Mississippi Bobcat Hunting
In the Mississippi forests, large predators are few and far between. We don’t have grizzlies or wolves, and contrary to what your friend Robbie says, there hasn’t been a confirmed panther sighting in decades. What we do have are wildcats.
What is a wildcat?
With a scientific name like Lynx rufus, the bobcat is a true and native Mississippian. Full-bodied and about twice the size of a large domestic cat, they are easily identified by their short, protruding tail. Yellow/gray to red in color with horizontal lines of broken black stripes and small ear tufts, they resemble the lynx to which they are closely related. The bobcat is muscular, and its hind legs are longer than its front legs, giving it a characteristic rolling gait.
Life is hard for a wild cat. While some bobcats have lived to be 32 years old in the safe confines of captivity where regular food and predators are non-existent, the average lifespan for these fluffy-eared cats in the wild is about half that, and most It doesn’t even reach a decade. . Coyotes are predicated on bobcats, though studies by MSU have shown that they are capable of co-existing in the same area as long as the food supply is adequate. In addition to coyotes, young kittens have eagles, hawks, foxes, and raccoons to worry about.
They grow fast and by their first birthday, as long as they make it, they can weigh up to ten pounds. Adult large cats taken by hunters and trappers in Mississippi typically weigh between 15 and 20 pounds and are up to a yard long, although they may grow much larger. These bad boys get huge in the northern states and in 2009, an 18-year-old, 52-pound man was kidnapped in Minnesota.
Bob’s Habitat and Habits
In a 1989-92 study that MDWFP conducted on captured, radio-placed, and released adult bobcats, they found that these short-tailed poachers live in almost any environment, but tend to slightly prefer farmland and pine plantations to other areas. Bobcats are the absolute nemesis of wild rabbits, voles, cotton rats, and squirrels in the Mississippi woods. Your best bet for finding bobcats is to find an area covered in thick undergrowth with the above. Eventually, old Mr. Bobcat will try to move out and take up residence with him. Once they do, they’ll set up a lair and move in a radius from it, marking the area of it. Although he may smell strong urine or find the occasional bobcat droppings, he is aware that they often wade into the water to relieve themselves, especially if there is a healthy coyote population in the area. Males are also noted to often use stream banks as travel and hunting routes, so you may be able to find tracks in those areas if they are muddy enough. Remember that although they have five toes on their front feet, only four will be present in their prints.
Bobcats are crepuscular, meaning they are mainly active at twilight. This puts the stalking time at a few hours just before and after sunrise and sunset. However, during the cold winter with short days, especially in December and January, bobcats break this normal habit and often appear to rummage during regular daylight hours.
Tips and tricks for hunters.
Most Mississippi jocks get their best luck with the Bobs through cheating, but some make quite a sport out of hunting these guys down. It’s not uncommon for hounds to take out these felines during a deer or hog drive and remember, if it’s open gun season then bobcats are fair game too. According to MDWFP, there are no daily or possession or minimum size limits on bobcats from November 1 to February 28 of each year due to the predatory nature of these bad boys. Any caliber from 22LR and up is a good bobcat round, but if you’re looking for a good mount, shotguns might be a bad idea.
You can specifically target these cats and call them to a stop using mouse and rabbit calls, but make sure you’re in close contact with their camouflage, as their eyesight is almost as good as a turkey’s. If you don’t answer your calls after an hour or so, go to another area and set up again.
Remember, old Mr. Bob, aka Rufus, is a wary feline of the woods, but each one you manage to collect saves a legion of rabbits, a few fawns, and makes an interesting mount.