I t is more reasonable to think that bobcats, being furbearers, are more often trapped than actually hunted. For one thing, it is tough to go out and find a bobcat like one does a mule deer or a pronghorn antelope. However, bobcats, like mountain lions, bears and coyotes can be hunted with trained hunting hounds.
On my family ranch there are bobcats, not a lot but enough that there are several families living in various and assorted draws and rim-rocks. In my life I have seen several, and my ex-husband trapped a few after we were first married, but they have not been hunted or harassed in over 20 years.
So, last week when a good friend of my suggested that he come down and hunt bobcats with one of his young lion hounds, because the lion season quota was filled early, I agreed to show him around the place and see if we could find a fresh track.
We drove the 40 miles to the ranch on New Year’s Eve day, unfortunately, the snow conditions weren’t optimal, and most of the south slopes were blown bare, so the dog had some trouble picking up the tracks. We did, however, find several tracks in the draw, one was the track of a large bobcat, probably a male, and the rest we saw were smaller.
We turned the dog loose on them, and the chase was on. Nose to the ground, the dog zigzagged up and down hills, in and out of draws, sniffing and baying (Greg called it opening) whenever the tracks smelled fresh.
The day was slightly windy but pretty warm for Wyoming in late December, the sky was a vivid, electric blue, the snow on the hillsides was gleaming white. Just watching the dog work, listening to his deep baying voice, and wondering, always wondering if we would actually jump and see a bobcat, made for an exciting day. We didn’t actually plan to shoot the cat if we indeed found one, even thought the pelts are selling pretty high right now, we just wanted to watch the dog work and see what would jump out. Unfortunately, we never saw anything more exciting that several fat prairie dogs an a couple of jackrabbits, but we did discover at least five different bobcat tracks criss-crossing the country.
After all, hunting should be more about the chase, and the feeling of being one with nature. Still, we plan to go back when there is better snow, and Greg has hopes that we will catch at least one next time, hopefully the big male cat. One never knows…
Stay tuned for updates on Wyoming bobcat hunting 2007.
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