Bob cat season opened monday here. It was 80 degrees at 4pm and I just didn't feel like making a deer stand so I decided to try a bit of calling behind the house. Set up along the edge of a gulley that comes off the back of a bean field and drops through some hardwoods to a thick [but bone dry] drainage. Set my decoy up high near the top of the gulley and I tucked in 40 yards down along the edge of it. Wind was a bit squirrely, but mostly running diagonally from the top, so most of the time my down wind was the bean field. I had brought a bunch of calls...THO, Hawks Feather, and a nice little Buffalo horn open reed I got from Bearmanric. All got some air time and I was blowing them towards the decoy hoping it would give the impression as the wind carried it back down the gulley that it was coming from up that away. I'd call for 30 seconds or so and then wait a couple minutes. At first I was trying my rabbit stuff but then started trying to make bird sounds on Rick's open read. It was pretty pathetic and a bit slobbery. Probably 40 minutes into this call practice I was deciding if I should give another bird slobber or break stand..... then a bit of movement in the bottom of the gulley. Here comes a nice bob cat up the bottom just walking along steady. It passes behind a little patch of bramble and I raise my 22-250. It's 20-25 yards away. It comes out the other side still walking steady. I pull on it's shoulder and fire. It does a summersault and starts flopping. I'm working to get another round in and trying to watch it at the same time. It jumps up and runs a circle back past me at probably 10 yards. I see blood on it's shoulder, which is the opposite shoulder that I shot so I know I have a through shot, but how is this thing running :confused: I can't get it in the scope as it tears buy and heads back toward the drainage.
I got up and started following it's path. didn't see any blood except I see this little red thing that looked like a seed. Pick it up and the red starts coming off on my fingers and it's a piece of bone. Start doing sections figuring I'm going to come across it at any moment, but as the light faded I still hadn't located it and spoting blood was becoming almost impossible. I ended up quiting the search for the night, but that bugger has got to be really close by and hopefully I will find it in the morning.
That is my first called, shot, and hit critter and I sure hope I'm also able to recover it :puke:
Way to GOOOOO! You'll find him, I know you will cause it sounds like you whacked him pretty good. Congratulations!
Al
Stay with him Stu.....hang something in a bush at the last spot of blood...then either do grids or concentric circles....he's there....be sure to look under everything...
Congrats!!!
Joe
Good Job and good luck hope you find it.That is something I would love to do is have a chance to hunt bobcats.
Cool story Stu...way to go man!! I hope you find him. I'd love to come and help ya, but you'll probably have him located before I could get there :biggrin: Don't give up on him and make sure you post some pics when you do get him.
Steve
That's awesome Stu....... :yoyo:
I'm proud of ya my friend. I really hope you find the cat, but if not, ya still did it buddy....... :congrats:
You may have hit him in the shoulder & missed the vitals. :confused: The day I went & listened to Byron South speak here in Ohio he told me Bobcats can take a beating. He's shot them with a 75gr bullet from a 243 & still had to bring out the tracking dogs.
Nevertheless,,, don't give up on that cat cuz he's prolly hit good enough that when he lies down he'll stiffen up & you'll find him hidden in the thick stuff!! Take a little handgun with you too & look near water. :wink:
BTW-- I almost forgot>> CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had something similiar happen last year on my last cat of the season. I called it up and shot it about 30 yards away with a 22-250. It ran like hell for about 50 yards then it fell. You will find it tomorrow if you look hard enough.
Bob
Congratulations, Stu! :congrats:
You'll find it tomorrow. We want pics!!
Semp
Stu,
Way to go on the calling. Now go find that cat.
Jerry
:highclap: :highclap: Very cool Stu !! You'll be runnin that a few times through your head tonight. :laf:
That has to be very exciting ! Wish ya the best on findin that sucker tomorrow.
Way to go Stu!!! I called up my first cat last season and I know I was pumped. :yoyo:
He hasn't reported back........ :confused:
I'm wondering here. What'd you come up with Stu? Dont make us come find you. :sad:
I bet he's already out here!!! Good luck Stu and stay with it!!
Joe
Here kitty kitty ...... I'm heading out now.
Thanks for all the encouragement! Iahntr was spot on. It just keeps replaying. it kind goes something like :shck: :biggrin: :confused: :puke: :doh2: :madd: :shrug: hopefully I can add a :hahaha: :biggrin: :yoyo: to the ending
Good luck Stu! We're pullin for ya!
