Bob Cats

[gunner76]

When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton (USMC) California in the '80's I rode a bicycle to work and saw Bobcats along the side of the roads on a regular basis (along with Deer and Foxes).

Ran into a few people in the barracks whose snoring would keep me awake at night that I wanted to shoot but never did.

[Egads]

I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in 4 nights.. I had my .30-'06 so was I scared? not hardly.... annoyed? Yes.. exhausted? yes...in need of sleep? yes..

Did ya consider moving camp?

[moytoy]

When I was about 17 and hunting deer in Tellico with my Dad and Uncle I had a Bob Cat walk up the downed tree I was perched on. It was just light enough for me to see it when it got within about 10 or 12 ft of me. I believe if I hadn't moved a little it would have walked over me. My uncle gave me a hard time because I didn't try to shoot it but I never even thought about doing that. My Dad never really said much but I think he was prouder of me for not killing it. It was so fast I couldn't have hit it anyway.

[virgil]

I've seen quite a few probably one every few years. It's unusal to see them because they're very stealthy, but they are really are not particularly rare. They mostly lay low during the day and hunt at night. Early evening is a good time to see them. I've personally seen them in NY, PA, NC and SC, but I think they're native to every state east of the Mississippi, possibly every state in the USA period. They are not dangerous or a threat to humans. They're mainly a threat to rabbits, mice, fawns and other small mammels (watch out! house cats). As far as size, there are many sub-species, they run 15-20 lbs. possibly up to 25 lbs., that's about it. Pretty cool animals.

[d.o.c]

25 pounds huh i was sure this one was as big as my hound dog whos not very small deff heavier than 25 pounds.. and we think a bob cat got out purr monster one night for lil kitty never came home.

[hikerinnc]

I'm hoping to see one someday. Theres one less I have a a chance to see now.

[RWBlue]

I'm hoping to see one someday. Theres one less I have a a chance to see now.

Don't worry, they are not endangered. I am sure there will be more young ones next spring.

[StreamWalker]

I've seen a few Bob Cats in the wild....It is sorta rare to see em though because they're mostly nocturnal unless unusually hungry. Once while I was camping to Deer hunt a Bob Cat kept me awake screaming all night near my tent for 4 consecutive nights... Then around 2 pm it came by my hunting spot trailing 4 does that had passed by a few hours earlier.. Hoping it was the same one that had been keeping me awake all night I put a .30-'06 bullet between its shoulder blades. It apparently was the same cat because my sleep wasn't disturbed the rest of that week..BTW...Season was open on Bob Cats at the time in NC so I didn't break any laws..

So you killed this cat because it was keeping you awake ? You must of been the pride of the hunting camp. Tell me, if it was within the law to kill people because they kept you awake, would you shoot them between the shoulder blades ?

Glad I don't hunt with you.

[RWBlue]

So you killed this cat because it was keeping you awake ? You must of been the pride of the hunting camp. Tell me, if it was within the law to kill people because they kept you awake, would you shoot them between the shoulder blades ?

Glad I don't hunt with you.

If it were legal to kill people, there would be a lot less people.

[StreamWalker]

If it were legal to kill people, there would be a lot less people.

Oh but it is legal to kill people. It happens all the time, but it takes a special individual to end the life of a living creature because it or you kept someone up with a gun.

Kinda smacks of John Wesley Hardin or perhaps Caligula. Hey it was this fellow's choice to say he killed a Bobcat for the same reason. Perhaps such a decision will come back at him in his next life or the spirit world. One thing is certain if someone who would do that can be a member here, there should be no problem for someone like me, a day hiker, angler and night reveling camper hanging around this place ?

[oruacat2]

OMG!! Prepare to be crucified here RW....Bunch of people on here who think every one is supposed to be just like they are and live by their rules..No one but them has any rights...

Irrelevent since you admitted shooting it because it kept you awake at night. Your rights....lol Why, you're a modern day Patrick Henry.

