Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Saw two bobcats playing in snow

Saw two bobcats playing in the unplowed logging road ahead of me as I headed to a spot to hunt mule deer. Southern Interior of BC. They let me drive up within 30 feet of them before they froze (all but their constantly twitching stub tails) and stared at me for several seconds and then finally leaped off of the road. They looked identical and looked all black, though I got a whiff of off-black when they ran. They were the darkest color I've ever seen on a bob but I think part of that was due to a background of snow on a lightly overcast day with no sun on them. I don't think that they were jet black all over, but very close. Seems like I recall the white spot on the back of their ears as they ran but am not sure.

They were the size of extra large house cats, absolutely identical and I'd guess that they were YOY litter mates. I don't know enough about bobcats to know if that is true. I should have tracked them into the woods a ways to see if they joined up with their momma. I was surprised at how big their tracks were, and from the tracks I would have expected bigger critters. Maybe the usual big feet on adolescent mammals. Fun to see. No time for pics.

Are you sure they weren't Lynx cubs? Lynx cubs tend to be darker than bobcats, at least in the few that I have seen, also the big footprint go me thinking along this line.

Anyway it is always nice to see something like that. A few years ago in the Yukon on a secondary road I could see something setting in the middle of the road I slowed down and as I got closer I realized it was a Lynx. He sat in the middle of the road until I got to within about 50 foot of him then he walked over to the edge of the road and sat down looking at me. We eyed each other for probably 5 minutes, as I drove away I looked in the rear view mirror and he was still sitting there. Strange behavior.

drover

drover, They were bobcats, no question, but fair enough to wonder given that a lot of hunters wouldn't know the difference. I've seen, called and skinned both lynx and bobcats. I've just never seen such a dark colored bobcat.

The legs are a sure giveaway between lynx and bobcats, and the bobcat tail is longer if you are looking, and I was, plus bobcats have a white spot on the back of each ear, at least all that I have examined have. I wish I had a video but am pretty sure they had the white ear spot. I'd like to have the pelt from one of these, even as small as it is. I may go back and do some bobcat calling right there if the snow doesn't get too deep.

From California to middle of BC I've seen bobcats that were brown, tan, silver, dark grey with black spots, and all kinds of mixes of those colors. The lynx I've seen have all been kind of a silver grey, but I'm in the edge of lynx country and haven’t seen a lot of them compared to bobs. This was one of those lagniappe freebie special treats you get from getting out there.

Added: just phoned a regional biologist about another matter so mentioned the bobcats. He was sure they were litter mates, born likely in April and they grow fast. He was surprised at how dark color they were.

I didn't know about the white spot on the back of the ears. Just threw the Lynx out there since you mentioned the dark color and large foot prints.
Nature is always surprising.

drover

I just read over my first post and had to shake my head at how unclear my comment was about large tracks. What was in my mind did not come through the words LOL. The tracks were larger than I expected to see from a bobcat that size but not anywhere near the size of even a small lynx. At least we are always learning and nature is the best teacher about nature.