February is mating season for bobcats, and from mid-January till mid-March they roam around all day looking for a date. They are easier to call now than at any other time of year. A neighbor lady saw one at midday a few days ago, and one of my grandsons killed one a couple of days ago.
I went out calling with a grandson yesterday and we did two cold calling stands up high in our mountains without seeing a cat of any kind. It was pretty windy, not good for calling. Our snow is almost all melted all the way up to 3700 feet elevation, so no snow to show tracks. In a patch of old snow at the highest point we drove to, we found a fisher track.
I hiked over a quarter mile total and climbed up a steep slope in timber for 50 yards to one stand. Good day but came home exhausted. My heart doc would probably have a cardiac if he heard about such activity on my part. :nofgr:
Bobcats don't exist in my area of Ohio, and I have only seen a couple when vacationing in the western states. I hate cats (domestic) but do like the looks of Bobcats and Cougars. Enjoy calling, but remember that there is always next year if you get too tired.
Wish you could do some cat calling with us. We have lots of bobcats but it is so slick and steep most places that it's a lot harder to kill a called one than in places like Texas and where I used to call in Southern California.
At our age I'm not sure any of us should count on next year!
We got em running around here. WIDNR denies most of them but pics dont lie. :readthis:
This thread instantly reminded me of when I went to Texas and hunted with Randy Watson and Randy Buker. Calling from a high chair in the back of a pickup truck at 2:30 in the morning. Those cats literally walk right up to you as long as you hold the light on them.It was insane.
I was standing under the chair with Watsons Benelli on one stand and a cat walked right up next to the truck and sat down staring at the light. I froze. I never seen anything like that, and I froze :doh2:
Watsons whispers down to me from the high chair..."Champion, you gonna shoot the sonofbitch or name it?
That day will never ever leave my mind. And I've probably brought it up in here numerous times already :laf:
Quote from: FinsnFur on February 01, 2024, 09:04:04 PM"Champion, you gonna shoot the sonofbitch or name it?
I haven't seen this before. So did you unload that Benelli on it and blow it to pieces or pick it up and put it in the truck?
Quote from: FinsnFur on February 01, 2024, 09:04:04 PMWe got em running around here. WIDNR denies most of them but pics dont lie. :readthis:
This thread instantly reminded me of when I went to Texas and hunted with Randy Watson and Randy Buker. Calling from a high chair in the back of a pickup truck at 2:30 in the morning. Those cats literally walk right up to you as long as you hold the light on them.It was insane.
I was standing under the chair with Watsons Benelli on one stand and a cat walked right up next to the truck and sat down staring at the light. I froze. I never seen anything like that, and I froze :doh2:
Watsons whispers down to me from the high chair..."Champion, you gonna shoot the sonofbitch or name it?
That day will never ever leave my mind. And I've probably brought it up in here numerous times already :laf:
Great story! Love it!
Cats are just weird at times, especially at how tame they can seem sometimes once you see them. I had one bobcat come to a call in light misty rain, then sit up in an open patch of grass at 20 yards and lick itself all over, cleaning all of the water off of its fur while I watched.
We have tons of them in New Hampshire and you can't hunt them. Drive right across the Connecticut river to Vermont and you can hunt them. They kind of act like domestic cats a lot of times, they don't seem too scared of people.