Thought some of you might get a kick out of this. We noticed some cat tracks out behind the workplace, so we left a trail camera and a deer carcass out back....a short film clip:
YouTube - FILE0061.MOV

That must not be his first deer carcass, it looks like one fat cat.

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Cheers -Jeff

We have a neighborhood bobcat. In fact she goes walking past me once a month or so. Her home was the lot next to our home, and when they built a new house next to me, she had to move. I'm not making this up. Across the street is still 3 vacant lots and she goes from there, past my home, and into the back yard and into the canal. Every spring, she has a litter of kittens I guess you call them. My other neighbor has a big fishing boat he keeps in the backyard, and on Monday's after they have gone out to the ocean, you can usually find her in the boat looking for scraps. She walks right past you as to say, what you never saw a bobcat before? First time I saw her, I looked and said to myself, what a butt ugly cat someone abandoned, poor thing its tail is gone too. Then the neighbor in the back, about a week later, said have you seen the bobcat yet? And then it hit me. 26

It's carrying the weight way in the back- any chance it's a pregnant female???

Cool video- thanks for posting!

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LEO since 1981.

It very well could be - we have seen two, but haven't been able to get both on film yet. I think it is funny how casually it approaches the carcass.

Nice fat bobcat. It must not have been all that hungry as it never did really tear into that carcass. Had one trot right under my deer stand a couple of years ago. It was fun to watch but not nearly as healthy looking as yours.

Nice healthy looking kitty. Thanks for sharing.

Cats are so smart - notice the way it took a lot of time checking out the surrounding area before touching the carcass? No wonder some variety of them are found almost everywhere.

That film clip made my day, I have only seen 2 in 70 years, one run over and one walking down a growed up road. Thanks jeff

I find a bobcat to be a beautiful and an amazing creature.

jrm53, I wish sir, I was better with electronic gadgets, I would video her for you, our neighborhood bobcat walks by every few weeks, and I wasn't kidding, she doesn't mind people at all. She's just part of the landscape, 26

Another one of nature's magnificient creatures. Thank you for posting.
teesur.

The wet weather we've been having here in CA seems to be agreeing with our bobcat population. I saw the biggest bobcat of my life last week, when I first saw its movement in the distance I thought it was what I was hunting (man). When I got the glasses up I could see it was a large cat and I was thinking mountain lion. It wasn't bothered that I was so close in the cats vast stomping ground and it casually turned away. When it did I could clearly see the bobbed tail and fluffy ears. I watched it saunter over a small rise next to the two track I was driving on. As I neared the place I last saw it I considered cutting sign to check the size of the paws, but thought better of it due to its body size. I wish I'd of had a good camera that day.

My guys have been reporting numerous cat sightings since Christmas, latest being yesterday. My dog handler was scouting for sign and saw a pair of crows attacking a boulder. OK, crows are stupid, but a closer look at the top of the large boulder revealed a bobcat kitten laying very flat on top of the boulder. He told me that he wasn't sure if the kitten was making itself hard to reach or baiting in the crows. We figure mama bobcat must have been close by and their den might be under or in the pile of boulders.

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Non illegitimae carborundum

Many years ago, I was walking down a mountain path. There was a Bobcat in a tree by the path and apparently he did not see or hear me until I was about fifteen feet from him. I did not see him either. He jumped down right in front of me and ran away. It scared the hell out of me....I almost had a heart attack and yes I said some choice words!

Saw one tonight behind the barn. It went into warp drive when it saw me. It is only the second one I have ever seen, the other died near my mailbox after being hit by a car. Up close, it is obvious these things are much BIGGER than a house cat.

Greetings, All,

Sweet Bride and I were backpacking in the mountains one night, and we kept hearing something behind us. Every time we heard it, I'd zip open my belly pouch, get out my flashlight, and grab my .45 ACP, before I turned to look. Every time, there was nothing there. After about five such episodes, I kept my flashlight on, but inside the belly pouch, so it was hidden, and kept the .45, which was a Sig P220, in my hand, ready for possible action, if needed. The next time we heard the noise, which was really just a rustling of leaves on the trail, I quickly turned and immediately shined the light behind us, whilst holding the .45 at the ready!! There in the beam, was a huge bobcat, crouched down right behind us!!! The cat froze in it's tracks when the light bathed it, and then, a few seconds later, turned and vanished into the forest beside the trail!! Scared the whey out of both Sweet Bride and me, as it almost seemed that the big bobcat had been stalking us, and for several miles!! In any case, we were both very happy that I'd brought the Sig P220 that night!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

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Honor God, above all.

Yes. And seeing one in the woods is a rare and welcome treat.

That is one good looking Bobcat!

Thanks for posting - always a treat to see a bobcat. I live in VT, and have seem them 3 or 4 times, and never for more than a few seconds as they dash across my yard. Beautiful animals. Whenever I hear about someone who traps them, I want to approach them and say I'll pay you to not trap them and instead take me to where I could get some good photos …

26ford, those would be cubs, not kittens. Levels of Cub Scouts were named for animals that had cubs. When I was a boy, it was Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, and Lion. I've noticed that they have Tiger now, I don't know what that level is.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Beautiful animal.

