swampy areas, cedar glades, pine thickets, creek bottoms, rocky bluffs, old ponds or lake edges are all prime places to find bobcats. They prey on all sorts of small animals including wild turkeys. At times bobcats may include deer in their menu. The more common fare is rabbit, mice, squirrels, and any birds they can catch. Cats love birds! They’ll pass up a fat rabbit for a stalk on a songbird. If you are a predator caller fast, high pitched bird sounds, or high pitched cottontail are prime cat sounds.

Bobcats have a short attention span and get distracted easily. They may be on the way to the call, but if the sound stops for too long and they see something else like a bird or squirrel, they may just wander off or sit down and quit coming in. Tip - don’t have too long of a pause between series of calls if you are a caller.

Cats hunt most with their eyes and ears. Not to say bobcats completely ignore their nose, but I’ve had bobcats directly downwind and even though I know they had a snoot full of human scent, they never batted an eye. A coyote would have been long gone in that situation! Another tip - if you are a caller, a small moving decoy will help focus the cat away from you and tends to keep them fixed on the decoy. Anything that distracts the cat from you is an advantage. Something as simple as a small cluster of feathers tied into a low hanging bush fluttering in the breeze will do the job.

Cats are stalkers and may take a long time to get to a calling stand. Most coyotes are onto a stand within 15 - 20 minutes, but a cat may take as much as an hour. They are extremely hard to see when they stalk into a stand. They use all the available cover to get close. I have been diligently watching as I called and suddenly realized, “Oh, there is a cat!,“ when some little something catches my eye from a tuft of tall grass, or from behind an old stump, log, or rocky outcropping. I never know how long they’ve been there before I actually saw them. Many a caller has stood up at the end of an hour long stand and jumped a bobcat that was right in front of them all along that they had never seen. Bobcats have phenomenal eyesight and will pick apart a stand as they creep in. Fidgeting around by the hunter has saved many a cat. You must sit still and not be moving or else your chances are very low. They will also hear the slightest rustle in the leaves or creak and bump from you and your gear. Quiet is important.

With all that said, bobcats don’t always slip into the calling stand. I have had them run into a stand as aggressively as any coyote I’ve ever called. In fact, the first cat I ever called was a huge old tom that nearly ran me over, sliding to a stop in the snow only a few yards from me. Sometimes they come hard and fast and that is a special sight.

Bobcats aren’t all that bright though. As mentioned, they will often ignore a snoot full of human scent. Their natural defense is to hide and I’ve watched them hunker down and attempt to hide, all the while shooters fire at them and miss repeatedly. I’ve seen a shooter miss a bobcat twice with a .308 rifle blowing snow and debris all over it. The cat simply lay low when it could have easily ran off the backside of the ridge. I talked the shooter down and his third shot connected.

Populations of bobcats can be wide spread. Home territories can be large, more so for male cats. However, even where there are a lot of them, there aren’t that many."
 
Bobcat, coyote, and fox scat are scattered together all over this saddle. Around here they leave scat in the same types of places. Killed several of each right there from the same spot. If it looks catty, use busier higher pitched type sounds, but there's no set rules. I've howled in a bobcat before and killed it. We have some cats here but not a lot. I'm convinced they aren't that hard to call in, they key to success is to be in the immediate vicinity of a cat. That requires a lot of scouting a a little bit of luck.
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Originally Posted By: GCHere is an excerpt I wrote for something else, hopefully it is helpful...

"Bobcats are beautiful and wondrous creatures. Cats like thick areas of brush near a water source. Brushy overgrown fields, swampy areas, cedar glades, pine thickets, creek bottoms, rocky bluffs, old ponds or lake edges are all prime places to find bobcats. They prey on all sorts of small animals including wild turkeys. At times bobcats may include deer in their menu. The more common fare is rabbit, mice, squirrels, and any birds they can catch. Cats love birds! They’ll pass up a fat rabbit for a stalk on a songbird. If you are a predator caller fast, high pitched bird sounds, or high pitched cottontail are prime cat sounds.

