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Big one?

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Big one?

Postby wawhitey » 04 19, 2018 •  [Post 1]

Looks like a pretty big bob to me. Theyre not nearly as common around here as lions, so i dont really know how to judge size. Is this a big tom?
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Re: Big one?

Postby wawhitey » 04 19, 2018 •  [Post 2]

Big mama lion for comparison
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Re: Big one?

Postby Swede » 04 19, 2018 •  [Post 3]

It looks big to me. He looks like he has been missing a few meals too.
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Re: Big one?

Postby wawhitey » 04 19, 2018 •  [Post 4]

Swede wrote:It looks big to me. He looks like he has been missing a few meals too.


No lack of prey for him. Lots of snowshoe hares, grouse, turkey etc around. And i have a feeling that sucker is capable of taking out a yearling whitetail if its feeling motivated.
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Re: Big one?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 04 20, 2018 •  [Post 5]

Looks like a darn nice mature bob to me.
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Re: Big one?

Postby Swede » 04 21, 2018 •  [Post 6]

What I have observed is that in a cold country winter, prey and predator alike lose weight. I suppose it is due to the cold and a carcass freezes up soon and a predator can't get a future meal there. Other factors too, like fresh deep snow can affect the predators getting out and hunting. I see that more on coyotes than anything else, but that is because we see more coyotes than anything.

I just talked to Jim Walker a professional trapper and instructor about cats and other predators. He said that a bobcat will be greasy fat on December 1, but quite thin by March.
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Re: Big one?

Postby wawhitey » 04 21, 2018 •  [Post 7]

Thats interesting swede. Ive always thought as winter progressed, predators thrived, as theyre able to run on top of hard snow, while hooved animals sink through.
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Re: Big one?

Postby Swede » 04 21, 2018 •  [Post 8]

Whitey, you are right that predators can run on the top of crusted and packed/dense snow when deer and elk will be floundering in it up to their gazoo. I have not observed enough bobcats at that time of year to get too dogmatic. That is why I called a professional trapper. Usually when I see a bobcat, it is on the run and acting like it is late trying to get somewhere. The same is true of cougars. When working out in the winter snow, in good open weather, I don't see near as much wildlife as I do in the summer. If my memory serves me correctly in stormy weather, I rarely saw anything like rabbits or birds. Squirrels were all hibernating.
To be fair, I worked above the winter range for deer and elk for the most part. Usually the National Forest is higher up and the lowlands are private and BLM. Even at home on the 95 acre place we had there were fewer critters out in the occasional heavy snow we had.
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Re: Big one?

Postby JKaboom » 04 22, 2018 •  [Post 9]

Neat thread and cool pics.
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