Mike we see bobcats all the time and occasionally a lion around the golf course in early morning. They feed on the rabbits of which are feeding on the grass on the golf course. I had walked down into the courtyard recently and a bobcat was laying on a table near the pool. The biggest problem are guest who are leaving food on trays outside. Years ago I came face to face with a lion. He was not frighten by me but I sure was frighten of him. Been seeing a big Mule Deer hanging around eating in a flower garden. Problem with him is everyone see's him due to the main road traffic and where he's feeding. Some (Me) bow hunter is going to pop him next season if he is still around and if I can draw the bow back. My luck the buck will run onto the golf course and die.
Keith, seeing bobcats like that would just be too cool.
Unfortunately, a few years back I had to put one down right
in my front yard. Two of my cats had gone missing, and one
of them was a middle aged, bad-assed feral tom I was working
with, so I knew it wasn't another cat, or even a dog that
could have got him. Walked out to get the mail one day, and
there's this bobcat sitting there beside the road, looking
at me. I could see right off the poor thing was in bad shape,
but also knew I was looking at the killer of my cats.
I still didn't want to kill it, but even if I called a game warden
in all they would have done is caged it, and then euthanized it
at some facility. No need for the critter to suffer and go through
all that stress. I went and grabbed a neighbor to get their opinion
(cat wasn't going anywhere, so no rush), and after looking
at her we both agreed it's best to put her down now. So, one
shot later (12 ga.) she was gone. When I picked her up I noticed
she couldn't have weighed more than 10-12 lbs, but at her body
size she should have been closer to 20+. Had one claw on each
front paw, no canine teeth left either. Guess she though the wooded
area in my front yard was a geriatric home for aged bobcat..lol
We have a healthy bobcat and cougar population here, but your
bobcats down in Arizona are far nicer looking. Up here they tend
to have more red and a very narrow white belly area due to living
in a forest region, but down there in AZ they have beautiful coloring
and a wide, white belly. Of course, they all look nasty mid-summer.
My first run-in with a cougar was in 1979, and at the time I had
been doing some early morning predator calling in an area called
"Boomer Hill", which is a few miles south of Roseburg, Oregon.
I had been sitting on the ground, and when I got up to leave, she
was locked up like a statue about 30 yds. away... directly behind me.
I could hear back then, and I hadn't heard a peep since I sat down.
Maybe she didn't expect me to be so big as all she had seen was
my upper torso from the back, but she just held her ground like
she was thinking of what the next move would be. I do recall that
my mouth was suddenly drier than a popcorn fart, but I managed
to yell at the cat "I don't want to shoot you..get outta here!"
Although I had a loaded .243 in my hands, I had no interest in
shooting that cougar. Still, being that close, if she would have so
much as flinched in my direction I'd have killed her. Lucky for us
both, she took one step back, turned left and then took off into
the timber.
It was a scary situation, but I didn't feel the "fear" part until
after I got back to my truck, and realized what had just transpired.
If I had sat there another 10 seconds she could have jumped me
from the back and I'd have never seen it coming. Worse yet I'd
been using a deer fawn bleat call hoping to get a few coyotes
in, so she was expecting to find "dinner". Lesson learned.
At the time I was working with my sister, who was the curator
of the Wildlife Safari park in Winston. My job was to cut up the
chow, and feed the cheetahs, the entire lion pride and the
tigers. I was used to being around big cats all day, and even
though they weren't "tame" in any sense, I did spend good amount
of time talking to them from the safety of the pickup truck we
used to haul the meat in.
There was one Bengal Tiger in particular (Sundari) who used to
actually pay attention. He was either intently listening, or wondering
what I would taste like..but I prefer the first choice. My sister had
raised him, so he always got an extra treat and a head scratch (through
the enclosure), and never once got nasty with me.
I don't fear big cats, but I sure as hell respect them, and the damage
they can put on a human, real fast.
Crap..I could write all night about cat encounters, especially bobcat,
but I don't want to bore you all with old stories.
Something all should consider: When you are bending down panning
in the water, you look like PREY. Looks to the cat like you've got 4 legs,
and are standing there just waiting to become a couple days of chow.
Either have someone standing up and watching your backside, or
check your six, frequently. Don't get so engrossed in your panning
that you lose touch with what's going on around you.
Marshall:
Truth is people are to stupid to know what to actually prepare for.. Or even
be afraid of... But most these people have guns to keep them safe? lucky for them ....Unlucky
for all others god creatures! To bad Common Sense ain't contagious..
Not everyone out there has your level of experience, and the gun is to
protect them and their families if, God forbid, a cat or bear does attack.
Nobody WANTS to kill them, but even you should remember that humans
are not the top of the food chain when you're in the wilds.
And, with all due respect, people are not stupid. Uneducated in the ways
of wilderness living or wild critters, perhaps, but not stupid.
My #1 rule: Don't act like prey, you won't be prey.
How can one not be nervous or uneasy when one encounters a armed man in place that has no need? Safety does not start nor end with a gun! In fact it is totally unrelated!!!!