My friend that supplies me with great hunting stories was calling turkeys and called a bobcat instead which was greatly disconcerted that he was not a turkey. He fired at it and ran like anything and didn't venture to go back until he was sure it wasn't 'after' him. The pictures were impressive.

I've lived 76 years and spent countless hours in woods and on water, and have never been fortunate enough to see one. I envy those of you who see them often.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Thanks for sharing that video. That is one healthy looking bobcat and sure is careful of the surroundings. Guess that is why you don't see them all that often.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

All of the various lynxes are very interesting animals. My favorite may be the Caracal, often called Rooikat (Red Cat) in South Africa. (Afrikaans is based on the parent Dutch.)

I like the rufous color and the long tufts on the ear tips.

But our own Bobcat is an impressive, cautious animal. You can usually tell it from the Canadian lynx because its fur is shorter and it's less heavily built.

Never seen a bobcat in the wild, but lived in areas that had plenty of them. They are experts at getting around without being seen.
Loved the video. I just hope some jackleg doesn't take a shot at it. Seems like too many people today can't see an animal without trying to kill it. Would that these people got run over by a bus.
I used to have a log cabin on a lake in central British Columbia. Family went up there from 1971 to 2012, then sold it. Just too far away to keep it maintained.
In all those years, we saw two lynx. That's it. But tracks of them were common. No cougar or bobcats in that area; apparently they don't deal with winters that are -40 degrees.
The lynx Dad and I saw years ago trotted across the road in front of our slow-moving pickup. It was carrying its dinner, a dead squirrel. Didn't even give us a glance. Beautiful animal, and we were delighted to see such a natural sight.

Hey! Want to do something fun this summer for your bobcat? Grow some catnip in hanging baskets, then take some leaves over to the lot that your bobcat occupies.
Yep, catnip affects wild cats as well as domesticated ones. Plus, it's good for them. Gives them vitamin C and makes them playful.
My old cat limps around with arthritis sometimes, but a few fresh leaves of catnip have him playing like a kitten. Apparently, catnip reduces or eliminates pain too (much like alcohol, I guess).
Grow the fresh stuff in hanging baskets to keep neighborhood cats from nipping off the sprouts at ground level. You have to keep it out of their reach so it gets a good start. It's a mint, so it's decorative too.
Oh, and get real CATNIP not catmint. Catmint is a hybrid and doesn't have the same effect upon cats.
Your bobcat and her kittens will enjoy an occasional handful of fresh leaves, and you may get some hilarious video.
Dry catnip isn't nearly as potent or fragrant. Because it's so finely minced, it's harder for cats to eat it. The fresh stuff is much better.

The Seattle Zoo is probably still ticked off at me for throwing a wad of fresh catnip into the lion enclosure in 1981. What a show!

very cool!!

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

What exactly happened? Sounds potentially entertaining ...from a distance!

A few years ago I was bowhunting pigs in SC and I saw one walking down the path towards me. I hugged the side and it went through the thick stuff yards from me to enter the path again less than 10 yards from me. We looked at each other and it went on its way. I have no desire to kill one of those beautiful creatures.

Really nice looking animal. The ones I see around here are a lot raspier looking.

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Now go make God proud...

My sister has an elderly tomcat (neutered) who is a mean drunk. She's had him for thirteen years and he's normally docile, but on catnip he'll tear her up.

I hope the lions didn't get mean.

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Oh well, what the hell.

A few years ago, I was hunting Mule Deer NE of Ely, NV. I was camied up, face darkened and descented. I was sitting at the base of a Juniper Tree facing a game trail that came downhill for about 40 yds right towards me. The game trail took a slight bend to my right and went over a slight ridge. I caught a movement and watched as a huge male Bobcat came walking down the trail right for me. When he was about 20 ft. from me he stopped and looked around, but didn't spot me. He then walked on up the trail and out of sight. He was absolutely beautiful. There is no way in the world that I would have shot him. This was before digital cameras and my 35mm reflex was just too big to carry while seriously hunting with a rifle.

About an hour later I scared the heck out of a fellow hunter that came slipping down the trail from the direction the Bobcat had taken. I spoke to the guy when he was about 30 ft. from me as I didn't want to be a gunshot victim. He also didn't have a clue that I was sitting there.

As a kid we lived at the desert edge of LV. The Desert Bobcats would come to our backyard at night and raid the garbage cans. My sister's male Manx would go out and fight them. It was the undoing of him when he finally took on more Bobcats at one time than he could handle. ........ Big Cholla

We have lots of bobcats around here -- especially with the exploding rabbit population. They're everywhere! Only a few really big ones. Our dog wants to play with one that sits by the backdoor. We have to be careful that it doesn't come into the house. We don't feed them but being in the city, they have lost their fear of people.

Here's a cute video of one (I don't recommend wild animals as pets!)
Bobcat Cuddles - YouTube

Years ago, I ran a "trap line" here in the High Sierras. Caught a lot of Bob Cats and also a few Cougars. The Mountain Lions were given to the Fish and Game Bosses and the had them "stuffed and mounted" and placed behind their desk in their office here in Bishop, CA. We now have moved back to Bishop to be close to our grown children who here. Wife's orders.

This is as close as I've been to one in quite a few years.
This is about two miles from my home.
They are close but I have never seen one in the little canyon that I live in.
This was yesterday.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

Bobcats are kittens