Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Bobcat or young cougar?

Neighbor had this on his trail camera. Looks big for a bob cat but looks thick in the chest. What do you think it is, young cougar?

It appears to me by its proportions to be a cougar. Judging from the bucket, we saw one here in NW Iowa about the same size this winter. Game warden confirmed other sightings.

Spots on the leg tells me bobcat. Tuft on chin-bobcat. Ears look bobcat to me also.

There are some pretty big bobcats too.

Judging by the spots, I'd say what you have is a really big alpha male wildcat in his prime.

Bobcat...big one.

Thanks. As big as he looks he could take down one
of my calves pretty easy.

I agree with the above Bobcat votes.

Yep.

^^^

adult bobcat

Need a tail view.

That’s a big bobcat.

DF

Here is a a bobcat, caught on my trail cam last month. Markings on the legs are very pronounced.

I agree with others here. Big ass Bobcat. The picture can be deceiving. The Bobcat appears to be closer to the camera than the 5 gal bucket. This can make him look bigger this he really is. Like long arming a fish in a picture (holding it closer to the camera). Even so, it still looks like a big Bobcat.

Bobcats can get pretty big Rio7

Looks like I’m outvoted on this one..😀. The spots are bobcat-like but it still looks a bit chunky for a Bobcat to me..

Around here, northwest Alabama, mature adult male bobcats will top out at around 55 lbs, plus or minus some. But saw one that was quite a bit above that.

Poor kitty must have stepped in front of a fast moving projectile.

Stuff happens.

DF

That is a big son of a gun Rio

Crappie Killer, Wish I had weighed this cat he's one of the biggest I have killed, most of the Bobcat's i kill weigh about 20# this one was twice or more bigger than most. Rio7

I killed one about 15 years ago that weighed 45lbs. I have a pic of him somewhere but I haven't seen it in years. Big ol cat. He would hang out by the feeder when it went off in the morning and usually leave with his breakfast.

Bobcat. They can get pretty big. I got one in TX last year that was big, the skin laid out flat was 46 inches long.

Bobcats that size are really rough on fawns and yearling deer.

Bobcats are one of those critters that people really have a hard time estimating the weight of. A good electronic scale would embarrass most guessers of bobcat weights.

Houser52: I also opine that the picture depicts a Bobcat.
Cougars of that size have NO spots.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Do you have any more pics of the same cat? Bobcats normally have a white patch on the back of their ears, but this pic doesn't really show the back of the ears. Young adult cougars often have faint juvenile spots and bars on the inside of their front legs, sometimes till they are nearly two years old. The spots on the outside of the front leg on this cat leans strongly toward bobcat. My biggest bobcat went 36 lbs. on a scale and I saw one that was bigger, with bigger tracks than the 36 lb. cat.

Bobcats vary in color by region. As to size, I've handled a couple hundred dead Bobcats and never seen one over 30 pounds.

Dennis, I have killed a few over 30# Bobcat can take down a mature Whitetail Buck, there's a couple of You Tube Video's of Bobcats killing adult Whitetail Bucks, the picture looks like a Bobcat to me. Rio7

Bobcat.

Bears and coyotes also embarrass weight guessers a lot...

That's a Bobcat, hunting is no different than fishing when it comes to the "scale telling no tales"

We need to add pigs to this weighty discussion, I see more 160# to 200# pigs that are claimed as 300# pigs than any other critter. Rio7

This.

Bobcat. Up in Minnesota the biggest official recorded bobcat weight is 58 pounds and change. I would think there are bigger out there somewhere.

Osky

I agree it's a bobcat. I just never see any that are bigger than 30#

Heaviest Bobcat on record

BOBCAT3
Heaviest Bobcat On Record
BY MICHAEL BROAD · JUNE 7, 2018


The record adult male bobcat weighed 26.8 kilograms which is 59.1 pounds. The source for this information is The bobcat of North America by SP Young. The book was published in 1978 by Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. This record weight is heavier than the record as found by Google in its search results for the search term in the title.
This one is 48.9 lbs

https://pictures-of-cats.org/heaviest-bobcat-on-record.html

I’m going with yearling cougar. Ears aren’t quite right for an adult bobcat.

Those must be pets that get fed lots of kibbles

Bobcat

I too will go with bobcat.. looking at the size of the 5 gallon bucket and then the cat is also closer to the camera than the bucket..
you know the hunter behind the trophy always with arm stretch to make the trophy look bigger..