Protection in when hunting isn't legal

Status
Not open for further replies.
Saddlebag Preacher

Saddlebag Preacher

Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
605
Location
Kentucky
I live in central Kentucky, in a rural area but not in the boonies (I wish). I have a small farm of about 35 acres and access to a neigbors 100 acre farm. In the evenings I take my Golden retriever walking or 4 wheeling back there for exersize. (I'm 54 with some "old arthur" setting in.)

I deer hunt and have killed several coyotes during hunting season, and a retired LEO so I am savy on my guns and such, but Tuesday was a new experience. During deer season I began geting pics on my trail cam of bobcats. ( we haven't had them here in years but they are returning) Many of my neighbors have been reporting an increase of sightings lately.

Tuesday we were out on our jaunt on a path between some very tall corn and some thick woods. The biggest bobcat I have ever seen jumped out of the bushes within 12 feet of us onto the path. I believe we spooked him as much as he spooked us. But this one time I only had my Keltec 9MM in my pocket. My delema is the dog went for the cat, and the cat turned to the dog. I yelled at the dog and the cat took a leap into the corn and disappeared.

Of course we can't hunt cats until season, but I'm getting a little concerned about a cat almost as heavy as my dog. my question is, I have a Ruger .45 Vaquero and a .40 cal glock. Which caliber would be best IF I need to use it. I trust the 9mm for CCW to Walmart, but A big cat might be different. I know it isn't a panther, but it is still wild and I still would rather carry a bigger gun now.
 
Bobcats aren't particularly tough animals to dispatch, either of those cartridges will flatten a bocat with authority. I'd pick the one your most comfortable with.
 
The Ruger would hit a lot harder but at the end of the day it's still a bobcat. .40s&w from the Glock is more than powerful enough. I'd take the extra capacity.
 
Last edited:
I doubt that a big bobcat will weigh over 50 lbs, probably about 1/2 that. A 9mm should be fine. If you trust the round to stop a 200+ lb human I don't see it having a problem with a 50 lb cat. The biggest problm I see is hitting one. They can be pretty quick. A shotgun loaded with 4,5 or 6 shot would proably be a better choice if practical to carry. If not a shotgun, the handgun I shot best.

This is a quote from here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat

Adult males can range in weight from 6.4 to 18.3 kg (14 to 40 lb), with an average of 9.6 kg (21 lb); females at 4 to 15.3 kg (8.8 to 34 lb), with an average of 6.8 kg (15 lb).[20][21] The largest bobcat accurately measured on record weighed 22.2 kg (49 lb), although there are unverified reports of them reaching 27 kg (60 lb).[22][22] Furthermore, a June 20, 2012 report of a New Hampshire roadkill specimen listed the animal's weight at 27 kg (60 lb)
Click to expand...
 
A bobcat versus a golden retriever? My money's on the dog, any day. Bobcats look a bit larger than they are due to their thick coats. However, they're no match for a good-sized dog. Believe me when I say it's the cat that would be doing the running, and it would end when the cat went somewhere the dog could not follow, typically up a tree. Just carry a gun you shoot well and don't worry about it. There's far more dangerous stuff out there than a bobcat.
 
i think shot placement is the number one key, but the vaquero with anykind of 200-250 grn bullet is a one hit wonder, especialy hp's. and a good western holster is alway my favorite way to carry for comfort and access, but with a good shoot placement, a 22 short will take a bobcat
 
WardenWolf said:
A bobcat versus a golden retriever? My money's on the dog, any day. Bobcats look a bit larger than they are due to their thick coats. However, they're no match for a good-sized dog. Believe me when I say it's the cat that would be doing the running, and it would end when the cat went somewhere the dog could not follow, typically up a tree. Just carry a gun you shoot well and don't worry about it. There's far more dangerous stuff out there than a bobcat.
Click to expand...

^^^exactly. I have lived in Bobcat territory for almost 60 years and have yet to hear of one case of a unprovoked bob attacking a dog or a human. I not saying it don't happen, I'm just agreeing with WW that odds are it won't.
 
Never been attacked, but have caught 3 bobcats stalking me. Once while turkey calling and twice while calling duck. One got within arms distance before figuring out I wasn't a turkey. Scared the crap out of me. Called in a couple of coyotes as well. All made a quick exit when they figured out what I was.
 
I've killed most of my bobcats with a .22 pistol. They are not tough at all. I won't shoot them with a .223 anymore as it blows them up badly. A .22 Mag or a Hornet is just about right for a bobcat if you are calling them in.

If a bobcat were to take on your dog I'd seriously suspect that it was rabid as they simply don't mess with dogs if they can help it. A friend of mine had a 23 lb Jagdterrier kill a bobcat in fight several years ago. He was out coon hunting and the dog cornered the cat.
 
Never been attacked, but have caught 3 bobcats stalking me. Once while turkey calling and twice while calling duck. One got within arms distance before figuring out I wasn't a turkey. Scared the crap out of me. Called in a couple of coyotes as well. All made a quick exit when they figured out what I was.
Click to expand...


This happened to my wife's nephew while turkey hunting. As he tells it, the thing was almost in his lap before it discovered him and took off. :D

Oh, as to dogs and cats, my buddy's Great Pyrenees has killed a few bobcats. He's a humongous dog, protects my buddy's goat herd, that's his purpose. He's taken down cats and coyotes. He's got a nice personality around humans, but not so much around bobcats. :D He is considerably larger than any Golden Retriever, though. That thing is a hoss.
 
Not hard to kill, but they ARE superbly well armed and will make your dog look like he took a roll in barbed wire if he actually succeeded in getting a fang in one!

