Where to get a bobcat
cougar
I'm interested in a bobcat hunt somewhere. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm open to calling or hunting with dogs. Just looking for a fun hunt with a good chance to get one. Thanks
Although I have never hunted with him, I understand Laney's Guide Service in Maine has a spectacular record of taking Bobcats for his clients. Although Paul Laney guides for other Game animals a visit to his website, and one will quickly realize the "Bobcat" is his forte'. I have also been told by several he is a real gentleman, and a really fun guy to hunt alongside.
I agree with a trip to Maine. Dogs would be your best bet but I think calling one in is more rewarding. Not easy though, here in MA we have a decent population but it may take a whole season ro call in one. Ive called in two in three seasons.
Thanks guys. I never thought that Maine would be a big bobcat state, but I must admit I'm intrigued by the thought. I checked Paul's website and he does look like he has a passion for them. I agree with calling being more rewarding, but I've also hunted mountain lions with dogs and that was intense and exciting chasing the hounds. Thanks again for taking time to respond.
if you are still looking right here in mn is closer, and you will get a cat if you have a few days to follow some dogs
michael
Prettier cats out west if that matters.
Bulldreamer, one thing about Maine from what ive read is that they get BIG up there.
How are the cats prettier out west? Are the spots more distinct or are there different color phases? To be honest, I've done countless out of state hunts, mostly out west, and have never seen one in the wild.
Have called in quiet a few here in Alabama and they can be fairly easy to arrow when compared to our almost impossible coyote s. I am not quiet confident enough to start guiding yet.
Look at jordan steward at strand outfitters of minnesota...great guy and has 100% success i believe...he actually brought his dogs to wyoming and shot a lion off them...stand up operation
"Spike", Although I have only my home state of Virginia for reference, and I have taken 9 cats through the many years of hunting, the cats taken in Maine seem like Giants compared to the ones I have taken. I can only guess the sheer/utter cold of the environment necessitates their increased size for survival.
Nick is right about better cats being out west, but odds of success are much lower.
ive been lucky enough to trap a bunch of cats all over, so ive seen the difference of westerns vs north central or Midwestern cats many times.
Here are a few cats for comparison.
here is a very nice western cat...
Another western, not quite as nice..
a decent western cat...
a well spotted and furred western cat..
a couple bland mn cats
a 38 lb mn cat with decent belly color
some plane jane mn cats...
you can start to see the difference, but in person the difference is almost shocking. But unless you are selling them or are getting enough of them to know what you have, a cat is a cat.
good luck!
michael
look at the difference between the belly width on the very first cat I posted, and the last two- very typical difference between the best and so so cats.
michael
Very interesting pictures. Thanks for sharing. Dumb question, the guys out west that run hounds; will they run their dogs on bobcats as well as mountain lions? Or do they want their dogs to strictly run lions?
the guys I know both for the most part, and yes they can be found in the same areas.
Go after Christmas for the best quality pelt as well. These were caught December 6th.
but you have to remember, many will pay 2-3,000 for a lion, nobody is going to pay that for a bobcat so they are money ahead to just run longtails.
These were caught around January 18th. Big difference in how prime the pelt is.
Mike.
Jordan runs strictly bobcat in mn but he went out to wyoming this year to try his dogs at lions which he succeeded at. I have not been able to hunt with him but have gained a friendship through social media and email. The MN Season is short and i believe is closed now but he has had great success
Put out trail cameras. You might be surprised what you find. I had this camera out watching for bear movement. And this cat came in. A me from my house a friend has a camera out is always getting pictures of bobcats during the day around noon.
Strand Outfitters in Minnesota. My Dad and I each got one in 5 days. Mine is top 20 all time SCI and was 42lbs
DL. I do have plenty of trail cams out, although there are sightings in southern oh and Indiana,we don't have a population where I live. Last winter one was caught on camera about 25 miles away. It was the talk of the hunting crowd for awhile. That was a first that I know of. Thanks for all of the input. Xbow-that is a pig of a cat. Congrats.
