Hunting and game posts

[Siesta Sundance]

I believe there will be more Bobcats next year. View attachment 114765
View attachment 114766

Ha. I was just in discussion with a friend about this yesterday. We normally don't shoot them unless someone wants to get a mount done. The bobcats also will eat fawns, so I'm thinking we are going to thin the population a little.

 

[Flintknapper]

Ha. I was just in discussion with a friend about this yesterday. We normally don't shoot them unless someone wants to get a mount done. The bobcats also will eat fawns, so I'm thinking we are going to thin the population a little.

They will occasionally find and kill a fawn. Also 'capable' of taking yearling deer....as seen here.

Where I live (Deep East Texas) we have tons of Bobcat. But I believe 'most' of their diet consists of Rats/Mice, Squirrels, Rabbit and Birds. Though certainly...they are opportunistic and will take what they can find and overpower.

I let most of them 'walk'. Coyotes on the other hand....never get a pass. They are the primary 'fawn killers' where I am.

 

[Trapper Bob]

They will occasionally find and kill a fawn. Also 'capable' of taking yearling deer....as seen here.

View attachment 114778

Where I live (Deep East Texas) we have tons of Bobcat. But I believe 'most' of their diet consists of Rats/Mice, Squirrels, Rabbit and Birds. Though certainly...they are opportunistic and will take what they can find and overpower.

I let most of them 'walk'. Coyotes on the other hand....never get a pass. They are the primary 'fawn killers' where I am.

Agreed!
Coyotes actively go after the fawns. I remove about 20 of them, from my place every year. Also, the cattlemen in my area are quite pleased.

 

[ken erickson]

Several years ago, a week or so after our rifle season ended, I popped down the my land and found a dead doe laying in my mostly dry pond basin. It was before I sealed it with sodium bentonite. Unfortunately my trail cam had dead batteries so was not able to document if the doe came in wounded or was caught at the basin by coyotes. There was a lot of blood on the basin ice and the hind haunches had already been chewed into. I would guess the carcass was at least 4 to 5 days old by the time I discovered it. Anyways, replaced the batteries and got some neat night video of this good sized bobcat feeding and playing with the carcass. Bobcats are present here in central Wisconsin but not in large numbers.

 

[Trapper Bob]

Several years ago, a week or so after our rifle season ended, I popped down the my land and found a dead doe laying in my mostly dry pond basin. It was before I sealed it with sodium bentonite. Unfortunately my trail cam had dead batteries so was not able to document if the doe came in wounded or was caught at the basin by coyotes. There was a lot of blood on the basin ice and the hind haunches had already been chewed into. I would guess the carcass was at least 4 to 5 days old by the time I discovered it. Anyways, replaced the batteries and got some neat night video of this good sized bobcat feeding and playing with the carcass. Bobcats are present here in central Wisconsin but not in large numbers.

That is a BIG one.

 

[ken erickson]

That is a BIG one.

When I first saw the thumbnail pop up as I was downloading pictures , knowing the relative size of the doe and the pond basin, , I thought, is that a cougar??! lol.

 

[mcmxi]

I hiked the shorter 3-mile loop behind my house yesterday afternoon and ran into some elk. They're easy to track in the snow leaving a bigger trail than I do! I also spooked a nice whitetail buck. There are typically 25 to 40 elk in this area and I've managed to get four bulls over the past four seasons. Not sure if I'll have the opportunity this year or even the interest to be honest. I saw one spike and tried to get a photo but wasn't fast enough. They were up in the trees in the bottom photo.

 

[RCW]

I’ve been seeing a lot of bobcat in upstate New York last decade.

Few years ago saw two kittens roadside, cute as a button.

Not scientific at all, but seldom hear coyotes lately.

Fisher are much more common than a few years ago too.

 

[ken erickson]

I’ve been seeing a lot of bobcat in upstate New York last decade.

Few years ago saw two kittens roadside, cute as a button.

Not scientific at all, but seldom hear coyotes lately.

Fisher are much more common than a few years ago too.

Fishers are one of my all time favorite species on my land. Rare, but always a few roaming around. Like you, we do see an increase in Fisher population in this part of the state. It was a shame they were almost trapped to extinction in the early 20th century here.

 

[RCW]

Fishers are one of my all time favorite species on my land. Rare, but always a few roaming around. Like you, we do see an increase in Fisher population in this part of the state. It was a shame they were almost trapped to extinction in the early 20th century here.

They're a challenge for small-scale poultry folks around here.

They have a "scream" you don't forget after hearing it the first time. Can sound similar to a Red Fox, but much more robust.

Similar to your area, they were virtually unknown until recently. Same applies to Black Bear, Coyotes, and even turkeys. 50 years ago, we had none of them, or very rare.

 

[ken erickson]

They're a challenge for small-scale poultry folks around here.

