Bobcat Problem

[Josiah Bower]

A bobcat has recently eaten all of my friend’s chickens. It climbs the fence of the coop, tears the screen on top, and attacks the chickens. I’ve been keeping my truck gun handy whenever I’m over there in case I see it, but I would like to hunt or trap this cat effectively.

I’m assuming trapping will be more effective than hunting, but I’d love to hear any advice y’all have for both hunting and trapping. Please explain things like I’m two years old because I’m relatively new to hunting and have only trapped rabbits in a Havahart box trap

Also, I found some tracks I think were left by the bobcat, but could they be from a yote instead? See pictures.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[PathFinder]

That's a coyote track.
Bobcats are pretty trap dumb, they'll even step on an exposed pan. Snares are effective too.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[wildwilderness]

put a trap out use one of the dead chickens as bait. Live traps are easy. Where do you live? I know when I lived in GJ CO the Fish and Game would loan out traps for free (deposit required) for people to catch nuisance animals.

 

[WCB]

Snare would probably be the easiest if no chance of catching a dog. Just make a pen with sticks leave a spot for it to walk "through" the pen put guard each enterence/exit with a snare. Leave a chicken inside for bait or really just some feathers.

 

[FLAK]

I think you got Coyote AND a Bobcat problem.

 

[TxxAgg]

A live chicken and a live trap will work

 

[Bubblehide]

Assuming the coop is not short, you may very well have a bobcat, coon... climbing the coop and ripping it's way inside. However, if a cat got inside, it would very likely kill all the chickens before it left the coop. Trow up a game camera and figure out what it is, when it generally comes ... that will help greatly in eliminating the problem animal(s). I seriously doubt a coyote is climbing it's way in, although not impossible; but I do agree, those are canine tracts, and very very likely coyote.

Bobcats as has been said are very easy to trap. You could get a live trap (an appropriate size), place cut branches in a V shape guiding the cat to the entrance (wide to narrow), put a poult inside, tied, with a small amount of food and water and leave it overnight. If can can find the cats trail, set it up just off it's trail.

 

[Yotehntr]

Just FYI coyote print will show toenails, cat/bobcats pull their claws in when they walk.

 

[Dirtbag]

I do a lot of predator hunting and actively scout for bobcats .This is the way I use to identify a questionable track. depending on soil type a lot of times a coyotes toe nails don't always show well. if you can draw an X in-between the outside toes and not hit the rear pad you have a coyote. I added the red lines to this image to demonstrate.

The live trapping for bobcats can be really effective. You can also try calling them in. If I have a good chance of calling in a cat I call using high pitched baby rabbit and bird sounds and sit for no less than 45 minutes. You also call coyotes this way as well.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

I do a lot of predator hunting and actively scout for bobcats .This is the way I use to identify a questionable track. depending on soil type a lot of times a coyotes toe nails don't always show well. if you can draw an X in-between the outside toes and not hit the rear pad you have a coyote. I added the red lines to this image to demonstrate.

Badass. Thank you for this knowledge.

 

[TheGDog]

If you elect to call for the bobcat, make sure that where you sit has a good FOV of the caller and motion decoy and all the area around it. If not the bobcat can sneak up real close to the caller/decoy and could be very close to you without you knowing it. and he'll sit there and watch the motion decoy for possibly quiet a long time before deciding whether or not to commit to closing the remaining few yards to the decoy.

Also remember that if they are very close like 25 yds and under that you gotta remember to hold the crosshairs that inch or 1.5 inch too high to make up for the bore axis being the 1.5 inches or whatever below the scopes axis!

 

[kcarpenter12]

Motion in decoys helps a lot with cats. They take their time coming into a call.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I wish I was a Bobcat problem. Apparently thats not the case.

 

[BSwartz]

A foothold at the bottom of the coop works great. they typically jump from the same spot.

 

[Goshawker1]

A bobcat has recently eaten all of my friend’s chickens. It climbs the fence of the coop, tears the screen on top, and attacks the chickens. I’ve been keeping my truck gun handy whenever I’m over there in case I see it, but I would like to hunt or trap this cat effectively.

I’m assuming trapping will be more effective than hunting, but I’d love to hear any advice y’all have for both hunting and trapping. Please explain things like I’m two years old because I’m relatively new to hunting and have only trapped rabbits in a Havahart box trap

Also, I found some tracks I think were left by the bobcat, but could they be from a yote instead? See pictures.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Those tracks don’t look like cat at all
That’s a dog, yote
But buy a couple of bridger #2 and you’ll be good to go

 

[GotDraw?]

A bobcat has recently eaten all of my friend’s chickens. It climbs the fence of the coop, tears the screen on top, and attacks the chickens. I’ve been keeping my truck gun handy whenever I’m over there in case I see it, but I would like to hunt or trap this cat effectively.

I’m assuming trapping will be more effective than hunting, but I’d love to hear any advice y’all have for both hunting and trapping. Please explain things like I’m two years old because I’m relatively new to hunting and have only trapped rabbits in a Havahart box trap

Also, I found some tracks I think were left by the bobcat, but could they be from a yote instead? See pictures.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Sounds like more of a coop problem than a varmint problem. Your friend just needs to build a studier coop, with real wire instead of cheap ass wire and then no one has to worry about killing the bobcat.

Tell him to throw effort at the coop.

JL

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Agreed, a proper coop is hard to bust into. That said, rigging a wire snare around a "hole" in the top screen would be a fun trap. connect it to some cans to work as an alarm and take photos of it hanging upside down before dispatching it.

 

[Kotleta]

Upgrade to wire instead of a screen