[TallPaul]

Tomorrow, August 1 is General Opening season for Bobcats in Arizona -also Raccoon,foxes,ringtail, weasel ( not our member, people :roflpmp: ) and badger and runs until Mar 31 2007.
I am looking forward hunting for a Bobcat. ( need to get a Coyote also hee hee). bowhuntin hows 37B and 24B for Bobcats? I know some spots in 37b that I hike and hunted before, but not for Bobcat.

Check Regs. for more dates and info.

 

[bowhuntinmaniac]

Find some spots near farm fields..........seems like the most places I have seen them.

 

[goinhtn63]

Hey Paul I have called in a few Bobcats in 37B. They are in there. We need to hook up and really give that unit a good work over for quai, yotes and Bobcats...

 

[Photoshot]

Try 35B. Tons of coyotes and quite a few bobcats and coti. If it wasn't so far from me, I would hunt that unit every single year.

 

[TallPaul]

Hey Kevin, i think I'm heading out there this weekend . Not sure yet, my wife is coming back home Friday night, so I have to check it out :smack2: hope she understands. I think I have a good chance because I didn't make it up to Cabela's yet. :mrgreen:

 

[Weasel]

Bobcats are so hard to see. Make sure you look everything over well before deciding that nothing came in.

 

[TallPaul]

Weasle, so as far as I understand it Bobcats for the most part come to calling slower than Coyotes and stay a lot farther out. Would 45 min. to hour on a stand be a resonable time for Bobcat? Longer? and than move and try again?

 

[Weasel]

I'll stay for 45 minutes if there is a lot of fresh sign, but usually I move on after 30 minutes or so. Some guys do stay for a full hour, but I don't have that kind of patience. Sometimes they come in fast, but usually they take their time. They'll come in close at times too. Many times you'll be scanning everything and all of a sudden you realize that the clump of grass or brush you just looked at is a bobcat. They'll sneak in, sit down and just watch what's going on. They blend in so well with their surroundings that they are difficult to see. Bobcats respond best to high pitched, busy sounds.

 

[Chief]

I've killed maybe one or two in my 50 years of calling and have found that over the years they have become a bit wiser to the call than in years past. Whereas I would only stay on stand for 20 to 30 minutes years ago I find that I am staying 45 to an hour on stand now-a-days.

They feed primarily on small rodents and birds so if you find an area that has plenty of both and a water supply with ample cover you want to call there. In looking over my log books I have found that I have called almost 95% of my bobcats at first light and the last two hours before sunset. When calling you will very rarely see a whole bobcat, so become very familiar with the area you are calling in, and double and triple check very square inch of the area before leaving. Another tidbit of advise is to look for the white stuff. They all have white on their ears, topside and inside so if you see white you may be looking at a bobcat.

 

[TallPaul]

Terrain

What about terrain? Some told me to try near open feilds and others say they are every where. I am going to be mostly in the Desert. I thought Bobcats like rocks for cover? I know a area that looks like it would be great Cat country. It is a small box canyon that I hike a few times a year. It's within some mountains and I enter from the side. The area before the canyon is good for Quail and Rabbits. I saw 3 Javelina pulled out from there a few years back. So what I am trying to fine out is it better to do my calling out in the open or should I be in this Canyon. The Canyon opens up in to a nice wash as it heads down hill. I hike up to the end of the box canyon for maybe a mile or so witch rises a couple hundred feet. It even has water coming out in some areas, more like trickles. I am not sure of signs (a lot of rock) - I don't see scat and it's hard to make out the tracks other than Cows, Quail and Rabbits.
Any way, here is some pictures of the area. I tryed to post in the Gallery, but I think the gallery is down.

Near the top of canyon.

Before heading into the Canyon.

Inside Canyon

At the box end of the Canyon

These Rocks are about to fall. They are bigger than they look in this picture. They are 15 feet high
I took these pictures by my self.

OKAY NO LAUGHING AT THIS ONE. Remember I was by myself taking these.

On the way Home Sunset.

 

[AZ~ThunderDan]

Tall Paul, the canyon area (pics) looks likely for bob's. I'd give it a try. Many cats will den in small coves/caves in rocky canyons.

FYI, a few guys I know claim the Yellow-hammered woodpecker in distress call seems to work well for cats. If you have an e-caller, try it. Good luck and let us know what transpires.

 

[TallPaul]

I think I have a Yellow-hammer woodpecker call and it came with a Whirling Woodpecker. I think they are the guys you are talking about. :lol:

 

[AZ~ThunderDan]

Yes, that would be the call. Give it a "whirl", you might be surprised. I suggest numerous short duration squalls with 5 minute breaks between calls.

 

[Weasel]

That's all beautiful calling country and I'd call all of it. I'd really expect to call a few cats in the canyon. They seem to get lazy in the heat so you might have better luck later in the year. If you could legally hunt at night you'd be stacking them up.

 

[TallPaul]

Thanks Weasel, I am waiting for the weather to breaks. At lest until it gets down to the 70's in the AM. Still to hot around here.