Bobcat calling tips ?
- Thread starter EK83
- Start date
The most important thing first and foremost is know a bobcat is in the area. I've called them in going in blind with nothing to go off of other than the area looked catty. It pays off occasionally but it's hard for me to sit somewhere for the amount of time it'd take me to make two coyote stands if I don't know for a fact a bobcat is in the area. Set up trail cameras if you can and try and get some pictures of them. If you find tracks or cat crap, call there. If nothing comes in keep calling there. It'll eventually come in. If you shoot and miss or it somehow gets away, try again. They're not that smart.
220_Swift
Retired PM Staff
More than once I called in a Bobcat and I never saw it moving toward the call. I am looking and watching and I see a pair of ears or notice a blob that I hadn’t noticed before. They seem to be very stealthy and slow coming towards the call where a lot of coyotes come running to a call.
I have had one or two come running in like a coyote but more often than not they are very stealthy, as noted above. Heavy cover and water are prime spots down here. Get comfortable, sit still and look for any change in sight, you probably won't catch a movement, they just appear. Most of the ones I've seen were sitting watching me when I discovered them. If I'm specifically hunting cats, I prefer bird sounds, but have had them respond to rabbit distress as well.
They don't seem to cover as much territory as a coyote, so:
They don't seem to cover as much territory as a coyote, so:
LONEHOWL
Custom Call Maker
Just to touch on sounds…I have called a lot of cats..it was an obsession for a long time…and I do prefer higher pitched sounds… bird and cottontail mostly.
I will tell you though… cat vocals are an absolute killer… I’ve used them for years, and really think it’s an untapped resource for them.
Mark
I will tell you though… cat vocals are an absolute killer… I’ve used them for years, and really think it’s an untapped resource for them.
Mark
Cats can take a while to come in, but they can also come in fast and cover a lot of ground if the terrain is right.
I hardly ever sit past 30 minutes. If I am in good cat area I may move just a couple hundred yards and call again.
I hardly ever sit past 30 minutes. If I am in good cat area I may move just a couple hundred yards and call again.
Huachuca Caller
Member
Scouting is important. Calling an area with fresh bobcat sign will greatly increase your odds of success.
6mm06
Well-known member
Good video, Rotty.
I have found that a variety of sounds will work for bobcats, and I mix them up when calling. I have had good success with a rodent sound (Johnny Stewart sound), and even had one cat respond to a raccoon fight sound on the Foxpro. For some reason the cat was triggered by a that sound and came on the run as if his tail was on fire. I saw the cat coming at maybe 100 yards. The sound paused for maybe three to four seconds, then resumed. When the sound paused he instantly stopped, but when it resumed he was back to running. I have called two cats while deer hunting and blowing a doe bleat. One came on the run and the other was stealthy and took his time. As mentioned earlier, keep the caller going. They lose interest quickly. Also, keep movement to a minimum. Bobcats seem to have eyes in the back of their head.
Here is a video of one cat I called with Bryon South’s Cottontail Distress.
I have found that a variety of sounds will work for bobcats, and I mix them up when calling. I have had good success with a rodent sound (Johnny Stewart sound), and even had one cat respond to a raccoon fight sound on the Foxpro. For some reason the cat was triggered by a that sound and came on the run as if his tail was on fire. I saw the cat coming at maybe 100 yards. The sound paused for maybe three to four seconds, then resumed. When the sound paused he instantly stopped, but when it resumed he was back to running. I have called two cats while deer hunting and blowing a doe bleat. One came on the run and the other was stealthy and took his time. As mentioned earlier, keep the caller going. They lose interest quickly. Also, keep movement to a minimum. Bobcats seem to have eyes in the back of their head.
Here is a video of one cat I called with Bryon South’s Cottontail Distress.
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GC
Well-known member
Here is an excerpt I wrote for something else, hopefully it is helpful...
"Bobcats are beautiful and wondrous creatures. Cats like thick areas of brush near a water source. Brushy overgrown fields, swampy areas, cedar glades, pine thickets, creek bottoms, rocky bluffs, old ponds, or lake edges are all prime places to find bobcats. They prey on all sorts of small animals including wild turkeys. At times bobcats may include deer in their menu. The more common fare is rabbit, mice, squirrels, and any birds they can catch. Cats love birds! They’ll pass up a fat rabbit for a stalk on a songbird. If you are a predator caller fast, high-pitched bird sounds, or high-pitched cottontail are prime cat sounds.
Bobcats have a short attention span and get distracted easily. They may be on the way to the call, but if the sound stops for too long and they see something else like a bird or squirrel, they may just wander off or sit down and quit coming in. Tip - don’t have too long of a pause between series of calls if you are a caller.