DL. I do have plenty of trail cams out, although there are sightings in southern oh and Indiana,we don't have a population where I live. Last winter one was caught on camera about 25 miles away. It was the talk of the hunting crowd for awhile. That was a first that I know of. Thanks for all of the input. Xbow-that is a pig of a cat. Congrats.
Northern Michigan and the UP have a good number of cats I know. I could not recommend any one to you since the people that I know that hunt them are private indivuals with there own dogs.
Very nice Kitties boys! Western cats are definitely prettier that the easterns. Western cats tend to be much lighter in color, whereas eastern cats tend to be more gray-colored. If I were looking to take a good bobcat with a bow, I would look to some of the better lion guides in Utah and Colorado. I'll bet that you can get a good hunt for less than a lion hunt.
Paul Laney is your man. The guy lives eats and breathes bobcats. He is very well known and respected by other hunters and outfitters in Maine. I'm pretty sure you won't find higher odds of success on bobcats anywhere. Since you live in Ohio I'd call Maine pretty convenient too.
I hunted with Paul for Bobcats last year. The presence of fresh snow is critical for this hunt. Conditions for my hunt were icy and no fresh snow. We did have one exciting chase but weren't lucky enough to get a shot. Paul is a great guy. He and his dogs are top notch. One other point. This type of hunt lends itself more for a shotgun than a bow. You might get a archery shot if the cat trees but most likely it will require a running shot.
I've met Paul at a few shows, I agree with Mule, he sure gets it done.
I'd like to also recommend Corey Dailey and Little Lost Outfitters, Idaho.
You could do a Mt.Lion/Bobcat combo for the same price!
Good Luck!
I trap a good amount of bobcats while trapping for coyotes, and I've called several in over the years. They are easy to trap if you target them, but I wouldn't bet I could call one in if I had two weeks to do it. Like all cats, they follow no schedule but their own. I would think hounds are the best bet.
mn_archer - Being unfamiliar with bobcats, is there something about the belly patterns that make pelts more valuable?
Also, another question - Do you eat or have your tried bobcat meat? I've ate cougar before and thought it excellent table fare, and heard bobcat is much the same...
Public land Nebraska...saw four in one week bow hunting. Just couldn't quite get a shot off.
I think the cats in the south are just as pretty as those out west. 23 pounds is about as big as ours get.
New York State for mine! DIY:))
TBM is almost correct on this one. Some of the southern cats (TX, LA, MS) will blow your mind with the back spotting and how gorgeous they are. The only downfall is they have less hair than the ringleader of a Hitler youth rally. They are also valued as such. When top lot western cats were bringing $1600 a couple years ago a beautiful Mississippi cat was bringing home about $75-100.
Zbone, it isn't just the spotting, its the color and clarity. Look at the first cat picture I posted. See how bright the belly appears? that's a very clear $1000 cat. Now the last 2 cats I posted are prime examples of mn cats- $100 each.
Yes ive eaten bobcat. It really could be the other white meat. In mn we have to turn the carcasses in for research purposes, but other places ive trapped you don't need to do so. Im not too keen on eating critters ive trapped, but over the years ive tried most of them mostly because some buddy was over and conned me into grilling some up. I know many people say beaver meat is great, ive never liked it. I also know a guy who traps Mississippi and sells raccoon carcasses for more $ than he gets for the fur. In older black communities you can still get good money for coon meat if legal.
michael
A few years ago, while I was hunting Sika deer on the Eastern shore of MD, I met a guy who was telling me that in that area they get more money for the muskrat carcasses sold as meat than they do for the pelts.
At first I thought he was pulling my leg; but enough other people confirmed that some of the local Restaurants have a night with a "Muskrat Fry"; that I found out it was true. Obviously some folks think they taste great, I wouldn't know.
My thinking on eating new stuff is if it smells ok, I'll taste it, if it tastes ok, I'll eat it. I've skinned enough raccoons to know that they don't smell appetizing to me. Maybe cooked they'd be better? Possum, is another one I don't really care to cook and taste, but I hear some people love them.
