Jumped a bobcat off of a deer that it killed

[Okanagan]

A couple of days ago with my son and grandson, Cody, we came around a bend in a logging road and saw a large bobcat on a deer in the edge of the snowy road ahead.  The cat ran into the timber.  Cody sneaked back to watch the kill for 20 minutes and then he and his uncle called for 45 with no response.

The story in the snow told of the cat killing the button buck.  The cat either jumped on the deer before it got on the road or jumped it on the road edge and rode it till it went down and slid 12-15 feet angling across the road.  The deer got up, jumped back into the middle of the road where apparently on the slick ice it did the splits and broke its leg.  It made a jump or two then went down for good with another slide and then the cat dragged it a bit more onto the edge of the road. 

We came back before daylight the next morning.  Cody and his uncle stalked the kill with an initial plan for Cody to hide and watch the kill if they didn't see anything.  His uncle and I would drive to the end of the road looking for lion tracks and pick him up 2-3 hours later on our way out.  Cody decided not to sit up over the dead deer.  He's not super interested in getting a bobcat.

Since we had left late the afternoon before, the cat had returned, dragged the deer behind a screen of brush and eaten from both hindquarters an amount equal to one hind quarter.  Cody dragged the deer back to its original spot on the edge of the road.

When we got back 2 ½ hours later, the cat had returned and dragged the deer behind the screen of brush again.  They stalked the kill from the opposite direction without seeing anything, and then called for half an hour with a superb view of the road and the open timber mountainside below the kill.  No joy.  They dragged the deer back to its original spot on the edge of the road but other commitments have kept us from going back.  I don't have a license for bobcat but may drive out again today to see what has happened to the kill.

As it lay right after the cat killed it.  The broken and severed hind leg shows.  The cat had apparently rolled the deer over and eaten maybe a pound of meat from the lower hind quarter before we arrived and scared it off. 



The cause of death appears to have been from the cat choking the buck’s windpipe, judging mainly from the mussed hair on its throat as the photo below shows.  That matches photos we've seen of bobcat killing deer, and no apparent cuts in the hide elsewhere.  Punctures don't show up much however and we didn't examine in detail because we hoped that with minimal handling of the kill on our part, the cat would be more likely to return.

[pitw]

Gotta love the investigating.  Thanks for sharing such an event.

[nastygunz]

 Hell that deer is plenty fresh I would have grabbed some backstrap off it

[Okanagan]

Hell that deer is plenty fresh I would have grabbed some backstrap off it

Yep, plenty good to eat.  It was still warm.  Will make another post with latest go round with this bobcat.  Shot fired...

[Okanagan]

We made another try for this bobcat yesterday after leaving him alone for more than a full day and night.  By yesterday morning, Friday, he had eaten both hindquarters of the button buck that he had killed on Tuesday afternoon. 



My son and I stalked the kill before daylight yesterday morning.  We had taped red cellophane over an old big size Mag-light and it would reflect eyes out to 40 yards but not show much else.  We have not done night hunting and have no experience nor equipment.

Saw eyes at 30 yds. in brush by the kill, that disappeared before my son could shoot.  We waited, lip squeaked, then after ten minutes edged toward the kill on the opposite side of the road.  Suddenly large eyes appeared across the road from us, back in the brush beyond the kill.  Son aimed a few inches below on a line between the eyes, thinking he was seeing a bobcat sitting up at 35 feet. 

Apparently a clean miss.  A shotgun would work better in the brush.  We searched all around, till well after daylight, and then dragged the dead deer back to its original position in view on the edge of the road, above. 

We went on looking for lion tracks, found one a half day old and called with no joy as snow piled up deep.

Four hours later we came back past the kill and the bobcat had returned again and dragged the deer across the road to the opposite ditch.  Determined cat!  That is four times we have moved his kill into the open and all four times he has come back and moved it to where he wanted.

Snow is over 2 feet deep by now up there, likely closing that area to wheel vehicles for the rest of the winter. 

[nastygunz]

Battle Cat!