Cats hunt most with their eyes and ears. Not to say bobcats completely ignore their nose, but I’ve had bobcats directly downwind, and even though I know they had a snoot full of human scent, they never batted an eye. A coyote would have been long gone in that situation! Another tip - if you are a caller, a small moving decoy will help focus the cat away from you and tend to keep them fixed on the decoy. Anything that distracts the cat from you is an advantage. Something as simple as a small cluster of feathers tied into a low-hanging bush fluttering in the breeze will do the job.
Cats are stalkers and may take a long time to get to a calling stand. Most coyotes are on a stand within 15 - 20 minutes, but a cat may take as much as an hour. They are extremely hard to see when they stalk into a stand. They use all the available cover to get close. I have been diligently watching as I called and suddenly realized, “Oh, there is a cat! “ when some little something catches my eye from a tuft of tall grass, or from behind an old stump, log, or rocky outcropping. I never knew how long they’d been there before I saw them. Many a caller has stood up at the end of an hour-long stand and jumped a bobcat that was right in front of them all along that they had never seen. Bobcats have phenomenal eyesight and will pick apart a stand as they creep in. Fidgeting around by the hunter has saved many a cat. You must sit still and not be moving or else your chances are very low. They will also hear the slightest rustle in the leaves or creak and bump from you and your gear. Quiet is important.
With all that said, bobcats don’t always slip into the calling stand. I have had them run into a stand as aggressively as any coyote I’ve ever called. The first cat I ever called was a huge old tom that nearly ran me over, sliding to a stop in the snow only a few yards from me. Sometimes they come hard and fast and that is a special sight.
Bobcats aren’t all that bright though. As mentioned, they will often ignore a snoot full of human scent. Their natural defense is to hide and I’ve watched them hunker down and attempt to hide, all the while shooters fire at them and miss repeatedly. I’ve seen a shooter miss a bobcat twice with a .308 rifle blowing snow and debris all over it. The cat simply lay low when it could have easily ran off the backside of the ridge. I talked the shooter down and his third shot connected.
Populations of bobcats can be widespread. Home territories can be large, more so for male cats. However, even where there are a lot of them, there aren’t that many."
"Bobcats are beautiful and wondrous creatures. Cats like thick areas of brush near a water source. Brushy overgrown fields, swampy areas, cedar glades, pine thickets, creek bottoms, rocky bluffs, old ponds, or lake edges are all prime places to find bobcats. They prey on all sorts of small animals including wild turkeys. At times bobcats may include deer in their menu. The more common fare is rabbit, mice, squirrels, and any birds they can catch. Cats love birds! They’ll pass up a fat rabbit for a stalk on a songbird. If you are a predator caller fast, high-pitched bird sounds, or high-pitched cottontail are prime cat sounds.
Bobcats have a short attention span and get distracted easily. They may be on the way to the call, but if the sound stops for too long and they see something else like a bird or squirrel, they may just wander off or sit down and quit coming in. Tip - don’t have too long of a pause between series of calls if you are a caller.
Cats hunt most with their eyes and ears. Not to say bobcats completely ignore their nose, but I’ve had bobcats directly downwind, and even though I know they had a snoot full of human scent, they never batted an eye. A coyote would have been long gone in that situation! Another tip - if you are a caller, a small moving decoy will help focus the cat away from you and tend to keep them fixed on the decoy. Anything that distracts the cat from you is an advantage. Something as simple as a small cluster of feathers tied into a low-hanging bush fluttering in the breeze will do the job.
Cats are stalkers and may take a long time to get to a calling stand. Most coyotes are on a stand within 15 - 20 minutes, but a cat may take as much as an hour. They are extremely hard to see when they stalk into a stand. They use all the available cover to get close. I have been diligently watching as I called and suddenly realized, “Oh, there is a cat! “ when some little something catches my eye from a tuft of tall grass, or from behind an old stump, log, or rocky outcropping. I never knew how long they’d been there before I saw them. Many a caller has stood up at the end of an hour-long stand and jumped a bobcat that was right in front of them all along that they had never seen. Bobcats have phenomenal eyesight and will pick apart a stand as they creep in. Fidgeting around by the hunter has saved many a cat. You must sit still and not be moving or else your chances are very low. They will also hear the slightest rustle in the leaves or creak and bump from you and your gear. Quiet is important.
With all that said, bobcats don’t always slip into the calling stand. I have had them run into a stand as aggressively as any coyote I’ve ever called. The first cat I ever called was a huge old tom that nearly ran me over, sliding to a stop in the snow only a few yards from me. Sometimes they come hard and fast and that is a special sight.
Bobcats aren’t all that bright though. As mentioned, they will often ignore a snoot full of human scent. Their natural defense is to hide and I’ve watched them hunker down and attempt to hide, all the while shooters fire at them and miss repeatedly. I’ve seen a shooter miss a bobcat twice with a .308 rifle blowing snow and debris all over it. The cat simply lay low when it could have easily ran off the backside of the ridge. I talked the shooter down and his third shot connected.
Populations of bobcats can be widespread. Home territories can be large, more so for male cats. However, even where there are a lot of them, there aren’t that many."