They have a "scream" you don't forget after hearing it the first time. Can sound similar to a Red Fox, but much more robust.

Similar to your area, they were virtually unknown until recently. Same applies to Black Bear, Coyotes, and even turkeys. 50 years ago, we had none of them, or very rare.

Heard that scream once and just about crawled out of my skin! Lol.

One hundred percent agree with you on the returning species! I have this conversation at times with my younger Friends or youngsters that help on my land that are enrolled in conservation studies at UW Point. They do not have a clue how empty the landscape was when it came to these important species. Besides the species you listed sandhill cranes come to mind.

I know many will disagree on coyotes being an important species, lol. As I see more black bear, Fox , both gray and red and fishers I see less coyotes.

The more I observe, the more I learn, the more I think nature has a way of somehow finding a balance even considering how at times we did a pretty good job of tipping it one way or the other.

 

[Flintknapper]

That is a BIG one.

That IS a 'stout' one.

I was hog hunting one night and had this big Tom come slinking through.

Pretty good cat for my area.

 

[Tughill Tom]

They're a challenge for small-scale poultry folks around here.

They have a "scream" you don't forget after hearing it the first time. Can sound similar to a Red Fox, but much more robust.

Similar to your area, they were virtually unknown until recently. Same applies to Black Bear, Coyotes, and even turkeys. 50 years ago, we had none of them, or very rare.

I was lucky enough last year while Deer hunting to have a Fisher hunt for Mice and Moles in front of my stand for 40 minutes last year. Quite a site and fun to witness.

 

[RCW]

I was lucky enough last year while Deer hunting to have a Fisher hunt for Mice and Moles in front of my stand for 40 minutes last year. Quite a site and fun to witness.

Tom - 15 years ago had a friend show me a picture from his phone. He asks “what’s this?!?!”

Was in a tree stand during deer season and had this “critter” climb up a nearby tree, watching the hunter. He got a little spooked by it.

Told him it was a fisher/fishercat. He’d never heard of them.

It was a pretty stout male by the looks..maybe 40+ pounds. .

A former high school buddy I got into varmint shooting was still at it 10 years ago. Was scoping a suburban lot near Cortland New York and said he saw an odd critter he thought was a Wolverine at 3-400 yards.

Told him no, same family, but it was a Fisher. No wolverines in upstate New York.

He said too big for a fisher. He refused to believe how big fishers can be.

 

[ken erickson]

Tom - 15 years ago had a friend show me a picture from his phone. He asks “what’s this?!?!”

Was in a tree stand during deer season and had this “critter” climb up a nearby tree, watching the hunter. He got a little spooked by it.

Told him it was a fisher/fishercat. He’d never heard of them.

It was a pretty stout male by the looks..maybe 40+ pounds. .

A former high school buddy I got into varmint shooting was still at it 10 years ago. Was scoping a suburban lot near Cortland New York and said he saw an odd critter he thought was a Wolverine at 3-400 yards.

Told him no, same family, but it was a Fisher. No wolverines in upstate New York.

He said too big for a fisher. He refused to believe how big fishers can be.

This was the last fisher I had on trail cam. I have only seen 3 with my own eyes and then it usually a fleeting look.

I would guess this one to be a female due to the smallish size , males are typically much larger. The female will very carefully select the hollow and especially the opening when giving birth to kits. Males will eat their young. The female chooses an opening that is difficult or impossible for the male to squeeze into, at least thats what she hopes for!.

The second fisher picture is larger for sure, but also I think the coat is prime so it may look larger.

 

[ayak]

High and to the right. It happens.

high and to the right, worked

 

[mcmxi]

I was woken at 5:30am this morning by the sound of an elk bugling and then spent the next couple of hours watching close to 40 of them bed down around the property. There were three obvious spikes and one other bull that was under a tree so couldn't make out whether or not he was also a spike.

 

[Trapper Bob]

W

I was woken at 5:30am this morning by the sound of an elk bugling and then spent the next couple of hours watching close to 40 of them bed down around the property. There were three obvious spikes and one other bull that was under a tree so couldn't make out whether or not he was also a spike.

View attachment 114837

View attachment 114838

View attachment 114839

Will the spikes bugle?

 

[mcmxi]

W

Will the spikes bugle?

Great question. Mature bulls, spike bulls and even cows will bugle as far as I know, or at least call, but spikes and cows don't compare to the sound made by a mature bull. I was woken up by an elk sound so it's very possible that it was a cow or spike making a sound that sounded like a bugle. I've only heard the really impressive and eerie sound of a mature bull off in the distance. Once was in Utah and the other times were in the Highwoods area near Belt, MT. Come to think of it, I heard elk bugling at my place last year that sure sounded like a mature bull.

 

[ayak]

Arse kicking asked for…

and received…