[Bear]

We`ve had lots of folks telling us they have seen bobcats crossing the county road at the base of the hill we bought a few years ago. Until we build there, it`s kind of our private hunting /lumber storage yard. It is bordered on 2 sides by state land, one side is county road (300 feet in elevation below), and the fourth is an uninhabited chunk to the north. On a quiet night you might hear the mammoth jack half a mile down the road, so it`s pretty secluded.

So, with the cats in mind, My 8 y/o, Isaiah and I headed up an hour before dark to see if we`d have a visitor. We have a 1/2 acre flat on top that I cleared for the new house and it is fine corroded shale/dirt so it`s a virtual gathering area for sign. We see Deer, Elk, Couger, bear, bobcat and coyote tracks each time we visit.

We didn`t get up on top any too soon, as it was already almost dark. 5 minutes to let the noise die off and a couple short woodpecker distress cries from the old Foxpro and that`s all. It`s hard sometimes to just sit but whatever experience I can claim has taught me that most folks call too much.

We set the LED tripod light up and turned it on. It is a big 'halo' generator but has no direct beam past about 5 feet. It is perfect for showing eyes without spooking game.
I guess we sat for 45 minutes and it was nearly as dark as it would get. I knew Isaiah was cold and I was tired of being on my keester but we stayed still and waited.

I was quietly explaining to I-Z that the halo would not spook the critters but would hopefully show us eyes, when all of a sudden there they were! Right on the edge of the flat area was the yellow lights, blinking now and then.
Isaiah saw them right when I did and I`ll never forget the "Ohhhhhh, Coooool Dad" that he wispered. It was darker than I thought and when I put the gun up I was SOOOO glad for the Ziess glass. I had a clear 80 yd shot and had a vertical hair but not the horizontal one, so had to center the critter in the scope and hope I had the elevation right. Just a thought and a tickle and the 223 Rem 700 belched and the eyeshine was gone.

Now it would be the nervous second guessing about the shot. Was I steady? Was it too dark and why didn`t I hear the "Whop" that I always hear when a yote gets sent to the principal`s office?
We got to the edge and looked over , and .... NOTHING. Oh crap, I must have missed because nothing walks away from a direct hit with the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic tips.... I knew Isaiah had high hopes that Dad didn`t screw it up.

I looked along the edge for blood and saw none in the halo of the light, but as it`s an LED and there`s no concentrated beam, I figured I`d bail over the edge and look around. That first step ended up being a 30 footer. Once I got stopped and was reasonably sure I was not going over the vertical edge 30 feet farther down, I noticed soft fur RIGHT THERE under my hand! COOL!
ISAIAH`s and my FIRST BOBCAT!!!!! YEEHAW!!! And no broken bones or bleeding on my part, Imagine That!!!

He ain`t big and he`s dark, with little in the way of the snow white belly with big pretty black spots I see you guys post all the time, but he`s the first I`ve killed without the aid of dogs and the best part is I had Isaiah with me.
The Nosler black bullet hit him while he was sitting on his rump looking around, square in the brisket and exiting the left shoulder near the spine. The entrance and exit holes were about equal. The Nos BT is nice for yotes as it is tougher than the Vmax and does not blow up fur. We learned this when hunting Deervarmints with Dana 5 years back. The Nosler dropped one deer after another like toilet seats.

Anyway, we cased him out and will probably need to pick a form out and mount him seeing as how he is OUR first.
Thank you to John in Ca and CJ for the help with the pics. It is easy enough once I realized I needed to post them on another website. Thanks to John and Mike for a greatly improved site we all benifit from.
Thanks for reading. I hope the next ones get easier. It`s been a long road to get to this one...
So.... Any good recipes for this kitty? I`m thinking teriyaki but maybe filleting the bones out of the rear legs and stuffing with bacon and mushrooms with an orange brandy sauce flambe`...
Cat... the other white meat..............

Cheers.

