Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints anyone hunt bobcats?

After seeing a bobcat while deer hunting two years in a row now I've decided its time to see if i can try to bag one.
The first one i saw was there and gone before i realized what it was and the one this year was about 50-60 feet lower than me and 50 yards out at the bottom of a ravine and as i brought my scope up to get a better look at the beautiful animal it took off. I've been looking for a Kimber Montana in 204 or 223 with no luck and there are plenty of 243's to be had but is that too much for a cat? If i did buy a 243 id like to sight it in with a TTSX for deer and use that load for yotes and cats too but don't want to destroy the hide on the cat, yotes i don't care about though. If i stayed in the ribs and away from larger bones im thinking id be okay but not sure. Anyone have experience?

thanks
Cory

I've never shot one with a .243, but it wouldn't be my first choice. If you can't find a Montana in standard predator-hunting chambering, why not consider another rifle? There's no shortage of good ones out there.

Hunting cats -- and all predators -- is a blast. I strongly suggest you study up on calling and take the plunge. There are several good boooks, instructional videos, etc. out there to help you get started and plenty of guys over at the Predator Masters Forums willing to share good advice. There are also predator hunting clubs in many parts of the country with members who are usually happy to welcome newcomers and help them along.

Bobcats have beautiful fur. You are in for some fun. I've killed several with a .243 but it is bigger than ideal as a bobcat only rifle. I've shot them with a 95 grain Nosler Partition because I'm usually after cougars with that load and get sidetracked by a fresh bobcat track. The 95 grain NP is heavy and doesn't expand explosively. If you stay away from major bone, like pelvis or spine at the shoulder, the more strongly constructed bullets like the NP (and I'd think the Barnes) tend to punch through without a huge hole. If you hit major bone with .243 velocities, any bullet is likely to make a big hole.

There is a .243 exit hole in the bobcat below right behind the shoulder on the side toward the camera. He was hit at about 15 yards center of chest as he faced me and the bullet exited low behind the shoulder with a nickel sized hole.



Feb. is the mating season and WAY the easiest time to call bobcats, say from mid Jan to mid March. I've called them with jack rabbit, fawn distress, cottontail, yellowhammer woodpecker distress, lip squeeks, bobcat in heat and housecat distress. My first choice is some kind of frantic busy bird sounding distress.

Re Predatormasters, there are so many selling and posing over there that you have to sift a lot to get good stuff and if you don't know the subject pretty well already, it is hard to weed out the nonsense.

I've killed a few.
IMO,,, of the cartridges you've mentioned the 204 would be my choice. Shame to ruin a Cat pelt and you WILL with a 243 regardless of bullet. Yea you might get lucky, but the odds are against you.

I prefer either a 17FB or 17Rem (I use both).





22Mag works good for close shots (treed) but they seldom die imediatly. The one and only called Cat I shot with it (approx 30 yrds) didn't go straight down and still had an exit.



Good luck with your quest but be advised, Cat hunting can be VERY addicting.
[img]http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o222/CharlieB401/S7300984.jpg[/img]

PS,,, I just happen to have a carcus hanging in my garage right now.
I'll go out in a little while and take a couple pix to give you an idea of what you'll be dealing with.
Stand by.

Field grade. Hey, nice photos..How big is the cat in the top photo?? I've shot several, but none seem close to that size..Also is that CZ been rebarreled with stainless barrel??Finally, those are nice looking hounds..One I would guess a blue tick, how about the other??? Looks like you have some good cat hunting there..For us the northern part of the state is much better than here..

Thanks for the replies and pics fellas, they really are a purdy animal. I have an AR i could use for now, im just more of a bolt guy. I don't work from December-April 1st so i have plenty of time to get out in the wood's. What type of environment would be best? Sitting on the edge of a field like I do when yote hunting or more in the woods? I also have access to 500 private acres that runs along the St. Croix river and figure that'd be a good cat habitat. Both ive seen have been in the woods.

Thanks again,
Cory

Nice cats FieldGrade! I was told to shoot the cats,so I shot the cat while deer hunting. Accidently shot .270 thru the neck. 1\4 hole on each side. Luck is good.

The best cat people I know, trap most of them..I have shot several, BUT it was in much more open country than Mn..My best guess would be if you can hunt the river bottom, and find some open ground, try calling..cats do come in slow, and take longer than coyotes to respond generally..we have called a couple..but for my pals and I they are kind of like shooting a bear when hunting deer, it just happened..best of luck..

