First Bobcat

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IlliniFan

Active member
My first bobcat from December, 2023. Taken with a Bergara Premier LRP 2.0 22-250 24" with Pulsar Thermion 2 XG50 LRF, Dead Air Nomad LTi, Hornady Express 55 grain, 3,600 FPS. My hunting buddy took me to this particular spot because he knew there was probably a cat there. It was an awesome experience I'll never forget.



I think my shot placement should have been just to the right of the front leg from this angle or I should have waited for a better shot but she was getting close. I haven't seen videos of one jumping around quite like that. Anyway, at the taxidermist now.

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Jon Collins has a great article on bobcat calling sequences, FOXPRO Inc. - Your Home for High Performance Game Calls, and a FoxPro podcast on this topic too: .

I used one of the recommended sequences in a FOXCast file on the X24 and this cat came in within 4-5 minutes.

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This is really cool. Congrats! We are only allowed 1 bobcat a year in Michigan in the lower peninsula. You have to travel to the UP for a second on private land. We are also not allowed to night hunt them. A bobcat is on the bucket list for sure.
 
Bobcats down here are generally the first to show up. Only had a couple come charging in, most you just spot while scanning. You’ll scan an area and nothing, scan again and one will be sitting there looking at the caller, lol. I’ve actually got that gut feeling something was behind me and pivoted all the way around on the tripod and a cat be sitting less than 30yds away looking from me to the caller and back.
We joke when trapping after making a coyote set about what critter will clog it up first…a possum or a bobcat.
 
GA will allow E-callers this year for bobcats and fox! Prior to that, hand calls only. Guess they finally realized how many we have. I think it’s part of their way to help out the turkeys.
 
Lazer, Between Trapping and Calling last winter I killed 63 Bobcats, usually get about 35 or 40. I have pictures of a bunch more but they are graphic, I don't know the rules on graphic photos don't want piss off the powers that be. Murl B.
 
IlliniFan said:
My first bobcat from December, 2023. Taken with a Bergara Premier LRP 2.0 22-250 24" with Pulsar Thermion 2 XG50 LRF, Dead Air Nomad LTi, Hornady Express 55 grain, 3,600 FPS. My hunting buddy took me to this particular spot because he knew there was probably a cat there. It was an awesome experience I'll never forget.



I think my shot placement should have been just to the right of the front leg from this angle or I should have waited for a better shot but she was getting close. I haven't seen videos of one jumping around quite like that. Anyway, at the taxidermist now.

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Jon Collins has a great article on bobcat calling sequences, FOXPRO Inc. - Your Home for High Performance Game Calls, and a FoxPro podcast on this topic too: .

I used one of the recommended sequences in a FOXCast file on the X24 and this cat came in within 4-5 minutes.

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Congratulations on your first cat he really jumped around seems to be a cat thing lol there special here in Michigan only one per year in a short season and day time only hunting for them so you have to do your homework if you really want one they test your skill and patience
 
Lazer32 said:
This is really cool. Congrats! We are only allowed 1 bobcat a year in Michigan in the lower peninsula. You have to travel to the UP for a second on private land. We are also not allowed to night hunt them. A bobcat is on the bucket list for sure.
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I’m with you I don’t know why they mess are hunting up like that nighttime in my opinion is the best choice to hunt bobcats
 
Nice job! I still remember my first cat vividly - killed in AZ on a hunt during one of the Predator Masters Conventions. Sure was some bounce to it! I had one do that in the daytime earlier this year and got a little worried about finding him.
 
We call in several every year during our night season but they aren't legal at night.
Maybe someday we will get lucky during the day. I have seen probably around 35 to 40 of them in the day so it does happen. I just usually am not hunting LOL
 
bluedog69 said:
We call in several every year during our night season but they aren't legal at night.
Maybe someday we will get lucky during the day. I have seen probably around 35 to 40 of them in the day so it does happen. I just usually am not hunting LOL
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Same here in South Carolina. At one point earlier this year I was calling in more cats than I was coyotes.
 
Congrats. I’m going all in on bobcats this year and hope to get my first as well. We have no limit here and can hunt them from Sept 1 until March 15th.
 
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