Coyote and my first bobcat

DSGB · December 12, 2005

This weekend I managed to do some population control on a couple predators while deer hunting. Saturday morning I had what I think was a coyote come within 50 yards of my stand just before daylight. I saw a few yearlings around 9am, and thirty minutes later this mangy coyote came strolling down the same trail. One shot from my .270 at 30 yards and, needless to say, he was history. Either he was ate up with mange, or had been hit by a car. There was no hair on his shoulder or rear leg, as well as behind his ears.

About 20 minutes after that, I saw a nice six pointer come down the same trail. He got to the edge of the thicket, where the first coyote came in before daylight, and stopped. I guess he smelled the dead 'yote laying there. He's standing there with his nose in the air when I hear something coming up behind me. It's another 'yote! The buck and the 'yote saw each other and the buck took off. I tried to turn around to get a shot at the 'yote, but he saw me (them critters don't miss a thing) and went back the way he came. The buck came back and checked out the dead 'yote, stomping and trying to get it to move, before he eased off.

Sunday morning I was sitting there and a doe walked across the road, dissappearing in the thicket before I could get my gun up. About fifteen minutes later I hear squirrels barkign and hear rustling leaves. I got my gun up and out pops a bobcat. I have seen three already this year, and never having shot one before, I put a hole through her. There's nothing in the picture to give a reference to how big she was, but she was about medium size for around here. Not the biggest I've seen, but not little either. When I held her up by her back paws, I had to hold my arm above my waist to keep her off the ground. She was soaking wet, either from the morning dew on the grass, or she crossed the creek that was behind me. A .270 makes a big exit wound on a bobcat at 25 yards.

jcwa · December 12, 2005