The New Huntmastersbbs!: Bobcat Pics

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Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 18, 2010, 07:35 AM:

I cant get enough of looking at pictures when im not hunting and since others are sharing it got me in the mood to share a few you guys. Now keep in mind coming from Colorado originally and mostly hunting the Colorado eastern plains I had only seen one bobcat in my life before moving here and I called it in at my parents house in Missouri. So needless to say bobcats are still a pretty awesome thing for me. Reading the "Howling Question" thread kinda down played it for me but this was still one of the neatest experiences I have had. This happened last month, season just opened on them yesterday. Adrenaline rush for sure for me. Hope you enjoy em. I need to get a better quality camera soon. Pictures of animals coming in are neat. I would like to get some high quality ones someday.

Leonard and Company please excuse the "machine gun"..... [Wink]

[ November 18, 2010, 07:41 AM: Message edited by: Patterson ]

Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 18, 2010, 07:37 AM:

Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 18, 2010, 07:39 AM:

Posted by DanS (Member # 316) on November 18, 2010, 07:53 AM:

That is cool, but can you get a little closer, I am sporting bifocals now-a-days.

I don't think I could have sat still long enough to let it get that close. Great pictures.

Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on November 18, 2010, 07:57 AM:

excellant.

Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on November 18, 2010, 08:07 AM:

Way cool!

- DAA

Posted by skoal (Member # 1492) on November 18, 2010, 08:12 AM:

Verry cool pics! keep up the good work.

Posted by Cayotaytalker (Member # 1954) on November 18, 2010, 08:24 AM:

Yes excellant says it all!Patterson I hate you! NOT.We just don't have land like that out here in Vegas is all.I have seen country like that in Oklahoma just not so much a round Enid where I'am from. I Have seen some country like that over around Coffeyvile Kansas.
Edit to add the word not.

[ November 18, 2010, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: Cayotaytalker ]

Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on November 18, 2010, 09:15 AM:

Did you pet it?

Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 18, 2010, 09:54 AM:

DanS.....I thought about getting it closer. It was glued onto my camera and the clicking noises associated with my finger moving. It stayed in the position of the last picture for 15 seconds or so before I started to think about what I might do if he decided to further investigate. The answer was...I could do nothing so I decided it smart to scare it off. Its only the 5th bobcat I have called in and im pretty inexperienced with them. I was lying flat on my back with the camera on my chest and my head held up behind the camera.

Lonehowl, I tried but it said it wasnt drunk enough [Wink]

[ November 18, 2010, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Patterson ]

Posted by DanS (Member # 316) on November 18, 2010, 10:03 AM:

Well that is closer than I've ever had one come in. Great job

Posted by tlbradford (Member # 1232) on November 18, 2010, 10:06 AM:

Where is the picture of your buddy moving that mount closer and closer?

That is a really neat sequence patterson. Those last two photos are priceless. Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on November 18, 2010, 10:34 AM:

Yeah, those are excellant! lol No, really, they are excellent. Thanks for sharing.

Good hunting. LB

PS, no, I don't think I ever called one that close, either, but the reason in this case is that you couldn't shoot it. Otherwise, you probably would have machinegunned him much sooner, right?

edit: the two closest bobcats I ever had were both shot with my deer rifle, a M0del 700 chambered in 300WinMag, while deer hunting.

[ November 18, 2010, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]

Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on November 18, 2010, 12:28 PM:

WOW!!! So that's what they look like. I need a reminder every now and then. Great pics!

Nice machine gun too. I have one very similar, wrapped in the same pattern camoform.

Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 18, 2010, 01:03 PM:

Leonard, you are correct, ya I would have bagged him. He came out at that tree line and hung up. At first I thought it was a coyote. I couldnt really see it well. It popped out of the trees and stopped. I made one more short quiet series and it wouldnt come any closer. At that point I was figuring hung up coyote and that I needed to make my move. Sat up and got it in the scope and saw it was a cat and though "fuk"...then I just watched it for 20-30 seconds more in the scope and it started to come in some more. I had the sun at my back and it didnt see me move. I laid back down and proceeded to lip squeek and fumble to get my camera out of my pocket. It would come 10 yards at a time and then pause. Seemed like hours and my head was shaking from my neck muscles straining to keep holding it up. Took forever. I actually got around 24 photos of it coming in but these 17 are the only ones that turned out. I had to delete old photos cause my memory card filled up 3 different times. You can kinda tell from all the zoomed in/zoomed out shot variations. I was taking photos like crazy when I could. I couldnt have been happier season was closed though. Never would have got the pics like you mentioned.

Posted by Possumal (Member # 823) on November 18, 2010, 02:12 PM:

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. Those bobcats are something else.

Posted by Possumal (Member # 823) on November 18, 2010, 02:26 PM:

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. Those bobcats are something else. We have a pretty good population of them now and a season, so I hope to get one this year.

Posted by 4949shooter (Member # 3530) on November 18, 2010, 04:13 PM:

Great pics.

Edit: Disregard season info was in your first post.

[ November 18, 2010, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: 4949shooter ]

Posted by DanS (Member # 316) on November 18, 2010, 04:41 PM:

Our bobcat season just open on the 15th, so when Deer Season ends, I hope to call a few of them in.

Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on November 18, 2010, 06:28 PM:

I waylayed a nice cat last weekend, and as I picked it up and flung it over my shoulder for the short walk out, I turned around and came face to face with a huge (for California) buck. I couldnt believe it, especially after blasting off a 3" dead coyote round.
Deer season ended a few weeks ago.
Mark

Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on November 18, 2010, 07:11 PM:

I saw those on your FB page, Dustin, and thought to myself that you must be finally starting to enjoy calling in Kansas. LOL Get one out in the grass and you can have some real fun with them. Since their season opened yesterday, I don't expect to see anothr one all winter.

Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on November 18, 2010, 07:34 PM:

[Big Grin]

Posted by SD Howler (Member # 3669) on November 18, 2010, 08:31 PM:

WOW!!!! Those were some fantastic pics. I have never had the luck or fortune to call in a bobcat, in all my years of calling. At least I have never seen one with my past stands. Part of problem is I use howls at a majority of my stands and if nothing is spotted after 15 minutes, I normally move on to another stand.

With my last coyote pics, I had the camera lens set up with auto focus and the camera focused with the grass or tree branches in the coyotes foreground. I noticed this with some of your first pics also where the bobcat wasn't as sharp as it could have been. If I get out again and have the fortune to call in another coyote I will try to manual focus in on the coyote. I will also use the AV or Manual setting with a larger
lens aperture opening or F/5.6 or 8. This allows less depth of field and a higher shutter speed. The film speed or ISO should also be set to 400 or 800. I don't like to use the A or auto setting on the camera.

Thanks again for sharing those GREAT bobcat pics. It's hard to believe that the cat came in that close.

Posted by Rich (Member # 112) on November 18, 2010, 09:07 PM:

Very nice pic's. [Big Grin]

Posted by Nikonut (Member # 188) on November 18, 2010, 11:36 PM:

quote:
I will also use the AV or Manual setting with a larger lens aperture opening or F/5.6 or 8. This allows less depth of field and a higher shutter speed. The film speed or ISO should also be set to 400 or 800. I don't like to use the A or auto setting on the camera.

This is good advise...

First of all I'm assuming you are using a digital camera. If not some of the following won't apply, as in(auto ISO).

Try using the shutter speed mode, which is "S"(shutter priority)mode, on a Nikon. Set your shutter speed at 125th or 250th(depending on how steady you can hold your camera and the amount of light)and then set "ISO" to "auto".

This will give you the widest aperture and narrowest depth of field for the lighting conditions(preferably daylight). Low light conditions rule out most of the possibility of any of this...

Setting up this way will also give you the best quality and contrast from the sensor. Using a long, fast, focal length lens such as a 200mm f2.8 or longer will also improve your chances for getting those shots through branches or grass. This also works for shooting pics through fences(like chain link)or screens.

Those are some great "grabbed" photos especially the closer ones! You don't always have time to set up the camera at optimal so you did very well!!! [Wink]

Nikonut

Posted by Patterson (Member # 3304) on November 19, 2010, 03:59 AM:

Thanks guys, between us....I look through those pics everyday to re-live it [Smile]

I have that last one as my wallpaper on my work comp.

Lance, I love calling Kansas. I have for a while now. Random chances at bobcats just makes it that much sweeter! Shot my first bobcat of my life 3 years ago when I first moved here. Didnt see a cat all year last year. Have called in two cats this year before season opened. I agree though..probly wont see another one this season.

SD Howler, Nikonnut
Thank you guys for the tips. I have a Canon Powershot A620 7.1 megapixel. Love the camera for what I use it for. Kill shots and perspective action shots. I like to get the hunting scene in my action shots so a lot of them I try to zoom out to show the setting. Which usually means getting critters close. But those are the ones I like the best. You get to see the scenery, setup, and the animal in relation to it all. Any tips for setting for that kinda stuff? Tons of people zoom in on the animals and you dont really have a good perspective of the whole situation. I guess its just my personal perspective I favor. My other love is hunting snow geese. I usually get some pretty good snow goose pics every season but predators are tougher to capture for me. Usually happens to quick and you have to decide between the gun or camera.

I googled lenses and it looks like I can get a lense adaptor for this camera and get some different lenses?? New to this but cant afford a new $2,000 rig.

Posted by SD Howler (Member # 3669) on November 19, 2010, 05:15 AM:

Yes I'm using a digital camera, I have a Canon Rebel XTi with 28-135 and 75-300 IS (image stabilization) zoom lenses. I was fortunate that Canon was offering rebates for the camera and each lens several years back. I also received Canon color printer for a very low price.

You can never take to many pics, some of these digital images may be taken only once in a lifetime. I have been using the camera rather the gun when traversing with my wheelchair. Just to much equipment to carry or pack along when going afield.

Years ago when I was working as a trapper for the SD GFP, I had the opportunity to take many pics. The trouble was when you needed the camera, it was at home or back in your truck. Now you can carry a small pocket digital camera with you and have no excuses.

Posted by Nikonut (Member # 188) on November 19, 2010, 09:58 AM:

Well,

Using that point and shoot camera just makes those pics even better! Very nicely done!

About the only thing you might try is the scenery mode for wider shots or the sports/action mode. The sports mode will give you a higher shutter speed which will cause the lens to open wider giving narrower depth of field.

Another option would be the video mode!!! That would have been a great video if you were able to hold steady... probably would need a tripod or rest of some kind.

Keep taking pics regardless, like Steve said the more you take the better the chance of getting one exceptional moment. And get a bigger memory card!!!! LOL [Big Grin]

Nikonut

Posted by Lungbuster (Member # 630) on November 21, 2010, 08:40 AM:

Excellent pictures. thanks.

Posted by Clank (Member # 3687) on November 21, 2010, 09:14 AM:

That is way cool

Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on November 22, 2010, 10:57 AM:

WowwEEwow!
that is some sequence of photos!!!

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