[oruacat2]

BTW - I'm certainly not "anti-hunting" - but there's a difference between killing and hunting. By your own admission, you were hunting deer - an intentional, deliberate activity (how'd that work out, anyway? Are deer in your area attracted to indiscriminate gunfire?). You shot and killed a wild cat for dubious reasons, at best. Congrats.

[ATBuddy]

So at the last minute I decided to take a drive on Skyline Drive at night for once hoping to see more wildlife. It was about 9:30PM and way off in the distance in front of my headlights I noticed this animal that was on a rock wall ledge jump off the ledge. I couldn't tell what it was, so then I parked and got out of the vehicle and shined a flashlight into the woods where I saw the animal run off. Again I didn't see anything. So I decided to park farther away and walk up. So I parked pretty far away, then started walking up with my flashlight on, and in the distance there it was again, and almost immediately ran off again. I then get up to where it was and shined the flashlight again, and didn't see anything. I then decided to turn the flashlight off and wait. So the flashlight was off for about 30 seconds, then I hear this weird noise. It sounded like some kind of baby making some kind of call. I then turn my flashlight on and notice a bobcat about 30 feet down the hill walking across a fallen tree and then dissapear. I then imitated the call I heard, and shortly there after the bobcat pops out at the edge of the grass about 4 feet from where I'm standing and looks at me. Then a car drives by and it runs off. Then I imitate the sound again and shortly after I do that It pops up again about 4 feet away and starts growling at me. It surprised me so much that I fell backwards off of the ledge I was standing on. I had a camera in my hand but it was dead, so I couldn't even get a picture. Maybe that was a good thing though, because I don't know what the flash would have caused it to do. I then walked back to my vehicle as calmly as I could with it still growling at me. I didn't want to run, because I didn't know if it would start chasing me. So I went back to my vehicle and pulled it up near where the bobcat was and just watched from my vehicle for about 30 mins. It climbed into a tree and was pulling branches up the tree and was in there for a while. That was last I saw of it. I think there was only one bobcat but it was a little weird because it popped up in front of me so fast after seeing it from a distance then disappear into the woods.

[RWBlue]

So at the last minute I decided to take a drive on Skyline Drive at night for once hoping to see more wildlife. It was about 9:30PM and way off in the distance in front of my headlights I noticed this animal that was on a rock wall ledge jump off the ledge. I couldn't tell what it was, so then I parked and got out of the vehicle and shined a flashlight into the woods where I saw the animal run off. Again I didn't see anything. So I decided to park farther away and walk up. So I parked pretty far away, then started walking up with my flashlight on, and in the distance there it was again, and almost immediately ran off again. I then get up to where it was and shined the flashlight again, and didn't see anything. I then decided to turn the flashlight off and wait. So the flashlight was off for about 30 seconds, then I hear this weird noise. It sounded like some kind of baby making some kind of call. I then turn my flashlight on and notice a bobcat about 30 feet down the hill walking across a fallen tree and then dissapear. I then imitated the call I heard, and shortly there after the bobcat pops out at the edge of the grass about 4 feet from where I'm standing and looks at me. Then a car drives by and it runs off. Then I imitate the sound again and shortly after I do that It pops up again about 4 feet away and starts growling at me. It surprised me so much that I fell backwards off of the ledge I was standing on. I had a camera in my hand but it was dead, so I couldn't even get a picture. Maybe that was a good thing though, because I don't know what the flash would have caused it to do. I then walked back to my vehicle as calmly as I could with it still growling at me. I didn't want to run, because I didn't know if it would start chasing me. So I went back to my vehicle and pulled it up near where the bobcat was and just watched from my vehicle for about 30 mins. It climbed into a tree and was pulling branches up the tree and was in there for a while. That was last I saw of it. I think there was only one bobcat but it was a little weird because it popped up in front of me so fast after seeing it from a distance then disappear into the woods.

That is weird.