Here ya go dubya.
Used a bottle of Mep Gas for size comparison (something every red blooded male should be familiar with LOL).
As you can see, there ain't much to em after you remove the fur. Bout the size of a Deer's upper front leg.


WCH is right, they're allot easier to trap than to call, but it can be done. First look for bunnies. My motto is, "no bunnies, no cats". I set up in thick cover and use a Squeaker (one of those little rubber bulb jobs), run it non stop and plan on being there for a while.

WCH,,, The CZ started life as a 221. I had P-N screw one of their excellent 3grove 9twist SS Super Match barrels chambered in 17FB on. If it weren't for the nostalgia involved with my old 17Rem she'd be my favorite rifle ever. As it stands though,,, it's a draw.
The Cat in the first photo weighed 29#, stretched 42". The one on the tailgate with the revolver is actually bigger. Weighed 36#, stretched 43" (caught it with that little 35# Cur dog ).
She looks like a B&T, but that's actually my Sophie dog GSP. The brindle dog's a Striker bred Mtn Cur. (I call em the "odd couple") The GSP don't say much at the tree, but she tracks good and helps keep em up till I can drag my old bones to the tree.

You're hunting em the perfect time of the year dubya.
Again,,, good luck.

Re: Predatormasters - Lots of BS over there. Very thin skinned people. I was critical (no x rated rant) of one of their videos and was banned on my third post. I am a member of about 10 different forums and have only been warned once on all the others (absentmindedly mentioned a competitor on a certain business forum).

So a squeaky dog toy would work? I should probably buy a few mouth calls anyway as i just borrow my cousins Foxpro. Mouth calls just seem easier to tote around and use, no setup!

Yep,,,, lots of guys used to steal the squeakers out of toys before predator hunting gadgets became an industry.
I have a Fox-Pro but seldom use it any more. Like you said, "to much hassle to set up, haul around, and chase batteries. Dan Thompson's PC-3 is a good call. He's passed on but there are still some of his calls floating around. A P Jones (allpredatorcalls.com) used to carry Dans calls. Might check there.
PS,,, try to blow a mouth call non-stop for 30+ minutes and you'll see why I like the squeakers.
Luck

Dont hunt 'em, but do shoot the Turkey and Quail eating bastards when I see one, 270 WCF and 300 mags and the like are to rough on 'em for hide use.

Gunner

A few tips: Cats generally stick close to cover, and aren't often called in open, featureless terrain. For sounds, distressed rabbit still works, but I like distressed bird sounds when calling specifically for cats. You need to give them a little longer to respond than, say, coyotes. I normally won't stay with a stand more then 30 minutes for fox and coyotes, but if I think there may be bobcats around, I'll give it up to 45 minutes. Cats often take their time, and almost always come on the sneak, using cover every step of the way. I'm certain that for every cat I've called in there were many more that were never seen. That's one reason I like to call at night. It's pretty easy to know when you have a cat coming in. The reflected light from the eyes (red-filtered light only, please) blinks on and off as the cat works from piece of cover to piece of cover. Don't forget to check behind you periodically, and don't pause too long between calls. Cats can lose interest quick and go away. Decoys can help hold their attention.

Good info KW, thanks. Im thinking ive got a pretty good spot in mind. Ill probably set up one of my portables about 3/4 the way up the side of a big (75' deep) ravine about 300 yards from the river. That way ill be able to cover quite a bit of ground but still be in good cover. Or should i sit on the ground?

Bobcats respond to Bird Calls better than rabbit calls. The best round for Cats is the 17 Rem and in 22 cal the 22 Hornet.
Bobcats usually take a while to respond and will move in a little at a time and sit and watch before moving closer, so you have to be real careful how you move when calling or they will spot you slink away and you will never know you called him in and this is why a moving decoy works so good for calling cats, it directs their attention away from you and onto the moving decoy. When calling plan on spending 45 min to a hour on each calling setup , because most cats don't get in a hurry when responding to a call. You will find most cats around clear cut edges, river bluffs and rocky ledges where there are lots of thick cover . The last cat i called in and we killed, came to the Foxpro Chicken in distress call. I called a big Bob last spring Turkey Season while calling to a Gobbler , he or she came into the Hen Yelp and Cutting. It was out of season so just watched it and let it go. They are pretty stalking the call.