To you bobcat hunters

[Guest ADAM]

O.k. I need to know the trick. I have been trying to bag me a bobcat for a while now and have had no luck. I use my foxpro on several different calls, but still cannot bag one, the only thing that i keep calling in are yotes(which are always fun to shoot). I know that they are in the area for the fact I can hear them at night, and hve also seen a few but never when Im hunting. SO PLEASE HELP. Tell me the secret.

[ShaunM]

You need to find the area of their den and hunt close to it. I use a cottontail distress for calling them in. Another thing is bobcats are not like coyotes. They just don't run out to the call they will hang back in the edge of the woods. You may have called one in but you are not seeing it. The last one I killed stayed about 5 yards in the wood line and never came out. I would have never seen her if she hadn't of jumped on the log. She just sat on the log and watched my decoy. I think the most important thing is to hunt real close to their den. Remember bobcat season is closed. Opens back up on November 20th 2010 and closes February 28th 2011 and the limit is 1 per day.

[Guest ADAM]

Is it important to use a decoy because i dont. Im trying to get all the info I can before the season opens back up. As far as dens do the prefer cliffs, wooded areas or thickets I dont think that I have ever seen a den of theirs or if I have didnt know what it was.

[ShaunM]

Most bobcats I have killed where close to water. As far as dens go they can dig a hole in the ground to yes rock ledges that have openings in them. I would invest in a decoy not only will it lure them in but it takes the focus off of you and onto the decoy. I use a mojo critter and love it. Also when I hunt bobcats I hunt them in the woods near thick brush and if possible close to water. I killed one back in february on my land and I was hunting over a spring and a clearcut that had grown over.

[brooksjr]

Man, I have got to start hunting!!

[ShaunM]

I hunt hard all the time during bobcat season and I may only kill 1 to 5 each year. Bobcats are sneaking little kitties and hard to kill. Some people may not have a problem killing them all the time but I hunt lots of places and to me they are tough to hunt. If you have ever watched a cat try to sneak up on a bird or whatever then thats how they act also. They get as low to the ground as they can and are very quiet and sneaky. Thats why I like to hunt them in the woods they feel more comfortable in thier area that they know and they also know they can move from one cover to the next makes them feel more secure. If you hunt in a field they are more likely not to go out in the open as they will feel uncomfortable. This also goes for coyote hunting as well. Next time i'm on my land I will take a picture of one of the dens thats on my property.

[BigPoppa]

Man, I have got to start hunting!!

Me too..............Hunting101 claims he's going to take me 'yote hunting.

[brooksjr]

Me too..............Hunting101 claims he's going to take me 'yote hunting.

I think I would enjoy coyote hunting more than any other.

[ShaunM]

Me too..............Hunting101 claims he's going to take me 'yote hunting.

I told you I would take you but I have to wait for the right day as you didn't want to go when it was hot, raining, or to cold .

[ShaunM]

I think I would enjoy coyote hunting more than any other.

It is addictive.

[BigPoppa]

I told you I would take you but I have to wait for the right day as you didn't want to go when it was hot, raining, or to cold .

Correct.....also I don't want to get my boots dirty, no ticks or chiggers, and you must keep me well fed.

[ShaunM]

Correct.....also I don't want to get my boots dirty, no ticks or chiggers, and you must keep me well fed.

Wow just wow! Guess you can hunt from a climate controlled bubble.

Edited April 9, 2010 by Hunting101

[ShaunM]

Also I meant to mention some other calls I have used. I also use a bird in distress call their are a bunch but my favorites are lucky bird, blue jay distress or a woodpecker distress, kitten distress calls also work good as well as squirrel distress calls.

[BigPoppa]

Wow just wow! Guess you can hunt from a climate controlled bubble.

perfect...........with a rifle port !!!!

I will now stop this .......sorry OP.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Heck, when I'm predator hunting I don't know what might show up...Bobcat, Coyote or Fox...even had Hawks fly in to check out my set up!

They usually scare the crap out of me, cause they generally "swoop" in right over your head and land close to the calling....what a rush!

[roverboy]

Heck, when I'm predator hunting I don't know what might show up...Bobcat, Coyote or Fox...even had Hawks fly in to check out my set up!

They usually scare the crap out of me, cause they generally "swoop" in right over your head and land close to the calling....what a rush!

Yeah Bearman I've called in hawks too. Right over my head. One time called in a big owl. Crows will sometimes come in too. One time while turkey hunting I set up on a gobbler and the gobbler flew down but I didn't know where he went. In a little while after calling some I heard something coming in and finally seen it and it was a big possum. I started messing with him just to see how close he would come and he almost came in my lap.