Heres my MA bobcat, a small female. The pic doesnt do it justice as I had to take a pic of a pic. Anyway, its color to me is unreal and very bright. Im still waiting for it to get back from the taxi. Im glad bobcat tastes good as it makes predator calling more dseirable when you can make better use of the animal.
It looks tiny in the pic but went 15 lbs or so, average for a female here I think?
Thanx for the info Michael....
West Elk Outfitters in Colorado sells lion and bobcat hunts with hounds. Beautiful country in western Colorado and great food and lodging. I think he gets $1500 for bobcat hunts.
From what I'm hearing and what I've seen on videos and tv, the traditional mid west coyote killing states seldom ever call cats in bow range close. It also sounds as if they are bad to jump out if trees when bayed by hounds. Maybe the thick southern woods is actually one of the easiest areas to call in and kill a cat...sometimes they can get too close as in the case when the one jumped on me. I still bare the scars from that encounter.
Jordan Stewart with Strand outfitters Minnesota. 100% success rate. And reasonably priced. I killed a 39 lb cat with them a few years back.
My Florida cat isn't so bad...prettier colors than my Alabama cat, anyway.
Wow trapper thats a big one.
What we are seeing with this thread is that cats are widely dispersed and fairly common. What Mn says is correct in my experience. I would go for a cold weather cat if I could. Would also suggest trapping if that is an area of interest. It is as near a sure thing as you can get in the outdoor world. You might need to get several before one is deemed worthy to mount. Great place for a DIY experience or trade hunts. If time is an issue, hire a hound man I suppose.
BTW, a pack of small beagles will turn out a cat or two in about every rabbit patch of any size. The smaller the better as the cat will simply walk away and offer a good shot.
I see cats one or more times a week. No matter how many I remove, I still see them. No idea how many we have. Dozens for sure and likely hundreds.
Good luck with your search.
you can scratch Wisconsin off your list unless you want to wait awhile last I checked it was up
to nine years of preference before can get a tag. Mn has been over the counter.
those western cats sure are spotted pretty. only very young ones are even remotely spotted
like that in Wisconsin
the older they get the more washed out the spots become.
Although Illinois has a plentiful population of bobcats, one of the last acts of defeated Illinois Governor Quinn (D) was to veto the legalization of bobcat hunting in Illinois. Hopefully, bobcat hunting legislation will again be passed and fare better in the hands of newly elected Governor Rouner (R).
Awesome cat TrapperWilliams!
I guess if fresh snow helps for hunting cats right now would be a damn good time to hunt. Sheesh!
In my cat (and rabbit) hunting experience, snow is good for spotting tracks. But the dogs will run them just fine on bare ground. My beagles run rabbits better on bare ground actually.
Thanks the guy I hunted with only hunts in snow to ensure the cat he's after has some size to it. They take several cats over 40 lbs every year.
I've called in a few with predator calls and arrowed them. Price of a small game license in Colorado.
Sounds like trapperwilliams spot is pretty good. It would be fun to set aside a few days and all of us see how we can produce on cats and other varmits...bow only. It might be some good info for those who are seeking cats and fox and yotes but don't have the confidence to try diy.
Man some of those Minnesota cats look huge.
Jordan Stewart with one of his clients cats. Jordan's family owns and runs strand outfitters. Look them up on Facebook or pm me for info
Wow my jaw dropped when I saw that one.
DAMMITBOT ! Ain't ever seen a bob that big !
what is the typical size of a southern or western bobcat? The ones that I have seen and heard of here in Michigan run anywhere from 25 - 40 lbs., and I would dare say that 30-35 lbs is pretty normal. I did see one in Missouri this fall and it was not real big I didn't think. Seemed a little large than a big house cat.
Yes, Jordan Stewart of Strand Outfitters is awesome. He was my guide for my 42lber I posted above. Awesome time in Northern Minnesota. So many cats, we turned down fresh tracks of little cats.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. It sounds like jordon is worth looking into. Seeing all these pictures is making me want one even more.