I bet ya a pretty he is within 100 yards of where he was last seen...
PICS STU!!!!!!
When I read through the original post I thought " if that was me out there nobody would know about the cat until I found it because I would be crawling around in the dark feeling for fur 2 states away " I sure hope you find him
Hey Stu: Congrats on your first called in, shot critter. Perhaps a cat scan would help? :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
No luck so far.... lots of snakes, turles, and briars, but no cat. Have to do a bit of work work then will try a bit more :madd:
Congrads dude! I sure hope you can find him! Cats are tough little critters!
Brent
I hope you find the cat, but without a lot of luck or a dog, the chances are pretty slim. Sounds to me like you got bone and probablly just a very short blood trail. Usually, just before a cat decides to die, he will make a jump into the thickest stuff he can find. This makes them almost invisible. Also, they will leave an obvious trail or cattle path to find such a place. Erratic behavior such as this makes for a difficult recovery.
Randy
Afraid you are right. I tried again this afternoon and still nothing. Man that is such a bummer :sad3:
Stu.......my freind........you will get your revenge soon enough. :wink: Keep your chin up. :sneer:
Stu
At least you know your calling style is working....for the longest time that was a problem for me. I had no idea if my call was loud enough, or was I running animals off. Keep calling and it will happen again.
On a side note, why has nobody built a call called the slobbery? :biggrin:
Stu, I noticed you were shooting a 250. Were you using a 50 grain bullet or less? And if so, are you sure you got an exit?
Randy
I was shooting a 50 grain factory load, remington accutip-v boat tail. I'm sure it was a through shot as when it ran back past me going the other way there was a pretty good blood spot right behind it's front leg, slightly lower than shoulder. Given I was shooting down on it from the rim of the gulley [maybe 20 foot elevation difference] it makes me believe I hit it right about where I was aiming. For better or worse, I have that image burned in :rolleye: guess it's part of the package, but it really sucks.
Is there a better place to target?
Man we need a picture of this for the Bloopers :biggrin:
Sorry Stu :innocentwhistle:
Nah :rolleye:
My repeated complete misses on yotes at Randy's last Feb was embarassing as hell and solid blooper material....... this one..... well I ain't even thinking about laughing.
Way to go on your cat! hope you can find him. :congrats:
Sorry to hear about the lost fur Stu. That sucks cause everythng else sounded like it went like clockwork.
Brad
I'm still pullin for ya on findin your cat Stu!! But if you don't find it then it won't have anything to do with a lack of effort on your part. :wink:
Aint that spring gobbler huntin so much easier??!! :laf: :laf:
Stu, Sounds like you remember the whole sight picture. With that kind of an exit, the cat is probablly no more than sixty yards from where you last saw him. Try one more search and concentrate on that small area. Look along the line he last took and 20 yards to each side. Don't miss one square foot in that area. In my opinion, it is worth a shot.
Randy
I'll give it another shot in the morning. Thanks!! :fingerx:
Good luck Stu I hope ya find him/her.
Dont send that hide to me....it'll be already pickled in the briars :innocentwhistle: :laf:
I pray you find it Stu. Beside the Lord's probably tired of the World Peace thing for now & wouldn't mind spending some time w/ ya in the woods. :wink:
It's 10:00 am. What time did you find it? :wo:
Stu, sorry to here about your loss :sad: Hey at least ya got a chance and thats more than i can say. dont give up !!!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya .:fingerx:
securpro
Good read Stu.
Hey Stu: One thing we haven't covered in the list of possibilities: maybe old Wylie Coyote found your dead cat and took him home for lunch. That is not too far fetched at all. I sure hope that is not the case and you find your fur.
I just hope Stu makes it back!! It's been a little over 36 hrs since he posted last!! :confused:
How goes the search Stu?? :wink:
With much regret.... I have given up. :sad: My consolation was a grey fox that crossed in front of me walking out last night. He proceeded to mouse in the tall grass along the bean field about 20 yards from me. I stood and watched him through the scope [fox isn't open till mid nov]. He never noticed me and I watched him for 3-4 min before he went out of sight..... life goes on.
Well we certainly don't win em all Stu. I think you gave an above & beyond effort to find that cat & that is all that is expected. Congrats on the calling in of the cat in the 1st place. You know you are doing it right now. :wink:
Best of luck on your next cat too!! :biggrin:
Stu you werent out there cussin on your last trip were ya :sneer: