Bobcat

[NSP64]

In ILL. we cant shoot Bobcats. There was one sitting in front of the house today. In a neighborhood. in a small town.
I had heard they were getting pretty numerous around here.

[firefly1957]

That is not good they should not be around the house during the day you might talk to your wildlife people about checking into it. A bobcat could be a threat to pets children and even adults if it gets cornered.

[starmac]

A bobcat would probably attack a small dog or house cat, but will run from any dogs of any size. (normally) A couple of hounds can run a full grown lion, until it gets on a ledge or up a tree far enough that the dogs can't jump high enough to get to it.
Apparently bobcats are not considered fur bearers in Il, or can you trap them, just not hunt them.

[DIRT Farmer]

Here in Indiana they are considered rare non game. Not so rare from the sign I find.

[wgr]

the thing that would worry me is seeing him that close to your house in day time. might be sick

[SCOTT ARTHUR]

Wife & daughter had one cross the road in front of them last week here in Parke co. That makes four I've heard about this winter. I belive they are FINALLY gaining speed as a population here in west central Indiana.

Scott

[41 mag fan]

Here in Indiana they are considered rare non game. Not so rare from the sign I find.

From what I heard, they had a very short season on them over in the Winslow area this year.
We had one come thru just this past fall....scared the skin right off my wife. She was out on front deck, around 10pm and it let out a screech, in the woodline just 75 ft from her.
2 nights later I heard it, in the same place. Probably the reason the 2 foxes we had in the backyard every evening don't come around anymore. They'd hear me feed the lab and come in within 10 min. Fun to watch and see how sociable foxes are, they'd be out there eating our labs dogfood, all 3 of them would be jumping around playing.
They quit coming around about the same time we heard that bobcat, about mid Oct last yr.

Back when I was a kid in Olney Il, we had a bobcat come thru. I was catfishing at the neighbors pond, laying on a picnic table waiting for the tinkle from the bells to go off, and one let out a screech barely 20yrds from me, in a fence row.
My skin, pants, shirt, boots, and underwear are probably still there. I don't think my feet hit the ground the 1/2mi it was from the pond to our house.
Called my uncle, who was a state trapper for Il, he came over and tracked it down to the back 40 behind our house, we got plaster molds of its tracks from the creek.
Few weeks later it moved on, but not before it devastated the rabbit and quails in the 5 acre pasture beside our home.
That was easily..31-32 yrs ago. A lifetime ago it seems.

[firefly1957]

I had not thought of it, it is getting around the bobcats mating season IF YOU HAVE STEADY NERVES sit out late at night and listen for their screams some people think it is a women screaming. Back around 1980 I had one scream near the house I was renting in Oakland county Michigan I grabbed the 45 and went out second scream and I knew it was a cat and went back to bed. A few minutes later a very shook up neighbor was knocking on the door with a pistol in his hand he was sure a women was being killed!! I went out with him and listened until we heard it again and he then realized it was an animal not a human. It is kind of neat in a way but it will stand your hair on end to hear one close to you at night.

[1911sw45]

Kentucky let the Bobcat population get out of hand. For a long time they only allowed 400 a year killed. Now its unlimited.

[ErikO]

Bobcat furs go for a pretty penny. Just something to think about if you ARE allowed to trap them. Can get $300 for them.

Hrm, may have to see what season they are allowed here in MO. We have some pretty long trapping seasons and tags are not hard to get nor are they expensive.

Ah heck, more info. Just missed the season here.

Time Frame

Missouri's bobcat hunting and trapping season runs Nov. 15 to Jan. 31. There is no daily or possession bag limit. A resident or non-resident permit for small game hunting or trapping is required to hunt or trap bobcats. Resident permits are $10.


Significance

Legal firearms include revolvers, pistols and rifles discharging a single projectile at one time. Air, spring or compressed gas guns and shotguns of 10 gauge or smaller are permissible. Shotguns with no more than three shells in the chamber and magazine combined are allowed. Crossbows and bows are permitted as long as the arrows do not contain explosives, poisons or drugs. Fully automatic firearms are illegal to use.

Considerations

Traps are required to have rubber or smooth jaws and can include a foothold. The name and address of the user must be designated on the trap. In Missouri, wildlife is to be removed or released daily.

Warning

Missouri law requires bobcats or their pelts to be taken to a Conservation Department agent by April 10 for tagging or registration before they can be sold, transferred, tanned or mounted. Tagged bobcats can be sold only to licensed tanners, fur dealers or taxidermists. It is against Missouri law to purchase or sell untagged bobcats.

Read more: Regulations in Missouri for Bobcats | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7571346_re...#ixzz1mH06KKr5

[DLCTEX]

I have taken two bobcats that weighed 45 and 46 pounds, weighed on the feed store scales. One I saw repeatedly near my present home was also that large and wasn't afraid of me or my vehicle at 10 yards. He stood and acted like he would tear me a new one if I messed with him. I wanted to get him in fur season, but never got the opportunity. Haven't seen him in a few years now.

[Reload3006]

Bob Cats are normally very shy. I would be very worried about rabies. It is that time of year. Defiantly contact your Conservation agent to get it trapped what ever.

[TCFAN]

Last summer it was very dry and hot here in Ozark county. We had several bobcats come to our spring that is located in the corner of our front yard. I shot this one with a Nikon, He came out of the woods and layed down in the yard................Terry

[shdwlkr]

First no wild animal usually will come around humans if they are healthy. Yes there are exceptions but you need to know the animal to know if they are sick or not.

Now Bobcats as well as many other hunters are moving in where the food is, think coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, cougars. This is happening for a few reasons folks are building homes in their territories so they are getting used to be close to people, folks think they are cute, animal rights groups think you can co-exist with a killer, and lastly once they learn that people are easy food sources they change their food hunting sources.
We are even seeing bears in around houses, my sister had one wandering around her place last year and she lives in a village.
Wild animals are losing their fear of humans because of limited hunting and in some places no hunting so why fear a human it is just more meat that is a little harder to get.
Contact your conservation people and tell them what is going on if they do nothing then call your local police force and notify them if threatened by the bobcat you will take appropriate action to protect your self and family.

[canyon-ghost]

I'd go to the county courthouse (where hunting licenses are sold) and get the book on seasons. You might want to know which species are a varmint (most are open season) and which are non-game animals. In small towns, animal control means dogcatcher. When response time for authorities is too long, the reduction in rabies and diseases may fall to the conservationist or firearm owner.


Got cougar and bear coming in from New Mexico here. Thing is, we all know it, it's on the news. They take pets and small animals from town, easy hunting.

[NSP64]

It was sitting on the sidewalk in front of the neighbors house. She has lots of bird feeders in front and usually birds flying around everywhere. It was about 6:10 pm

[Longwood]

Is someone talking about me?

[ilcop22]

You can't hunt them in IL, but you sure as hell can shoot them if they're posing an immediate threat to you or another person. Under the IL Wildlife Code, you can also seek authorization to kill an animal that is causing damage to property through the DNR (520 ILCS 5/2.37), but I doubt you'd get that for a "protected" species.

[DLCTEX]

Is someone talking about me?

No, we were talking bobcat, not lynx.

[Hamish]

They stocked them! Watch one saunter through the woods and everything shuts up. They kill anything and everything, and will kill for sport, just as any feline will.

Before stocking took place, the quail and rabbit numbers were actually notable around here. Now, not so much. And yes, they do kill up to and including deer.

I understand the rationale of having sustainable populations of animals that are native to the area, but, just like a lot of the implementation nowaday's, IMHO, you give up huntable small game numbers for what?