Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: fishunt247 on February 16, 2009, 08:53:21 PM
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I'm new to this whole bobcat gig. But now I'm obsessed. Still haven't got one. Me and my dad have made ten or so sets and called in one bobcat (one that we have seen anyway). We are hunting some great cat spots... on a fresh snow we cut between 4-10 different bobcat tracks in about a 2 mile area in either spot. And when we finally called one in, my dad didn't see it until he stood up. Damn. Thirty five minutes wasn't long enough i guess. But how many sets do you guys make on average per cat called in? And when you cut a fresh track, how long do you follow it until you set up?
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Yep, that seems to sum up my season so far. I would guess we have called in one for every 15-20 cat set ups. Have called in three long tail cats as well. How many cat hides have hit the stretchers??? None. Either we don't see them until we end the set, (like your Dad), or we don't see them at all, and only see the tracks in our tracks on our way out. So are you asking "how many sets per cat put down?" or "how many sets per cat called in"? There are two very different answers, (for us anyway). As far as how far do you track it until you set up....it depends on many things. Mostly (for us anyway), I'll follow tracks for awhile and try to "head it off at the pass" to find a spot that I want to set up. I have a spot that I've called in several bobcats, and there seems to be tracks there every time, so I still set up there. Lots of tracks, but no cats so far this season.
Good hunting to you!
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The reason I ask about the tracking deal is that about a week and a half ago, on a snow from the night before, my dad set out on the first track he crossed, followed it through the sage for about a quarter mile, then once he got to the biggest brush patch around he set up. He set up like 75 yards away. After about 45 mins, nothing, so he walked over to the patch. The patch was like 25 yards in diameter. Turns out the bobcat tracks went in but didn't come out. He circled it a few times, tried to penetrate a few spots but couldn't. So he went to pick up his decoy and turns out the cat walked out of the patch sometime when he was trying to get in it. He followed the track but the cat crawled inside a drain pipe. I was wondering if maybe he set up too close to the patch and the bobcat new he was there and was in hiding? So yeah, how many sets per cat killed? And how many cats do you figure you call in before you kill one? I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible, you know. Thanks.
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I haven't done much cat calling, but the one thing that I do know is that you have to be very patient. It's not like coyote's where you call for 15 minutes and then hit the next stand, it's more like an hour per set. And like you said, be very careful when you stand up, because they could be just laying down a short distance away. They don't come running in like coyotes, they crawl in slow on their bellies.
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I think that is the draw for me. I haven't coyote hunted like I used to. It just doesn't get me as much as calling for cats, even though I haven't got one yet. Like anything, you gotta just go do it and eventually, with enough time, it will click.