Usually when a dog runs them they'll only go a few hundred yards and tree......when they hear you coming they'll bail out and repeat the process just about as long as you keep pushing them. The things are super fast and short of a grayhound I can't imagine any dog matching one for ground speed, that said they are also notoriously shortwinded. I have had them bay up on the ground but it took about three dogs to make them hold a position. (talk about torn up noses!)

Frankly I can't imagine that your retriever would stay with one like one of the hound breeds will, but if he does try to keep him off one you shoot till you know it's dead.
 
Cats seem to know they cannot outlast a dog in a fight or a flight. That's why they tree. That's where they outlast the dog, a cat can sit up there for as long as it takes a dog to get bored.

Whatever you're carrying should put down a 20-ish pound animal easily, as has been said, if you can hit it.
 
Great replies, Thanks guys. I was just startled and Yes, it did look huge for the moment, but the fur probably did make it look bigger I think. My big dumb goldie probably wouldn't even fight him, but he's less than a year and just a pup really and he'll chase anything right now that pops up, rabbits, squrrels and now I guess a bobcat. lol

My deceased black lab was attcked by a pack of coyotes 4 years ago and they tore his tail up so much, I had to have it cut off. It's funny how the things that supposedly have been hunted out (Turkeys. Bobcats etc) are now coming back with large populations. We've had a bear track now found (black bear) one county over and a cougar caught on a game came during deer season last year a few farms over, although it hasn't been seen otherwise.

Thanks
 
I've seen a few in the wild, but never got a shot at one. My dad surprised one while goose hunting in the 1950s. Woke it up from a nap apparently, the cat was sitting there in the brush snarling at him. Dad dispatched him with one goose load, probably #2 shot.
 
Lots of cats on my place. I've seen 'em, never wanted to shoot one. My buddy's boy shot one on the place several years ago when they came down to hunt, got him a spike, too. Good weekend for him. He's off in the military now. He had a wall rug made of the skin, about a 30 lb cat.

My grandpa killed one out in Leaky, Texas back in the 60s went 55 lbs. THAT one was HUGE.
 
WardenWolf said:
A bobcat versus a golden retriever? My money's on the dog, any day. Bobcats look a bit larger than they are due to their thick coats. However, they're no match for a good-sized dog. Believe me when I say it's the cat that would be doing the running, and it would end when the cat went somewhere the dog could not follow, typically up a tree. Just carry a gun you shoot well and don't worry about it. There's far more dangerous stuff out there than a bobcat.
Click to expand...
I remember reading a story about a man who told his doberman to get a small 40 pound coyote out of the back yard. A few seconds later, he watched this "tiny" coyote shred and kill his 90 pound "attack" dog.

One of my patients once encountered his house cat after a neighbor's kid shot it in the eye with a BB. The cat ran inside pooping and peeing across the house and hid under the bed. The man didn't take kindly to this new toilet habit and reached under the bed to teach that little house cat a lesson.

Needless to say, cat won, man lost. In fact, without modern antibiotics, he would have lost his right arm and been at high risk of death. By the time I saw him one or two days later, his arm was twice as large a normal from cat scratches down his opening up several deep wounds. He also had 4 deep fang punctures in his right thigh. The cat survived, but this man would have been in big trouble without modern medicine.

Long story to say I would NOT send a pet dog to get a bobcat, they can be a very aggressive critter when cornered. However, you are correct, the bobcat will likely run off at the first chance. Well hopefully it would run off. Wild animals are just that, wild.
 
Down here bobcats seem to come and go in cycles. For many years we didnt see any.
One year I saw one almost every day all in different locations. The next year I saw a mother bobcat jumping up vertically trying to catch a bird that was strafing her. When the little frey ended I slowly aproached the spot for a look see. There sneaking off behind mom were three little fuzz balls. If you have never seen one a bob kitten is one of the cutest little rascals in the woods.
After another year or two the population dropped back to the rare siting category. Same goes for foxes. One year you have a rabbit population explosion. The following year the predators are on the rise to take advantage of the bounty.
I have had many chances to harvest bobcats but I have never pulled the trigger on one. Nothing against hunting them I just dont want to spook the critters that I intend to put in the freezer.
I do not see the need to change your carry gun unless there is one you shoot better. If you hit a cat with a 9mm it will be just as dead as any other caliber.
The only cat that would concern me is one that doesnt show fear. As long as they haul butt away from you and the dog just carry on as usual.
Best of luck.
 
Alaska444 said:
I remember reading a story about a man who told his doberman to get a small 40 pound coyote out of the back yard. A few seconds later, he watched this "tiny" coyote shred and kill his 90 pound "attack" dog.
Click to expand...

Coyotes are another animal entirely, and should never be underestimated. Regarding the housecat, well, all I can say is poor cat. Most owners would recognize this sudden change in behavior as being something very, very wrong.

Bobcats are honestly closer to overgrown feral domestic cats than anything else. They can have a nasty attitude, but they're not so large that the normal dog / cat relationship doesn't come into play. They may be able to do mostly-superficial damage to a dog, but they will definitely get the worst of it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
  • Poll
Post Season Pondering: Shoot a cat in wildlife preserve?
2 3
Replies
54
Views
2K
kanook
kanook
M
  • Locked
A relaxing walk in the field with my SKS
Replies
5
Views
822
Twmaster
Twmaster
H&Hhunter
  • Locked
Just got back from a late spring cat hunt..
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
jbkebert
J
M
  • Locked
Leaving for Waco tomorrow
Replies
12
Views
1K
Sheepdog1968
S
D
  • Locked
Ways to attract deer to a certain spot months before the season?
Replies
14
Views
3K
cousinelmer1
C
Back
Top