Bobcats have a short attention span and get distracted easily. They may be on the way to the call, but if the sound stops for too long and they see something else like a bird or squirrel, they may just wander off or sit down and quit coming in. Tip - don’t have too long of a pause between series of calls if you are a caller.

Cats hunt most with their eyes and ears. Not to say bobcats completely ignore their nose, but I’ve had bobcats directly downwind and even though I know they had a snoot full of human scent, they never batted an eye. A coyote would have been long gone in that situation! Another tip - if you are a caller, a small moving decoy will help focus the cat away from you and tends to keep them fixed on the decoy. Anything that distracts the cat from you is an advantage. Something as simple as a small cluster of feathers tied into a low hanging bush fluttering in the breeze will do the job.

Cats are stalkers and may take a long time to get to a calling stand. Most coyotes are onto a stand within 15 - 20 minutes, but a cat may take as much as an hour. They are extremely hard to see when they stalk into a stand. They use all the available cover to get close. I have been diligently watching as I called and suddenly realized, “Oh, there is a “when some little something catches my eye from a tuft of tall grass, or from behind an old stump, log, or rocky outcropping. I never know how long they’ve been there before I actually saw them. Many a caller has stood up at the end of an hour long stand and jumped a bobcat that was right in front of them all along that they had never seen. Bobcats have phenomenal eyesight and will pick apart a stand as they creep in. Fidgeting around by the hunter has saved many a cat. You must sit still and not be moving or else your chances are very low. They will also hear the slightest rustle in the leaves or creak and bump from you and your gear. Quiet is important.

With all that said, bobcats don’t always slip into the calling stand. I have had them run into a stand as aggressively as any coyote I’ve ever called. In fact, the first cat I ever called was a huge old tom that nearly ran me over, sliding to a stop in the snow only a few yards from me. Sometimes they come hard and fast and that is a special sight.

Bobcats aren’t all that bright though. As mentioned, they will often ignore a snoot full of human scent. Their natural defense is to hide and I’ve watched them hunker down and attempt to hide, all the while shooters fire at them and miss repeatedly. I’ve seen a shooter miss a bobcat twice with a .308 rifle blowing snow and debris all over it. The cat simply lay low when it could have easily ran off the backside of the ridge. I talked the shooter down and his third shot connected.

Populations of bobcats can be wide spread. Home territories can be large, more so for male cats. However, even where there are a lot of them, there aren’t that many."

Some really good information here. I really understand that their territories are large, and it may take several stands before finally seeing one. I appreciate the feedback.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGBobcat, coyote, and fox scat are scattered together all over this saddle. Around here they leave scat in the same types of places. Killed several of each right there from the same spot. If it looks catty, use busier higher pitched type sounds, but there's no set rules. I've howled in a bobcat before and killed it. We have some cats here but not a lot. I'm convinced they aren't that hard to call in, they key to success is to be in the immediate vicinity of a cat. That requires a lot of scouting a a little bit of luck.
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Very nice cat. As I am looking at all the scat from fox, coyote and Bobcat - which is which? I cannot tell from the picture. Also, you have open ground with good visibility. In the East at least where I hunt, I have to carry shears to get through the brush and green briers. Floor is covered with leaves and branches. Now it is possible to find openings and that is where I call from. Trying to call one out into the field does not work well most of the time. I know there are cats in area. It is just that I can only see them on the camera. Most times I am blind calling. Thank you for the feed back.
 
I've called bobcats in both open cattle country and super thick brush. I hunt both types of areas. You'll find where they are by scouting with your feet and eyeballs.