[Good_Steward]

Yeah Bearman I've called in hawks too. Right over my head. One time called in a big owl. Crows will sometimes come in too. One time while turkey hunting I set up on a gobbler and the gobbler flew down but I didn't know where he went. In a little while after calling some I heard something coming in and finally seen it and it was a big possum. I started messing with him just to see how close he would come and he almost came in my lap.

Another enjoyable hunt. Crows incredibly intelligent and fun to hunt.

[huntingman]

I've hunted bobcats with a rifle or bow for nearly twenty years and have done a little research on the animals and along with my own experiences, I hope I can help.

Bobcats are one of the most challenging game, if not the most challenging game animals I've ever hunted. With that said, I've quit hunting them because I think with a generous supply of bobcats on hand, I see fewer coyotes on my farm. Now, this is just my own observation and it may not be related.

First off, bobcats have to be around in the first place. Now this may seem funny, but it's true. Just because there are bobcats in an area doesn't mean they are where YOU are hunting or will ever be there. Bobcats just don't walk around aimlessly, they have a purpose and generally have a pattern. What I've found is if you have bobcats in your hunting area they will always be there and successfully hunting them won't be difficult. You can Google about where bobcats den and places they like. I've found, at least where I hunt them, is that they like rocky areas with abundant thick stuff, cover. They require plenty of small game such as turkeys, rabbits and so on. I would look for cat poop and all that I've seen has had hair in it. Also, look for a pile of turkey feathers. A game camera may help to locate bobcats, I've had a few pics of them on my game cameras. While I have an abundance of bobcats, I only have a few pics of them. The game cameras were located on deer trails and I wasn't trying to get bobcat pics. With that said, I do feel like bobcats use the same game trails other animals use or a trail near by, as my camera pics show this to be true.

It is well known that bobcats are nocturnal with most of their movement being at dawn or dusk. Well, this may be true, but if you're hunting the den area sightings can be more like mid morning and can go on through the day, especially if it is a young bobcat or a female with her kittens. I once watched three bobcat kittens playing under my stand, and I'm sorry to say, it was the one day I didn't have my still or video camera. I've never seen or heard deer so upset as I witnessed on that day, real ANGRY !

To be honest, my largest bobcats, males, were taken while I was deer hunting over thick cover with a woodland edge. The bobcats were traveling from the woods to the cover. They weren't stalking or creeping, they were walking normally, slow and carefully. The largest male bobcat I took KNEW I was there and came in to investigate, "curiosity killed the cat" you could say. Well fed and happy bobcats may be hard to call in. They may come in out of curiosity more than anything, so even if high in a deer stand DON'T MOVE, as bobcats hunt more from sight and sound than they do scent. Trust me, I was almost attacked from behind once when a bobcat mistook my moving, brown and long haired, head for wild game, almost had to clean out my pants, if you know what I mean. The best luck I've had with calls is with a simple rabbit in distress call and used at sunrise.

These are just a few of my observations and I'm in no way qualified to give advice on how to hunt bobcats in other situations, but these ways work for me. If bobcats are where you hunt, you WILL eventually be successful ! So good luck, hunt safely, and remember your camera !

The picture is the last bobcat I took and will probably be my last bobcat. He was 35 lb. and shot with a 308, at my place.

Edited April 14, 2010 by huntingman

[Rightwinger]

My tip for hunting any predator as well as turkey and deer is invest in a good climbing stand like a Summit and take it to the woods!

You gain such an advantage being up above the area. They don't see you as well, don't scent you as well and you see them a lot further off.

The best Tom I ever got came in behind me when I was in a tree stand. He never made a noise and I only heard him walking when he was within 25 yards. That same bird would have seen me turn to look at him if I had been on the ground. I was able to stand up, take a good long look and purposefully aim. If you know there is game in the area, get a stand! It will pay for itself in enjoyment as well as comfort. (keeps you out of the ticks better too!)

[Guest ADAM]

Thanks for all the advice from you guys I really appreciate it, and will can use more if you all think up any thing else to help.

THANKS

ADAM

[Ghooge2008]

you asked where they like to live...I would say almost anywhere....where we hunt we saw a bobcat enjoying eating something ON TOP of a round haybell....upon closer inspection and hoping to jump him we found he had dug into the ground/haybell about 15 yards away was quite an impressive spread he had made!

Edited April 16, 2010 by Ghooge2008
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