Eastern Bobcat Hunting by Jon Collins

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Ethan Smith
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January 15, 2021

The tune of Mrs. McCottontail was singing out of the X24. My thumb positioned on the volume buttons, ramping the volume of the rabbit cries up and down. My attention was on the grown up fence row that led into a nasty thicket full of briars and treetops. Suddenly a group of birds were frantically communicating with each other straight down the fence row. I thought to myself, “Surely that means a bobcat is on its way.”

All of a sudden a bobcat magically appeared no more that 50 yards in front of me. The bobcat’s eyes were fixated on the call -flipping his tail as he stalked toward the sound. My rifle was already positioned in the direction of the X24. As the cat crossed in front of my gun barrel, I lip squeaked to stop him, settled the crosshairs on his shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. Pew! Thwap!!! There laid a bobcat just feet from the call. I walked up to the cat and was in awe – just like I am of every bobcat that I’ve been blessed to put my hands on.

After several years of calling bobcats in Kentucky, I’ve found that thorough scouting, smart stand selection, and solid calling techniques all work together to increase your odds of tagging bobcats.

SCOUT FOR BOBCATS

Scouting is an important tool to take advantage of for bobcat success. It’s pretty tough to call up a bobcat in a place that doesn’t have them.

First things first, you have to find them. You’ll rarely see a bobcat out in the wide open. Bobcats seem to love the thick stuff. Lots of times the thicker the better. Recently logged areas that have treetops scattered throughout and have grown up in thick briars can be hot spots for cats. Brushy creek bottoms, thick drainages, and even grown up fields can be places that bobcats love to hang out in and hunt.

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Get out there and start looking for sign such as tracks & droppings. Probably the easiest way to find tracks is by walking travel corridors after a snow. Looking for tracks in mud and sand along creeks and pond banks can also pay off.

Take advantage of trail cameras. Trail cameras are an excellent scouting method for finding bobcats. Not only will they let you know if you have a cat to hunt, but they can also help you pattern a cat and let you know when you need to be in the area calling.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is if you call a bobcat in an area, there’s a good chance you’ll find success in that area year after year. I have a few stand locations that I can count on to produce a bobcat, year in and year out. There’s actually a couple of locations that I don’t dare call unless bobcat season is in because there’s that good of a chance that a cat will stroll in.

STAND SELECTION

Stand selection is crucial for success. An ideal stand will have you set up tight on thick cover, but be in an area open enough for you to see. Setting up in woods or in thickets can be effective, but you take the chance of a bobcat coming into the call and sneaking back off without you ever seeing it. Plus, there’s a good chance you could spook a bobcat walking in if you push too far into their area.

I personally like to find open areas such as a small field that is adjacent to where I have bobcats scouted. If possible I’ll set up 50-75 yards away from the thick cover and place the FOXPRO out half the distance from me to the edge of cover. A bobcat isn’t likely to cover a tremendous amount of open ground. So you’ll need to set up close enough that a bobcat will feel comfortable to come to your call.

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[Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a black bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .25-06 Remington within the ideal range of suitable calibers for black bear hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the .25-06 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .25-06 Remington Animal Species Black Bear Muzzle Energy 2360 foot-pounds Animal Weight 340 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .25-06 Remington? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .25-06 Remington round is approximately 2360 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male black bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male black bear is approximately 340 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in black bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for black bear to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .25-06 Remington. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the black bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .25-06 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .25-06 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting. [Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting black bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

When it comes to wind direction for bobcats, you’ll find that opinions differ. I’ll give you mine – Always Hunt The Wind! I have seen bobcats circle to the downwind side of my FOXPRO on more than one occasion. I have also seen a bobcat enter my scent cone, get nervous, and run off without the opportunity to fire a shot. I have also called numerous coyotes (which never get a pass) while making bobcat stands. It doesn’t matter if I’m calling for bobcats, coyotes, or fox – I’m always hunting the wind.

SOUNDS & SOUND SEQUENCES

I definitely have favorite sounds that I like to use on bobcat stands. In my experiences of calling bobcats, I’ve become a big fan of cottontail distress sounds. That being said, I’ve called cats in on jackrabbit, snowshoe hare, and various bird sounds. I’ve actually had success calling in bobcats on over a dozen different FOXPRO sound files.

A general bobcat sequence that I like to run starts out light and builds in intensity throughout the sequence. I’ll usually run 3-4 different prey distress sound files resulting in a 15-25 minute stand depending on the location (most of the bobcats I call in show up under 8 minutes). For instance, I’ll start out with a sound such as “Bay Bee Cottontail.” I’ll run that sound for 4-6 minutes. If a cat doesn’t show, I’ll pause for 20-40 seconds and then go into an adult cottontail sound such as “Mrs. McCottontail.” Again, I’ll run that sound for 4-6 minutes. If a cat still doesn’t show I’ll pause for 20-40 seconds again and then go into a snowshoe hare sound such as “Snowshoe Hare HP.” If a bobcat still doesn’t show I’ll finish with a few minutes of a jackrabbit sound such as “Lightning Jack.” As you can see, I like to start out light and increase with intensity with each successive sound. I’ve learned over the years that if a bobcat doesn’t show on a sound played, they’ll usually show up rather quickly after the next sound starts up. It’s almost as if they are afraid they lost their chance to claim the rabbit and then charge in when another sound starts back up.

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Over the last 2 years I’ve fallen in love with the new FOXPRO sound file “Mrs. McCottontail.” I’m starting to think that it might be the best bobcat calling sound file ever recorded. After watching 8 different bobcats show up while that sound was playing, I’ve henceforth started leading off with “Mrs. McCottontail.” I’ve recently tagged 2 bobcats that each came to the call in under 5 minutes to that sound.

CLOSING

It’s an amazing sight to witness a bobcat come to the call. Sometimes they sneak in, stalking your call. At times they will come running in just like a coyote. Other times one will show up out of nowhere just sitting there scanning the area. No matter how they come to the call you need to be ready to capitalize on the opportunity. I wish you the best of luck on your next bobcat stand.

Shoot straight and shoot often.

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