|
Author
|
Topic: curious
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 24, 2004 03:45 PM
If anyone has called a bobcat, and had him intentionally circle to get down wind of your location; I'd love to hear about it.
Good hunting. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Rich Higgins
unknown comic
|
posted March 24, 2004 04:45 PM
Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing about it too.
I've had them leave an open area and circle around to get to cover and then sit down and watch. I have video of a couple of them sitting downwind of me and watching. March 8 Tyler called in a bobcat and Robb shot it while it was standing downwind of me watching Tyler. I don't believe I've ever seen a cat react to the downwind scent, much less seek it out.
IP: Logged
|
|
Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
|
posted March 24, 2004 05:31 PM
I'm with Rich on this one. Every cat I've ever called has been serendipitous since my ADD keeps me from sitting that long hoping that more than nothing will show up. Every move they make seems to be oriented toward the use of stalking cover and, as a matter of fact, I used to have the literature of a report that studied the bobcat's use of stalking cover. Didn't prove anything that any experienced hunter didn't already know. Seems to me that a bobcat's nose is nothing more than its "hubcap". Looks good, but otherwise useless from the standpoint of calling.
--------------------
I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 24, 2004 05:45 PM
Rich, I have had similiar, but it wasn't deliberate, just coming in, and the wind happened to be right.
However, I have seen their reaction to scent when they are strolling by. You can see their nose quiver like a rabbit's. They have a nose, and they can smell, and identify things.
Now, if you want my opinion, I think they can smell a human, by accident, but they do not feel threatened, unless they see danger, movement, etc.
Now, have you had a cat approach your stand, cross your wind, turn and approach directly? I don't think they would do that. They may not leave, if they smell you, but I don't remember one actually walking right up to me after getting a whiff of human, coyote, and rabbit urine.
(edit: need further qualification. Yes, they can be coaxed right up to you, especially if they had approached, in a breeze, from a down wind direction, in the first place. I mean come in, circle, get your scent, which is what he intended to do, and then come in from down wind, coaxing or otherwise.)
But, that's not the question. I'm asking if a cat has checked up, looked around, and decided to circle downwind; involving a change of direction....like a coyote would do, automatically.
Good hunting. LB
[ March 24, 2004, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 26, 2004 04:10 PM
Okay, now we have something to gnaw on. Lance thinks a bobcat's nose is an ornament, like a hubcap.
I will suggest that they have a decent nose, and find it useful.
The reason, according to my daydreaming, is that they are very self-assured. Whereas, a coyote might jump out of it's skin at the sniff of human scent, a bobcat smells a human, and thinks:
"big deal! I can get away from a human, and most of the time, they can't even see me, so what's to be scared of?"
Okay the flaw in that reasoning is they forgot about the guns. But, they are confident, don't see how a human could do them harm, so as long as they are beyond their danger zone, they aren't particularly worried.
And, this is my theory as to why a bobcat is unconcerned with getting the scent of the animal making the noise. They want to see it, they don't have to smell it to know if it's a dinner possibility, or something to avoid.
Seems to work reasonably well?
I'm pretty sure that I have had bobcats catch my scent from downwind. They do not flee, as would a coyote. I don't think it's because they can't smell a human. It's because they don't understand the threat. Shoot and miss, and they beat a hasty(?) no, casual retreat. Even if they see you, they do no more than walk away at a slow trot.
Lance, it might amount to the same thing, but I disagree. The bobcat nose is no hubcap.
Good hunting. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Rich Higgins
unknown comic
|
posted March 26, 2004 07:50 PM
I'm sure that bobcats have a well developed sense of smell. Trappers use lures to attract them to their sets. I know that smells, odors, scents are important to certain social seasons of the cats. Unlike the coyote, who believes and relies on his nose above all other senses, the bobcat relies on his eyesight, sometimes to the exclusion of the other senses. And compared to the coyote, who is always alert and tuned to danger, the cat is a dim bulb indeed.
IP: Logged
|
|
Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
|
posted March 26, 2004 07:57 PM
Now, Leonard, I made tha analogy with respect to if/ how they use it when responding to a call. I never meant to imply that it was a vestigial organ placed smack dab on top of their mouth hole. Yeah, it works quite well. But, as you noted, 'cats don't seem to be too bright when it comes to knowing a bad situation when they're in the middle of it. Upon reading your comment, I immediately thought of that segment in Randy Anderson's Predator or Prey DVD where Rick shoots at that bobcat and hits a branch just to the 'cat's left. No coyote, dumb or otherwise, would have stayed there for round two, but that dumbass cat just looked to one side with this "Hmmm! That's fun*BOOM*!!!"
'Cats use stalking cover to close the gap on their prey before they do the final charge and pounce. Coyotes course their prey for the most part. Although they'll use cover, they don't necessarily require it IMO. Also, coyotes don't tend to stay around and enjoy the experience of interacting with humans and is a large part of why ppl around here see coyotes out and about but don't think we even have bobcats. Bobcats, on the other hand, ain't that bright. We walked up on an adult bobcat one night while running coonhounds. The thing just sat there facing away from us and not moving. One guy with us thought he just had to be sick, but it was just acting like a 'cat and figured as long as he sat still, we wouldn't see him. Wrong. Bang. Whack. Coat!
