Mt. Lion Mating?
- Thread starter gonzaga
- Start date
Gander D. Bander
New member
44s is correct they are like house cats come in often until bred,under no general pattern. This also means that they can den up and have kittens at any paticular time. Often times if you cut a track that has two track is is a female that is coming into or going out of heat.Which makes for a really easy hunt. He is wore smooth out keeping up with her. See goes to prove what my dad always said "that **** will get you killed". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
This post got me interested because I mainly hunt Bobcat and am certain that they come in heat in late winter/early spring, and don't see why Bobcat would be any different than Lion or House Cat. I had dinner with my hunting partner who is a Veterinarian and his neighbor that's a retired wildlife biologist and asked what they thought.
They both agree that cats (all) come in season in late winter so the kittens have a full summer to learn survival before winter. They said a cat will continue the estrus cycle every 30 days (approx.) untill they are bred but that seldom happens because they usually get bred the first cycle.
This makes alot of sence to me, and makes me think that Lions, because of their solitary lifestyle, might cycle a few more times before being bred. That would lead some to believe that they come in heat at any time.
I may be completly off base but it's pretty common knowledge that most wild animals give birth in spring for obvious reasons, and stands to reason that cats would be no different. Maybe some of the wildlife biologists on this board will jump in.
Charlie
They both agree that cats (all) come in season in late winter so the kittens have a full summer to learn survival before winter. They said a cat will continue the estrus cycle every 30 days (approx.) untill they are bred but that seldom happens because they usually get bred the first cycle.
This makes alot of sence to me, and makes me think that Lions, because of their solitary lifestyle, might cycle a few more times before being bred. That would lead some to believe that they come in heat at any time.
I may be completly off base but it's pretty common knowledge that most wild animals give birth in spring for obvious reasons, and stands to reason that cats would be no different. Maybe some of the wildlife biologists on this board will jump in.
Charlie
Marlin 25-36
New member
Lions are different in that they don't kick out their kittens for up to two years. The mother feeds the kittens through at least their first winter. I think it could be an advantage to have kittens in the late fall early winter in areas where the deer yard up. She would have a stable food supply handy when she didn't want to go too far away from young babies.
I've always found a lot of fresh scrapes and sign in local core ML denning areas at this time of year. Hereabouts the ML birthing cycle seems tied to blacktail fawning season (mid May-early June).
The dispersal of juvie lions (here in Coast Range of CA at least) would seem to be quite a bit less than 2 years on average, if one is to judge from the peak of starving/problem lion reports in Sept-October. Most trouble-makers turn out to be 60-90 lb juvie males, which tend to disperse earlier and further and end up with the most marginal turf. I'm further pushing it back by the assumption that they don't turn up starving the first few weeks of being out on their own.
LionHo
The dispersal of juvie lions (here in Coast Range of CA at least) would seem to be quite a bit less than 2 years on average, if one is to judge from the peak of starving/problem lion reports in Sept-October. Most trouble-makers turn out to be 60-90 lb juvie males, which tend to disperse earlier and further and end up with the most marginal turf. I'm further pushing it back by the assumption that they don't turn up starving the first few weeks of being out on their own.
LionHo