[jsoulier]

I live in Eastern Washington and am thoroughly stumped when it comes to trying for a bobcat. I see them all throughout the spring and summer, and their tracks in winter. Whenever I try and call for one though, I never have got one to come. I have sat on stands for two and a half hours, and never seen one cat. My calling is good enough to bring in coyotes, badgers, and all even birds of prey but never a bobcat. I don't know if it's a problem with my specific area but if anyone has any tips, then please throw me a line!

 

[El Gato Loco]

Are you glassing the area good during your calling, and giving them extra time to come in? How sure are you that they are not sitting at the wood's edge watching you?

Chris @ Ultimate Predator is the cat expert in my eyes. Those guys call in more cats than anyone i've seen. Hopefully he will reply with some tips / tricks.

 

[yotecatslayer34]

" How sure are you that they are not sitting at the wood's edge watching you? "

+ 1, My thoughts exactly!

" I have sat on stands for two and a half hours, and never seen one cat. " I applaud you for having That much patience on a stand but I think you might have better luck if you make more stands. 45 min- 1hr is ample time for a bobcat from my experience.

 

[UltimatePredator]

What type of terrain are you calling, open feilds, thick brush, creeks ? Secondly, what sounds are you using and do you change them periodiclly during your stand? What time of day are you calling and is it legal to hunt at night in Washington? Finally, in your opinion, when you set up appx. how far do you think you are from a bobcat? A guy once told me something about bass fishing that really sounded simple when he said it, but he said "you cant catch a bass were he aint", lol. We'll you cant kill a cat in" most" cases without being near a cat. Cats arent like coyotes and tend to not want to come very far to a call, they will in some cases, but you want to stack the odds in your favor and not force them to have to cover alot of ground to get to you. The most important factor ultimately over any of this is if you are day hunting or night hunting because they are two completely different games and will determine how you will approach your stands. Answer these questions for me and I will try to help you out with the area you have to work with. Chris

 

[yotecatslayer34]

" A guy once told me something about bass fishing that really sounded simple when he said it, but he said "you cant catch a bass were he aint", lol. We'll you cant kill a cat in" most" cases without being near a cat."

LoL- Good point!

 

[BruceWilliams]

Stay busy on whatever call you are on. In the daytime decoys work well for cats to get them on the edge of brush, look for the slightest ear twitch or any kind of movement(they like to sit on the edge of brush and in the shade) Weather changes and fogy cloudy cold days are always good for cats in the daytime and night. Take Care

Bruce

 

[GritGuy]

Whats your cadence timing at, meaning how long do you call and then take a break and then resume calling agian?

I'd not mix up a call when calling cats at the same stand, others can I don't, seems to me you get them coming in good and then throw a wrench in to the whole deal by mixing up sounds and cadences.

What was said above about them not being there is well and true, however if your calling everything else in the cats will respond to if they are around. My guess is that you not seeing them before they decide to show themselves and they get satisfied and move on not commiting them selves to you.

I don't call cats the same way as dogs, and not the same volume either it seems to keep them out there a ways to long and bothers them. Try being more slow and mournfull with your calling and keep the same cadence everytime don't mix it up until you try that stand a different time.

 

[jsoulier]

Wow! Thanks a bunch to all of you, that gave me a lot to consider. I know that I do hunt where there are plenty of cats, because I see fresh sign quite often. Washington doesn't allow night hunting anymore. One thing I hadn't before considered was my cadence and tone control in calling. I had just been doing the same tactics as when I call dogs. I'll give it a go this weekend and not sit for two and a half hours

Thanks again.

 

[yotecatslayer34]

Kool deal, make sure and post some pics after you put the hammer Down on'em !

 

[wilded]

Many times you may call in a bobcat and do not see it because they are reluctant to leave cover. I often look up and a cat is just sitting there in front of me and I do not know how long it has been there or how it got there without me seeing it. I found that for daylight calling the use of a turkey feather on an arrow shaft or mojo critter decoy increases the odds of getting the cat into the open. I prefer to call cats at night with a red lens light as it is real hard for them to come in without you seeing those shining eyes. JMHO ET

 

[imnohero]

A turkey feather on an arrow shaft sounds great wilded, I have to try that one.

 

[Joswalt]

Alot of great info here...I was just about to ask myself about bobcat calling....Thanks everyone!!!!

 

[sos1inmesa]

Thanks to everyone who responded with advice. I got a lot out of some the responses here!

 

[knapper]

When you call do you use bird sounds or dieing rabbit calls. I am guessing that the same would apply to lynx?