I don't regard a 'cat's nose to be a threat in calling. I've never seen any reason to think otherwise. Outside of that context, it's a nose and is used in the same manner as any other predator's nose.
--------------------
I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Steve Craig
Lacks Opposable Thumbs/what's up with that?
Member # 12
|
posted March 27, 2004 05:58 AM
To answer your question......No!
It is just not the nature of a bobcat to do that. He/she is a feline and not a canid. The two are at different ends of the spectrum and as I have always said, should be hunted differently if you are targeting one or the other for maximum success.
As far as being dumb, one day they appear that way and the next they appear super smart. Or maybe even the next hour! But in reality they are just being a cat!
I know many very good coyote trappers who have a very hard time catching bobcats and consider them smart. Yet I know some kids that can go out and knock the heck out of the cat population day in and day out, yet can not catch a coyote to save their life. The kid is just doing what is simple to do and the coyote trapper is trying to canine trap his cats and it doesnt work. Neither the bocat or coyote is smart or dumb.....just different. And you need to change your calling tactics in the same way to get numbers of each. One relies on the wind, the other doesnt. One relies more on his sight, the other more on his nose.
Now a lion....that can be a different story altogether.
Does the lion use his nose like a coyote or like a bobcat?
food for thought.
Steve
--------------------
Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction. - Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 442 | From: Cottonwood,Az, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 27, 2004 07:07 AM
Interesting commentary. And, from those who should know.
In regards to the last post, I agree that cats are a problem for some people in the same way that fox hunters sometimes have difficulty in making the switch to coyotes. Some guys have a knack for cats, and some don't have a clue. I also tend to give them a few more IQ points than others. But, as Steve said, it's not consistant, viewed from a human perspective.
I really liked that aside about locals, when asked about the bobcat population. Generally, they truly believe that they don't have a population of cats. Why, 'cause they never see them. I have always got a few chuckles from that kind of response. To the point of; it's a waste of time to ask.
These animals can live in close proximity to humans, side by side for decades, if not longer, and most of the humans don't know that the other exists. I don't know how smart that is, but it seems to work moderately well.
So, yeah; it just is not in the nature of a bobcat to circle downwind. But, does it happen, intentionally; ever?
Also, I don't know where Steve is going with his teaser about lions, and I don't know what the answer would be.
I will say this, thinking about the possibility, and considering my own limited experience with lions.....could be! I know that they seem to take a tangent coming to the call that could be deliberate, although I have never waited to find out what they are up to. My motivation is to keep them coming in a straight line, but they sometimes do not cooperate.
This is a lot easier to observe, at night, and I have only a handful of events to consider, so I agree: It's food for thought.
Good hunting. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Lonny
PANTS ON THE GROUND
Member # 19
|
posted March 27, 2004 08:35 AM
Interesting question Steve.
I really have no idea how good a lions nose is. But they sure do seem to use the wind in their favor when hunting deer and elk. This is most likely because deer and elk will smell an approaching lion long before it can get close enough for a quick rush. I have always been amazed at finding lion killed deer that never even had time to make it out of their bed before the lion had it. On a nervous animal like a whitetail deer thats FAST. Since lions prey on animals with a better sense of smell they need to use the wind to their advantage. Whether they do have a good sense of smell I don't know. Kinda like the human bowhunter needs to use the wind even though we can't smell worth a lick.
Looking foreward to your answer on this one Steve.
Posts: 1209 | From: Lewiston, Idaho USA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Terry Hunter
Knows what it's all about
Member # 58
|
posted March 27, 2004 09:47 AM
I was calling cats before coyotes moved in.Never has a cat circled down wind on my stand.
Posts: 132 | From: N. Middle Tennessee | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Rob
Knows what it's all about
Member # 75
|
posted March 27, 2004 10:23 AM
Lonny..never gave it much thought..Always figured they hunted like bobcats.Your theory makes sense to me.
--------------------
"Where did all these #$%^&* Indians come from?" Gen. George Armstrong Custer
Posts: 224 | From: Clancy Montana | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
crapshoot
Knows what it's all about
Member # 225
|
posted March 30, 2004 01:55 PM
One night Travis Lindley and I went out calling. We noticed a set of eyes comming down a hill about 600 yrds infront of us. We were in the bottom of a wash and there was alot of vegitation. I told Travis to get ready to shoot while I ran the light. We lost sight of the animal as it reached the bottom of the hill and the edge of the wash. We continued to call for another 15 minutes, but nothing ever showed up. Travis put is gun back in the truck , picked up his light and made a sweep. There it was , not more than 30 ft behind him. Directly down wind.
since we lost sight of it, I cant be for sure if this was the same animal that was comming down the hill, but I would bet money on it.
Posts: 44 | From: S. Nevada | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted March 30, 2004 03:02 PM
crapshoot, I have had exactly same thing happen quite a few times, except I don't remember which way the wind was blowing? Anyway, have had several cats sneak in behind me.
So, did you manage to get him, or not?
Good hunting. LB
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32361 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
crapshoot
Knows what it's all about
Member # 225
|
posted March 30, 2004 05:52 PM
Here is a pic from that night. I wound up getting the cat and a grey, and Travis got his first grey fox that night too. Im on the right. All were taken with a NEF 22 hornet and 35 gr v-max bullets.
[ March 30, 2004, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: crapshoot ]
Posts: 44 | From: S. Nevada | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
