# Bobcats



## modestmoose

Have any of you guys ever killed a bobcat? What did you kill it with?


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## gds

Yes,
.22-250, 12 gauge 2 and half #4 shot. .22 mag. Those were in N.M. 
Bow and arrow. That was in MO.


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## JeepHammer

I don't kill them around here, one bobcat will clear out the feral house cats for a mile in every direction...
And the damned dumped house cats do a LOT more damage than any bobcat I've seen around here!

Pictures from the back lot on the family farm about this time last year,


























Big reduction in coyotes when these showed up...


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## gds

Back in the day, (70-80's) you could get $100-$200 for a bobcat hide. I don't know what there bringing now. I generally don't shoot them anymore. I did take one out for a local farmer 2 yrs ago that was eating on his free range critters.


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## justinpcox

*A bow works fine..*

Shot one with a bow a few years back...kinda regret it now. Had it mounted, very pretty, but I dont know anyone who eats them....
If you have free range chickens etc...you will definately want to get rid of the bobcats etc..


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## gds

Nice pics JH.

Yes a bobcat will keep all kinds of critters in check. Predators are good until they start interfering with the ultimate predator in my area, ME. When the quail, turkey, pheasant, and deer population starts going down, then some of the predators have to go. I will tag a yote without a second thought, cats I will give a chance being as there are not many in my area.


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## TechAdmin

What kind of camera is that Hammer? Wireless web camera?


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## Diamond_Ranch

modestmoose said:


> Have any of you guys ever killed a bobcat? What did you kill it with?


A 243 works fine for me. This is mostly Horse country around here and there have been Horses attacked by Bobcats. There are two Bobcats here that worry me, they just stand off about 75 yards and stare at us and always when I'm not packing. They've gotten at least 50 of our chickens. You can't hit what you can't see.


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## digapony

Will they usually attack you if you run into them in the woods ?


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## JeepHammer

Dean said:


> What kind of camera is that Hammer? Wireless web camera?


Nope, one of those 'Game Cameras' from Cabelas catalog.
Ran about $125. (not the infra-red kind, just visible light)

We were trying to catch a sneaky neighbor stealing PVC pipe and construction supplies and wound up with bobcats and the biggest skunk I've ever seen, and pictures of our own stupid dogs!

Neighbor went to jail for making meth, and we purchased his house trailer and ground for bail/lawyer money.
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Anyway, with the reduction in feral house cats and coyotes in the area, there were a* LOT* more squirrels this year, and a few more rabbits than we normally see.

Ground hog populations seem to be a little higher, but that might be my imagination since they infested my garden this year!
I got all of them, but it took WAY longer than some of my sweet corn, squash and lettuce would have liked!
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If I had chickens or turkeys (we have rabbits) I would worry some, but I have yet to see a track outside of the woods or capture a picture of them in the yard or barn lots...

When I have to knock them down, I use my 'Varmint' rifles...
Mostly .223 Rem in a Ruger M-77 Mk II or one of my AR-15's.

I normally hunt 'Varmints' with an autoloader, and I have an AR-15 set up strictly for that function since coyotes an ground hogs often show up in groups, and with a bolt gun, that second shot is just too slow.

There is no 'Varmint' we have around here that a .22 WMR or a .223 Rem. won't dispatch with confidence!


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## JeepHammer

digapony said:


> Will they usually attack you if you run into them in the woods ?


You can't make a bobcat or coyote attack a human unless they are diseased, like rabies...
They are VERY shy animals and won't have much to do with any animal bigger than they are.

The guy that says 'Bobcats' attacked horses,
I've never seen or heard any verifiable accounts of that, and there are horses EVERYWHERE around here.

Dogs will attack large stock with amazing regularity, especially dogs that are living together in a 'Pack', wether they are feral or not...

The neighbors' Rottweilers for instance,
3 Rots, one shepard mix and some kind of hound mix decided to take out new born calves this year...
I still have the collars just in case anyone wants to claim the dogs and their damages....

Went up and asked them to identify their dogs, and they claimed those weren't their dogs, but I haven't seen those rots since I pulled the trigger on three of them killing a calf and attacking another (that died later)...
Believe this or not, they have some rottie puppies running around loose again up there, and one that looks like a pit bull puppy!
(Stupid people should have kids or dogs)


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