 

[James in]

Sounds like a fun time except for the fall. Ya might want to carry a different light to walk.. retreive game with though. Good story.

 

[45TAJ]

Congrats to you and Isaiah, Bear. I can remember some pix that you had posted of him when I first joined the board and of course before your move. They do grow quickly. Great memory for him to ad to his "Dad and Lad" collection. Kinda think Dad won't be forgetting this one either...........

 

[Sid Packard]

That's a great story, Bear. Here's pic help....

Remember that you can edit your post; you can go back and enter the pics right where you want them in the story. I remember you posting pics of your wood and ultralights, so I'm pretty sure you know how to host them :>).

Sid


Image Posting The Easy Way: Read This

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dancing with Centerpunch's thread, I remembered the easy way from another board with the same software. I was having trouble with the WYSIWYG software- you are supposed to be able to click on the little mountain and insert the link, but I couldn't get it to work.
Copy the link to your post where you want the picture to show up, then put

at the end.

Works, try it.

6mmRemington
__________________
German Shorhaired Pointers!

 

[tommag]

Great story Bear! This is the first post I've found from you since shortly after you bought that place over in the N.E. corner of the state. (you are the same Bear that had all the nice maple, aren't you?)
I had never thought about leds for hunting because of the lack of a beam. Do you use red leds, or just white? What sort of range can you see the eyes at? I'm planning to try some night hunting in two weeks and have a led flashlight with 7 leds in it. Myabe I'll give it a try.

 

[John in WYO]

Hey Bear!
How come you didn't fly around all stealthy and ninja like, coasting in an ultralight with your FLIR turned on, Benelli M-1 Super 90 and #4 buckshot in hand? That's what the Bear I remember would have done. I know you would have given Isaiah first shot this time. Bobcats are sure easier to case than coyotes, huh? Glad to see you back on the board, buddy. I'm still waiting for the wind to die down enough to chance an ultralight flight. Local rancher bought a 2 seater. 40-60 mph winds are a bit much. Makes your eyes water...

 

[John in CA.]

Great hunt Mike and Isaiah

Nothing like a called cat. Daytime is exciting enough, but at night, when one appears that close, man just nothing like it!! Great memory.

On the pics, I think where most have trouble, is when they click on that little yellow postcard, with the mountains in it (scroll slowly over the icons at the top of the message reply box to see what the functions of each are). When you click it, a new box opens up in the upper left hand corner of your screen. You will see the http / thing blinking in shaded blue. ERASE THAT before entering your pictures URL in that box. Then, simply click OK, and your image link will transfer itself into the message box, where you were typing. One other tip, when you are typing, and then want to insert a picture...ALWAYS click your cursor down a space or two in the message box, to get it away from dots, commas, or other symbols. Give the URL its own line, away from your message text.

Here is a pic of my first bobcat, taken at age 49. She had walked up onto that log, and I slipped a 36 grainer into the chest from the 222 at 90 yards, and like you, wanted her mounted, in that same pose. Good hunting, and hope to see more guys posting pics.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Wow...what a great hunt!! Good writeup, too. Sure would like to see some pics.....LOL

 

[stevensondrive]

sweet!! nice hunt! where did you get that light?

 

[Don M.]

Sure Enjoyed The Story & Pics Bear

Thanks for the pics & story. Really liked them. Just one word of caution.
I had a local friend that was deer hunting earlier this month here and
he fell 15 to 18 feet over a small bluff and lost his life. So, 30 feet can
be devasting to a hunter. Better get a good light for walking at night.
My friends accident happened during the day time (I think).

 

[John in CA.]

Thanks for the pics old man

Glad it worked out. Good job.

 

[JC in Calif]

Nice going Mike!

I can't believe how much Isaiah grown! That gun looks familiar! In fact Laurie said, "what's Isaiah doing with my gun?"!

Great story and pictures. I still remember your picture of the cougar track next to your boot. Maybe one of those is next!

P.S. Did you get the e-mail I sent you with the Elk pictures?