My state recently banned bobcat hunting, but the last one I shot I was in thick brush and had to thread the needle through a small window. All I could see was the head and neck about 50 yards out, so I took the neck shot, 17hmr. I took this pic crawling in the brush on my hands and knees. Retrieving it was a pain. How did I know to call right there? I happened upon a glistening fresh pile of scat so I called right there. I'm convinced that if a cat is there, it will probably respond to calls.
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Yes, that is thick. I will keep looking. I have an area I hunt in National Forest that has cover, water and a lot of open rocky areas that I will scout out as well. Not much competition in the area either due to ruggedness. Thanks again, enjoyed the pics!
 
Follow GC's suggestions and hunt where there are some cats and you will connect.

No hills, rock piles, etc. where I hunt; some very thick mesquite motts, high grass and pretty flat country. As Gary said, thick brush near water is a very good place to start.

This cat is one of many that just appeared out of nowhere @ a couple hundred yards:
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Originally Posted By: GCThey are extremely hard to see when they stalk into a stand. They use all the available cover to get close. I have been diligently watching as I called and suddenly realized, “Oh, there is a “when some little something catches my eye from a tuft of tall grass, or from behind an old stump, log, or rocky outcropping. I never know how long they’ve been there before I actually saw them.

I spotted this one chasing a 10 point buck one afternoon. It ran across a sendero and disappeared into some fairly heavy brush that ran down a gentle slope, connecting to a super heavy thornbush thicket. The thicket is adjacent to a windmill fed ground stock tank.

Went back the next morning and set up near the pond and closed the deal. Set the Foxpro up w/Nutty Nuthatch and before long spotted the cat moving through the thicket.
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That thicket surrounded stock tank has been a high percentage producer of both bobcats and coyotes over the years.
Same location, slightly different setup, called this cat in late one evening about 15 minutes into the stand.

He ran into a sendero, crossing @ about a 45* angle about 100 yards out. The call was about 40 yards out. He paused briefly in the grass between the two tracks and looked back over his shoulder in my direction. I dropped him and was happily enjoying the moment when the coyote burst out of the heavy brush on the same trail from whence the cat came. He, too, was looking back over his shoulder at the decoy (which was between us), when he tripped over the cat at a fast trot, head over heels. He landed on his feet and stood looking at what had tripped him long enough for me to get on him.

My first and only coyote/cat double, but have shot a number of both, individually, at this same location over the years.

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Cats are creatures of habit, IMO, and as Gary stated not the brightest bulb in the box. Chances are if you see one, he will be back and apt to come to the call again, sooner or later.

Called this cat in on 29 April 2015 in his early spring coat.
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Called him again in late summer, same year in his summer coat in front of the same tree, almost same setup.
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Follow GC's outline and, above all, have fun!

Regards,
hm
 
Thanks for the additional pics and info. While I will be scouting and calling a lot, I will be trapping some as well to up my chances. Trapping will play a minor role as I am only interested in trying it out. I have located some really good-looking areas following the advice above. Rocky, brushy with plenty of water. Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: masshunterBeaver ponds, especially the old dried up ones with plenty of brush. Turkey roosts. Driving back roads after a fresh snow.

Can't do much with snow here in Va. we hardly get it anymore, just rarely. I have not seen a Beaver Pond in years. Now turkey roosts there are plenty, but they seem to move frequently.

Brush, thickets and water are what I am focusing on. I have found rocky cliff areas close to thickets and water and will be focusing here. Will put on my snake boots and be looking for sign this week. Rattle snakes are common, and I have run into several collecting Fatwood.
 
The thing about bobcats is they usually come in slower (although I have had some charging in in less than a minute) and don't usually come as far as a coyote will. So, in good cat country you may have stands closer than you normally would.

No telling how many get called and sit down to watch and you never see them and get up and leave not knowing they were there.

Around ponds (tanks), brush piles, and about any thicket will often produce a bobcat.
 
Around here we have bobcats in open country and in the rocky brushy country. The bobcats in the open country are normally bigger than the bobcats in the heavier cover.

Wherever there are quail and rabbits we have bobcats.
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