How does one actually hunt bobcats?

[catman529]

All I've heard so far is of bobcats being shot during other hunting trips...nobody seems to expect when they see them and they're so elusive...I've never even seen one in person myself. I've heard of our neighbors seeing one or two in the past but it's rare that they're seen. How does one go about hunting bobcats? That would be a pelt worth keeping (and a taxidermy mount if I had a money tree in the backyard)

 

[easy45]

Call to em just like coyotes.

Its just luck wheather one comes in or not

 

[catman529]

Would one of those wounded rabbit calls work for bobcats because of their partiality towards rabbits and hares? Also if I take my crow call and bite down hard enough it can make a terrible squealing noise. Might compare that to some predator calls and see if it would work.

Is a .22 too small for a bobcat considering their resilience?

 

[pass-thru]

There's a big difference between calling one in or trapping one, and one getting shot by a deer hunter. I always pass them up when deer hunting. I don't predator call but I trap. Big variation on what they're worth....southern/eastern from almost nothing up to $100, maybe more on occasion. Out west some of them up to $2k.

 

[catman529]

You mean the value of their pelts? I'd be happy just to keep the pelt myself as a trophy. But it wouldn't hurt selling one to help pay for more hunting gear...

 

[spitndrum]

Very Carefully!

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

WHAT ARE THE WAYS TO TRAP THEM

 

[jakeway]

The only Bobcat I've seen in the wild was this fall in the first weekend of archery season. It showed up a few minutes after I did a long calling sequence on my fawn bleat. I don't think that was a coincidence.

 

[Big Buck]

I trap 2-3 every year
Out of 5 traps this year
no cats

 

[BDS05]

Big Buck, what do you put in your traps? I've never been big in this, although I've always wanted to do it. Seems like it'd give me something else to look forward to while at deer camp..

 

[pass-thru]

Big Buck, what do you put in your traps? I've never been big in this, although I've always wanted to do it. Seems like it'd give me something else to look forward to while at deer camp..

It's hard to juggle hunting and trapping at the same time as trapping consumes a lot of time.

The key with cats is to find tracks, have good eye apeal at the set, and guide their paw to the pan. Skunk essence is a good lure, as well as bobcat gland lure and bobcat urine.

 

[BDS05]

Thanks pass-thru

 

[moondawg]

This is the first year I've even seen a live bobcat. I've seen it twice this year. I don't know if it'll be around the 3rd time.

 

[156p&y]

Here is pic of a community scrathing and scent post that bobcats use. It is similar to a sign post rub for a whitetail deer.

That's cool never seen one of those before in the woods

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

neat

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

i guess just being in the right place at the right time

 

[Elite Mafia]

You use the same calls as coyote hunting (distress calls), but the hard part is usually the cat will come in late, sneeking in. Therefore, you will have to let the coyote come and go most of the time. That's a very difficult thing to do for me, but it does work if you are looking exclusively for bobcats!