You making sounds the animal coming close, I can buy that.
Then running away. (Up to this point, somewhat normal.)
Staying around and growling at you....odd.

[RWBlue]

BTW - I'm certainly not "anti-hunting" - but there's a difference between killing and hunting. By your own admission, you were hunting deer - an intentional, deliberate activity (how'd that work out, anyway? Are deer in your area attracted to indiscriminate gunfire?). You shot and killed a wild cat for dubious reasons, at best. Congrats.

You bring up an interesting point.

Since I am not a trophy hunter, I hunt for food. I always looked at different animals as targets of opportunity.

If I am hunting deer and a rabbit shows up and it is legal to shoot it.
Is there anything wrong with changing what is for dinner?

If I am hunting rabbits with dogs, is it alright to bag a fox? I don't plan on eating the fox. I have never shot a fox. If I did, I would save the hide and do something with it.

[StreamWalker]

You bring up an interesting point.

Since I am not a trophy hunter, I hunt for food. I always looked at different animals as targets of opportunity.

If I am hunting deer and a rabbit shows up and it is legal to shoot it.
Is there anything wrong with changing what is for dinner?

If I am hunting rabbits with dogs, is it alright to bag a fox? I don't plan on eating the fox. I have never shot a fox. If I did, I would save the hide and do something with it.

"I hunt for food"

Same here, but unlike some of the hunters in my area, I do not use an ATV, 2way radios or dogs. Although there are modern rifles and shotguns in my cabinet, I hunt with a bow or black powder rifle. Non-game animals such as Bobcat, Fox, Hawks, or Coyote, I see no need to kill them.

Unfortunately there are those who kill for the joy of killing even if they have to swerve their trucks in order to kill a Box Turtle or Groundhog on the road's shoulder. I saw this happen the other morning on my way to work, a Box Turtle on the shoulder and the jerkwad in front of me swerved just to kill it. Oh what a special individual, perhaps he'll get creamed by a tractor trailer while changing a flat on the shoulder.

[Aesop]

Oh, how different the world would be if kindness and compassion ruled.

[WingedMonkey]

Oh, how different the world would be if kindness and compassion ruled.

Tell that to that dolphin trapped in that pen so that tourists can get their rocks off.

[oruacat2]

You bring up an interesting point.

Since I am not a trophy hunter, I hunt for food. I always looked at different animals as targets of opportunity.

If I am hunting deer and a rabbit shows up and it is legal to shoot it.
Is there anything wrong with changing what is for dinner?

If I am hunting rabbits with dogs, is it alright to bag a fox? I don't plan on eating the fox. I have never shot a fox. If I did, I would save the hide and do something with it.

Just my two cents, but IMO that would be a senseless killing, and frankly I just don't understand that mentality, nor do I ever hope to understand that mentality. Basically "alright" is in the eye of the beholder.

[Aesop]

Tell that to that dolphin trapped in that pen so that tourists can get their rocks off.

yes I knew someone would say that; I can't do anything about what they are doing with captive dolphins in Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter. Except give money and my spare time to try to make things better for animals everywhere. And that is what I do in my spare time; I do try to make things better when ever I can.

This particular dophin was pregnant which will not happen for many captive animals. Since dolphins have two brains, two hearts, basically two bodies within their one body, they can sleep while the other side is awake. I have to say she was an ambassador of sorts. Trapped here in this pool for the purpose of someone making money off those of us who love animals, but still willing to allow me to hold her, knowing she will eat if she performs, these things are what WE do to them.

Whether we use them for money, food, entertainment, or are just plain mean to them like the earlier post referred to in the box turtle story, people could change the world by changing themselves and responding to cruelty with kindness and compassion.

I showed "Molly" as much compassion as I could in the short hour that I was there. If I could have freed her, I certainly would have. That is if she can even live on her own in an accepting pod in the wild. Do people show compassion in their posts on White Blaze? I don't hear compassion in your language, and I'm sorry for that.