What sounds for bobcats?

P

PurpleCoyote

New member
Im sure cats are off limits in Indiana but if I go to Ky. to the in-laws what sounds would you bobcat hunters reccommoend? And what type of country? Maybe big woods and big hills and then find the thickest cover,, especially brushpiles or rock out croppings in the big woods? Am I on the right track?
Thanks Daryl P.
 
If you will be hunting in the dead of winter, I would suggest along the creek bottoms. Look for patches of cedars or thicker short brush. In my county, the cats live in brush piles. Usually there are plenty of dozer piles on certain parts of a creek bottom.Also, find the turkeys and you will find cats.

I use continuous sound while calling cats. This is why an ecaller will work better. You don't run out of breath using it. Bird sounds, rabbit sounds, or just about any busy type sound will work. Make your stands close together and stay for about 12 minutes then move. Make sure your stands overlap just a little. In other words, just move to where you think the fringe of your sound was reaching. You don't have to use a lot of volume, because in my opinion, a cat will not respond from a great distance anyway. Call where he lives and watch/listen to the other animals in the area.

Randy
 
I hesitate to answer, as I am by no means an expert. I am happy to tell you what works for me.......hunt the terrain mentioned. I have my best luck with higher pitched, very busy sounds....and keep 'em going as has been said. I like to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on a stand when looking to call a cat. I also seldom see them coming.....it seems as you sweep your eyes across the topography, he isn't there.....then the next time he is.

I also prefer to use a decoy for cats.....it sometimes almost seems to mesmerize them. I have sat and watched them through my scope for minutes at a time looking at their eyes as they watch the movement of my "Jack-in-the-box".

I find them very rewarding to call. I hope this helps a little....


Joe
 
I'm lucky, as I live in a bobcat rich area. So when coyote hunting, I often observe bobcats responding to my calls. Sometimes its before cat season, so I take that time to mess with them, and learn their reactions. I've called them so close, I have gotten scared they would pounce, and got up yelling, running behind a tree /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Doesn't pay to show off...........and I've learned my lesson.

Plus you will call lots of little bobcats in the houscat (or smaller) size range. Folks, let those babies walk and you may have a real trophy next year. I consider a shootable size bobcat to be 20 pounds give or take, although I've shot some dinky ones by misjudging size. Biggest I've ever weighed in was 32 lbs., but I guess they get a bit bigger in the Northeast.

As far as sounds go, I'm odd man out on bobcats. I hit 'em with loud, hard, aggressive handcalling. And I don't use a woodpecker or bird sound. Wild and loud as I can muster on a Tweety seems to work on predators across the board here in the Northeast. As R. Shaw stated, less time between calling sequence, or even continuous with an ecaller is great. An absolute killer sound on the FOXPRO is the jackrabbit distress here in the East.

Bobcats are very aggressive in my area, and the louder, bolder sounds have triggered the most responces for me. Not to say a woodpecker doesn't work, or won't work, but if its not broke, don't fix it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Bobcats seem to be more of homebodies than 'yotes, and I have found them almost anywhere in the forest. But where I have had the most consistant luck is thick underbrush type forests, and as mentioned above, calling near the base of our boulder strewn mountains.

If you spy a bobcat in your travels, do not be shy about calling this area many times for him. My experience has shown me cats are not easily made call shy, and will usually answer more than once.

I have no idea how far a bobcat will respond from, but I can only hunt them from Dec. 20th to March 8th, so there is usually snow on the ground. I hunt predators alot from treestands, and visability is excellent. Contrary to popular belief, I have seen bobcats CHARGING in to a call at over 200 yards. They will pull up short, and stalk that last 50 yards or so.........but not always, sometime they just bomb right in.

Also a decoy of your choice is a great benifit calling bobcats. Once they see a little movement, they seem to keep stalking, even if you don't call. Also, I've found howling does little to deter them from answering a call, and bobcats in the East pay coyotes little mind. If the two would ever tangle in earnest, I doubt the coyote would survive.

I belive cats to be the king of the predator chain in the Northeast. I say this because a neighbors 100 pound german shepard was attack by a rabbid bobcat, and inflicted 500 stitches on the dog in a breif fight. The cat was dispatched by the dog owner via shotgun, and the state tested the cat rabies positive. Dog was stitched and quaranteened, and is now recovered. That bobcat only weighed 35 pounds /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Thats why I'm a little scared of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Quote:
I belive cats to be the king of the predator chain in the Northeast. I say this because a neighbors 100 pound german shepard was attack by a rabbid bobcat, and inflicted 500 stitches on the dog in a breif fight. The cat was dispatched by the dog owner via shotgun, and the state tested the cat rabies positive. Dog was stitched and quaranteened, and is now recovered. That bobcat only weighed 35 pounds /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Thats why I'm a little scared of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif



