I was set up in a spot I intended to wait on a bird that had been hot earlier in the morning. I had been calling off and on when I heard a small sound behind me to my right. I turned in time to see a BOBCAT leaping at me. I threw up my arm to block it from getting my face. I was able to swat it away without injuries to myself or the cat other than a tear in my shirt. I was scared to death it was crazy. Shortly after the cat attack I began to call again and dang if I didn't call in a fox. It was a action packed morning.
I ended up calling in 3 different Toms a Bobcat and a fox.
Dang, that is crazy....im sure you had no problem staying 'alert' the rest of the day
Some would say that is some pretty good calling. You get a turkey after all that ?
Man, what a wild day..
Crazy......Last week my dad had a bobcat come in to his setup and pounced on his hen decoy, tore at it for a few seconds then jumped away, looked at the "hen" on the ground with a broken leg and walked away totally confused.
Glad you are ok. You need a new pair of pants? I would.
Seems like every year this happens the bobcats really don't care for us turkey hunters. I'm glad you ok and got to work some birds so that should make up for the cat wanting to play
Quote from: owlhoot on May 07, 2016, 08:17:37 PM
Some would say that is some pretty good calling. You get a turkey after all that ?
No I got busted lol
I was surrounded by 3 different gobblers and had one sneak in on me and saw me.
That cat needs a hunter safety course. Don't leap before you KNOW your target. He obviously leapt at the sound of turkey without clearly identifying it as a hen.
Shame on him! :TooFunny:
Glad it ended as well as it did. A face full of bobcat can't be fun! :help:
Quote from: gergg on May 07, 2016, 08:22:15 PM
Crazy......Last week my dad had a bobcat come in to his setup and pounced on his hen decoy, tore at it for a few seconds then jumped away, looked at the "hen" on the ground with a broken leg and walked away totally confused.
Lol bet the cat was disappointed
Crazy! I had a coyote sneek in once. He flanked me on the wrong side from the back. Super close!
That is scary. It's a good thing you saw it coming. I had one brush my hip while he stalked my decoy. I jumped...he jumped...but he stopped, and I was able take to a picture. The brush was too tight to swing my gun. He was young, and my pants stayed fairly clean...barely...
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/stinkpickle/IMG_0012_cropped.jpg)
You never know what will happen in the turkey woods. Just this morning I dropped a coyote at eight paces.
Might have to do a little predator hunting/trapping
While I haven't had a bobcat attack me or my decoys, I did have a coyote do so and in a flash he was out of there! On a couple of occasions while sitting is a deer stand during bow season, I've had an owl almost sink his talons in my face, only to be thwarted at the last second by a quickly raised arm over my face. Obviously, besides stupid hunters in the woods, there's a raft of critters that can confuse us with an easy meal. That being said, in Illinois you cannot carry a firearm or handgun while bow hunting deer. At dusk, when those coyotes start howling knowing that I only have my bow for protection is not a comforting feeling.
Oh wow!
Damn. You must be a champion caller. Good thing all is ok with you.
Glad you are ok. I had a bobcat slip into my setup once very stealth like. I kept staring at what I thought was a stump in the brush until I saw his ears moves. It's a freaky feeling for sure, I would have had to clean my britches from what you have described. ;D
That's crazy man. Glad to hear you came out unscathed. Those things can be a bit tenacious at times. Often times they don't know when to give up. Sorry to hear about the birds as well.
It's crazy how stealthy they are. I called one in a couple weeks ago while calling for my dad. It was 5 yards in front of me, only 10 yards from him, and he never knew it was there since he was looking in the opposite direction. It's no wonder why they are such good predators!
This woulda been me..... :newmascot: I've had bobcats ruin a couple hunts but nothing like that!
I would've had to call it a day due to soiled.pants
Pretty cool! My ex used to come after me with her claws, and fangs! guess I got used to it.
Where I live it's mostly the Bears that rush you, there's way too many n they can be a pia. No one I know hasn't called in coyotes while hunting turks, another pia around here. All part of game, for those a little concerned, every bear/coyote attack goes to media. How many do you hear about?
Woods are safe
I've called in bobcats before but not that close.
That is too close for comfort!
It was for sure way too close for comfort.
As soon as I made eye contact with the cat it sprang from its crouched position. It happened so fast I can't believe I had a chance to swing my arm around to block it from my face.
It's a good thing you got your arm up, those cats can do some damage. 4 or 5 years ago I saw a big bobcat jump on a doe while I was deer hunting. It tore up the hind quarters pretty bad just with its claws. I ended up shooting the deer when it stopped running, I think it would have been rough for that deer with the tears in her hind end. I'm not sure what that cat was thinking!
You must be very good with a call. That's one problem I don't have :)
I've heard of this before. That would scare the crap of me. Glad your OK.
I had a friend who was in PA sitting against a tree calling and a fox bit him on the back of his arm. He had a nasty bruise, luckily it didn't break the skin. I had a hen decoy out and a hawk swooped down and was getting ready to grab her, so I moved and he pulled up and flew off. Can be pretty crazy out there. Glad you are alright.
I had a squirrel jump on my arm one morning....I bet that was the last time he tried his "short leap to the tree trunk" maneuver for a while.
Well I guess that would be a good argument for using decoys, give the predators something to focus on so they wouldn't be jumping on you.. :z-guntootsmiley:
Quite a day!!
I also called a bobcat in years ago on a highline with gobblers roaring in the trees. He appeared in front of me and I ripped down my facemask. That bobcat jumped at least 2 feet straight up! He sprinted away. Never forget that morning!!!