From my experience running lions and bobcats in Montana, it is MUCH easier to catch a mountain lion than a bobcat. Bobcats leave less sent, require a quicker dog to put them up a tree and will circle and backtrack. I view a bobcat caught with hounds a better trophy than a lion. Those are some amazing cats coming out of Minn. BTW, it is not legal for a nonresident to kill a bobcat in Montana, not that you seem to be interested, but I thought I'd throw that info out there. Good luck on your quest!
If we allowed non residents to trap bobcats id welcome you up here and id take you out. Within a week you would have one for the price of a tag, but we are still dealing with getting legislation allowing a non resident trapping license.
Mn cats get big. I cant remember how many over 40 lbs ive killed and several closing in on 50 lbs. I know of a 52 lber killed this year and that was on a certified scale with a conservation officer witnessing it.
Running cats in mn is very easy. I know of a guy who killed his limit of 5 in a single day, although he wasn't very picky and a couple were females and kittens. Any cold day with a recent snow I could show you fresh tracks and we have a decent network of atv/snowmobile trails so the big woods really isn't all that big.
I was with a crew one day who was trying to run a cat. They were somewhat experienced with coon but never went after cats before. When I ran into them they were trying to get their dogs on an otter track- they thought it was a cat dragging a dead rabbit!
I showed them a fresh track and 25 minutes later they had their first dead cat in the truck.
That said it can be difficult if you don't know the area I suppose.
Non residents can hunt cats here but not shoot them. Your only hope is with dogs. Ive called quite a bit and have only seen cats a couple times. Remember they have a lot of feed here, so they have smaller home ranges. I killed a cat one time with a radio collar and I got all the information they had on it and the other cats in the program. Now out west they have much less feed therefore much, much larger ranges and they are much more dispersed.
Good luck
I would also check into the Strands- I have met both Strand brothers through trapping meetings And they are stand up fellows.
michael
Thank you archer. This is why I like this site. Sometimes I get tired of the bashing crowd but the helpers far out weigh them. Thanks again.
DIY, it would be hard to beat KS. I see them in the crick bottoms all the time when bowhunting. Crazy how many cats you see over there. I bet I could set a treestand in one spot I have an kill one within a a week just pass shooting them.
Western CO has plenty. I know a guy who runs hounds (MN Transplant)and is a real trapper. Quits his real job every summer and sleeps in his truck more times in the winter than I could even imagine. Once the Bobcat season opens, you couldn't get him to release his dogs on a Mountain Lion if it was standing in the road. He mentioned to me, that bobcats are way harder out here as they love going into holes. He used to trap them alot, but with CO's silly check your traps every 24 hours, it just isn't possible at times. I think he put over 60 Bobcats on the stretcher the year before last. Nice little check.
Ks does have a lot of cats. I get a few with great spots each year. I have never seen one of over about 36#. This would be over 30 years of shooting and trapping them. I hear of such cats but sure do not catch them. My average would be just over 20#. I call most of them "twenty pound browns". Not real appealing for the most part.
The ones I catch weigh from 8# to the 36# mentioned above. From what I see in this thread I would like to go try for one of those big northern cats.
Michael - "Non residents can hunt cats here but not shoot them."
Ummmmm, I'm scratching my head here, if you can't shoot them, how do you kill them?
lol I meant cant trap them.
that said there are a few guys on this site just ugly enough to kill one...
michael
If u sit long enough in the woods while deer hunting u might get one lol took me only 30yrs In ny we are seeing them more and more ! got this guy while he was siting on a rock wall 43 yards center punched him !!
Also seeing a lot in Iowa but only residents can hunt them
I've seen one or two during a season with bow in hand but had no real chance to get an arrow away. As soon as they appeared they seemed to just disappear with no sound whatsoever. Cool animal for sure! This thread makes me want to try more predator hunting!
Lol cityhunter, that pic strikes me as pretty hilarious. :)
Just seems to be a lot of bobcats around the country. This one jumped up into this tree only 15 yards from me being in my treestand while hunting in central Kansas.
The cat and a small buck met head-on on the deer trail and the buck charged the cat sending him up the tree.
A good photo op for sure.
Some of the cat pics are huge cats from the norm.
My best, Paul
