So...., checking out the woods, looking for deer. Lots of good sign, but nothing moving as it was pretty windy. I saw four doe near the entrance to the farm, but too close to the other houses to be legally allowed to shoot.
In my area the deer tend to hold-up in thick cover to cut the wind on days like this. So it was time to check the abandoned vinyard next to the wooded lot. which is a regular bedding area. It's strange but when it's gusting up to around 40 mph in the woods to the West, moving into the old vineyard which on the other side of the hill, and the wind is really diminished.
I found several good deer paths, deer scat piles, and tracks there..... then...I stopped as I thought I saw between brush piles, in a grassy area, what might be a cat. Maybe 50 yards away, and partially screened by grass.
Is it looking at me, or is that a stump and my eyes are playing tricks?
I decided that can't be a cat, as feral cats out here take off when they see a human, at least in the woods and meadows they do. Whatever combination of stump/brush it sure had a "cat shape" from my angle. Still as I stared at it..., it might've been looking at me yet.., the ears were wrong..., sticking straight up, and the head shape was wrong too, appearing like it had jowls.
So I thought maybe if I move in a real dramatic manner, I'd would prove once and for all, that it was a stump. So I moved my upper torso side to side, and waved...no reaction. So YES that was a stump.
A few minutes later the cat-stump, was still there still "looking" at me, but so it was just a trick of my eyes. I decided it was time to creep around a bit, and I took a step toward the cat-stump.
THAT was when it chose to move, and I got a really good look at it, in silhouette....
BOBCAT!
HOLY CRAP!
So it might have been a very large feral cat, missing a tail, but as I said, it wasn't as concerned with me as the feral cats that I've seen have been in the past, and when I moved toward it, then it moved, and it didn't dart away, just sort of moved off as though I was annoying it....so pretty darn sure it was a bobcat.
We don't normally have bobcats where I am, I've never heard of any, but I'm told we're not out of the "range" where they could be.
Over the past 20 years we've steadily had wildlife, once long gone and not seen, move back into the area. 7 years ago Coyotes moved into the area for a time. Two summers ago we had a bear in my neighborhood, and last summer a cougar was sighted in parkland belonging to the Federal Government (which folks scoffed at, including me, but the US Park Police closed the area for a day long search)
So that was something ya don't see every day where I live....
Also explains the lack of squirrels and bunnies this year.....where I hunt...
LD
In my area the deer tend to hold-up in thick cover to cut the wind on days like this. So it was time to check the abandoned vinyard next to the wooded lot. which is a regular bedding area. It's strange but when it's gusting up to around 40 mph in the woods to the West, moving into the old vineyard which on the other side of the hill, and the wind is really diminished.
I found several good deer paths, deer scat piles, and tracks there..... then...I stopped as I thought I saw between brush piles, in a grassy area, what might be a cat. Maybe 50 yards away, and partially screened by grass.
Is it looking at me, or is that a stump and my eyes are playing tricks?
I decided that can't be a cat, as feral cats out here take off when they see a human, at least in the woods and meadows they do. Whatever combination of stump/brush it sure had a "cat shape" from my angle. Still as I stared at it..., it might've been looking at me yet.., the ears were wrong..., sticking straight up, and the head shape was wrong too, appearing like it had jowls.
So I thought maybe if I move in a real dramatic manner, I'd would prove once and for all, that it was a stump. So I moved my upper torso side to side, and waved...no reaction. So YES that was a stump.
A few minutes later the cat-stump, was still there still "looking" at me, but so it was just a trick of my eyes. I decided it was time to creep around a bit, and I took a step toward the cat-stump.
THAT was when it chose to move, and I got a really good look at it, in silhouette....
BOBCAT!
HOLY CRAP!So it might have been a very large feral cat, missing a tail, but as I said, it wasn't as concerned with me as the feral cats that I've seen have been in the past, and when I moved toward it, then it moved, and it didn't dart away, just sort of moved off as though I was annoying it....so pretty darn sure it was a bobcat.
We don't normally have bobcats where I am, I've never heard of any, but I'm told we're not out of the "range" where they could be.
Over the past 20 years we've steadily had wildlife, once long gone and not seen, move back into the area. 7 years ago Coyotes moved into the area for a time. Two summers ago we had a bear in my neighborhood, and last summer a cougar was sighted in parkland belonging to the Federal Government (which folks scoffed at, including me, but the US Park Police closed the area for a day long search
)So that was something ya don't see every day where I live....
Also explains the lack of squirrels and bunnies this year.....where I hunt...
LD