Sleddog,

This might be from the fact the cat was rabbid NOT because its a billy bad predator, Most cats here in Maine flee and tree from scent of an approaching K-9,.. poodle or other /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I would tend more to believe the cat was distraught and a bit bullet proof from being Rabbid. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


Great Points on calling though! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Vaportrail
 
How's it goin' Vapor /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif

Undoubtedely the bobcat with rabies was acting out of charactor. But the point I'm trying to make is a little bobcat can be a formidable animal. I'm sure when you skin a coyote, you are amazed by the lack of muscle, and when I skin a bobcat, they look like little weight lifters. Weight lifters with claws /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

But I have been fortunate enough to call both animals out in the open on the same stand at the same time. Actually I call 3 bobcats ( 1 large, 2 small) and a coyote on the same stand. Early November, and the cats showed up first. I was turning off and on the FOXPRO messin' with them (pre-bobcat season), and a large coyote showed up. They had a stand-off, but the cats did not flee. Went on this staring contest for about a minute. The coyote turned, as if to leave, I shot him. More stuff happened on that stand, but its a long story...........

I bet bobcats ARE afraid of hounds and poodles, stuff that isn't natural to him. But a coyote is natuaral to the cat, and from what I see over the years, he isn't afraid of foxes and coyotes.

But yes, my dopey black lab treed a bobcat behind the house when we were taking a hike last year. I'm happy the cat wasn't cornered of chose to scratch.

But if I had to wrestle an angry bobcat, or an angry coyote, I'd pick the coyote every time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Going Great Sleddog, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gifThanks!


Quote:
I bet bobcats ARE afraid of hounds and poodles, stuff that isn't natural to him. But a coyote is natuaral to the cat, and from what I see over the years, he isn't afraid of foxes and coyotes.





I understand your point with yotes, I was just posturing the german Sheps encounter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Vaportrail /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
PurpleCoyote

The Bobcat is held in high regard by many. Too high.

I said it before many times to new cat guys..........the hardest part of calling bobcats is simply having them living where you do. Not a smart animal by any stretch of the imagination, do not use their noses as a coyote will when coming downwind, and a sucker for a decoy. Most any distress will work.

The bobcat is the best animal to learn to call for a novice, as you can make a ton of mistakes and still kill him. Not so with the lowly coyote. Better be near perfect with him.

But the bobcat is more rare, and to many more beautiful than a fox or 'yote. Maybe that is the reason he is held in such high regard. Its certainly not for his cunning.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just get out and call, and if he is around you will see him. Be wary, as he will blend in with his surroundings, as he stalks in. Especially in a snow free environment. Call often, and stay on stand longer for cats, you'll be shooting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Last thing, bobcats are easy to over harvest. You may hit an area that has had a den and you will call multiple cats, especially in early fall. They are not nearly so prolific of breeders as coyotes, so I recommend self control. Please excersise Bobcat conservation.

Good hunting, Sleddogg /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Like sleddogg said, cats can come in a hurry and slow way down for the last 50 yards. I do not expect a cat to cross a large open area, so usually I am calling in more brushy areas which have small open spots. If you are calling with a partner, you can position him 60 or so yards in the direction you expect the cat to approach. You stay back and do the calling. Generally, the partner will be able to see the cat when he is in hustle mode. Lot easier to see when he is trotting along. Partner just needs to raise his gun to stop the cat and then shoot straight.

Randy
 
Iagree with R. Shaw and Sleddog and will add my 2 cents. To me, the hardest part about day calling bobcats is seeing them. They blend in to the terrain like nothing else I ave ever seen. Pay close attention to your suroundings.
 
Quote:
Not a smart animal by any stretch of the imagination...



/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif That is funny right there... I just had this same conversation with a guy this week. You nailed it sleddogg, they are a lot easier that a coyote... that nose of theirs is only good for one thing... twitching their whiskers! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Quote:
I like bird sounds but take lots with rabbit distress! Bobcat in heat is another good one.



I agree with Steve 100%, but I will add that a rodent distress is bad to the bone when you are hunting "tight" areas. There is nothing like bringing a cat out of a thicket with just a coaxer or lip squeak. If you are in windy or breezy conditions, keep your eyes peeled WHILE the wind is blowing. A lot of the cats that I have come in contact with would stalk WHILE the wind was blowing and stop when the wind did. I believe that they are trying to conceal thier movement with the wind... just like we do. Sneaky little buggers aren't they! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Hi!
I called one in in Indiana with a FoxPro playing cottontail distress #2 I believe.


Quote:
Im sure cats are off limits in Indiana but if I go to Ky. to the in-laws what sounds would you bobcat hunters reccommoend? And what type of country? Maybe big woods and big hills and then find the thickest cover,, especially brushpiles or rock out croppings in the big woods? Am I on the right track?
Thanks Daryl P.

 
the bobcat in heat sound that foxpro has is awesome for calling them in.here in east tx they will answer the call back.if they squal back at the call they are coming in.it can take 2 min are 2 hour.but they are coming.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top