Do bobcats kill deer? Here is the answer.
 

Here is yet another opponent the whitetail deer faces. The deck is definitely stacked against them here in Pa. I debated on applying for the bobcat permit now that I saw this I will be. These pics were taken by my friend's co-worker in Gratz Pa.
Some on here questioned whether or not a bear will kill fawns, here is proof a bobcat will do the same.
But when we have to apply via lottery to get a bobcat permit and we aren't allowed to hunt bear until almost all of them are denned up it is hard to control the predator population in areas where it is needed.

Wow awsome pics thanks for sharing

wow these are some great pictures!

Close call
 

That's so sad. I was on the phone one evening and I looked out at my back wall. Imagine my surprise when i saw this! My husband and I couldn't believe it. Right there in the day time in the back of a condominium complex. We were worried about the 3 fawns we have on a regular basis around here, but they are all present and accounted for, so I guess he was just passing through. I sent the pictures to our DEC and they are using them for education purposes as they say they are the most candid they have of a bobcat in these parts. I hope I NEVER see that in my area, although I know in nature, it is survival of the fittest. It's just that fawns are so helpless looking:(

Even though I hunt I do not like seeing this, nor do I like seeing fawns hit along the road. Predators like a bobcat take out more fawns than people realize. I personally have seen 4 bobcats in the wild and have had 2 on game cameras over the last 2 years and this year alone I have seen 12 bear to date. All of which were from different areas reducing the likelihood that I am seeing the same bear over and over.
I began hunting predators 2 years ago and now hunt coyotes all year round when other seasons are not open. I do what I can to reduce their numbers to help out the deer but it's a losing battle when the organization in charge of managing them only wants to slaughter them off.

You are very lucky to see something like that. It is rare to see a bobcat take prey especially a fawn. It is not the bobcats that do as much damage as the other predators. Coyotes are number one over fawn kills than any other predator in PA,including the bear. Bobcats rely mostly on vision as for coyotes and bear have a great nose. Again you can hunt the deers number one predator out side of people 24/7. It's the coyote.

You are very lucky to see something like that. It is rare to see a bobcat take prey especially a fawn. It is not the bobcats that do as much damage as the other predators. Coyotes are number one over fawn kills than any other predator in PA,including the bear. Bobcats rely mostly on vision as for coyotes and bear have a great nose. Again you can hunt the deers number one predator out side of people 24/7. It's the coyote.


I have also seen over 10 bear this year and very few fawns.

Last winter, a friend of mine came out to leave for work one mornning and found this button buck laying in his driveway. Long story short, a bobcat had positioned itself atop his corn feeder and bushwhacked this 80 pound deer. Wasn't much of a struggle either. Set my camera up overlooking the deer and the cat came back that night. A few nights after that, the cat was caught by a local trapper. No more cat.

A few years back, I read an article in the Wellsboro Gazette about a DCNR employee that witnessed a bobcat taking down a 130 pound Y-buck down in the Pa Grand Canyon.

The odds really seem stacked against the deer. Makes one wonder just how out easy it is for predators to control a herd in these single digit DPSFM areas. One or two extra kills could very easily throw the entire area herd out of kilter.

Sad?? What on earth is "sad"a bout it? Bobcats are one of the most beautiful and elusive animals in the state. And that one is simply doing what they do to survive. Kill and eat deer! Why is it any worse than busting one with a 300 mag for us to eat??

Its not. Gotta envy their hunting skill, they do it without a gun.

Bobcats dont run in "packs" like coyotes do at times and they never overly abundant because of defending territories and just by their nature.

They arent gonna wipe out anyones deer herd anytime soon, though the Pa game commission just might. If the herd were not at rock bottom rediculous levels there would be plenty of deer for human and predator alike and not such heated competition for the available few.

Shouldnt be hunting b'cats because they are a deer devouring scourge like over abundant coyotes can be at times. They should be hunted because they are a trophy animal and you love to hunt.

Sad, in a way.
 

It's sad to see any baby animal killed. It doesn't mean I don't find the bobcat a gorgeous animal or understand what he does to survive. I understand nature and its food chain. I am not ignorant. I watch all the shows on different channels and watch big cats and different predators take down their kill. I know it is an undeniable fact of life - death, but I think you took it the wrong way. I would worry about the bobcat taking a dog or cat, but if it happened to kill a fawn or adult deer, so be it. Maybe "sad" was the wrong word. I would never go out looking for bobcats to kill, coyotes yes, but bobcats, no. If one happened by my treestand, I would probably think twice about taking a shot at it with my bow because they are so awesome. In the end, I probably would, but not because I am worried about them wiping out the deer. Again, "sad" was probably the wrong word. When I was out west, I didn't get a big buck, but when a coyote happened by my stand, I didn't think twice - and it was a female, so even better.
I have a picture of myself with the coyote and my bow, but it's on my other computer.

Those are amazing pics!! I get upset at first when looking at those pics aswell, but then I realize that its part of nature and if a hunter has every right to kill that fawn in the next month or so, so should a bobcat,coyote, bear etc. and I dont mind that they take their share. Pike

Here is the most amazing trailcam pic I have ever seen, it was posted by a guy on another site. I guess If a bobcat can do this it would have no problem killing a fawn. Pike

Those are awesome pics as well. I agree every wild animal has it's place and should be expected to do what it naturally does. Definitely awesome to be able to witness nature at it's rawest.
I will still be applying for a bobcat permit because they are on the rise while everything else I hunt is on the decline. An increase in any predator population is the last thing we need in PA. Even though nature should dictate that if there isn't enough prey then predators cannot increase but that doesn't seem to follow our current trend.

[quote=J Pike;3407356 if a hunter has every right to kill that fawn in the next month or so should a bobcat,coyote, bear etc. and I dont mind that they take their share.
[/quote]

Yes, unlike humans, bobcats can't go to the butcher shop and buy a few cuts of meat.

Guys here is a link to the video of the kill. Pikehttp://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...bcat072209.flv

I would not be surprised if eagles takes twice as many fawns as BC do. I am not sure about hawks or owls. The fawns seem like they might be to big of a target for them. But none the less we need to get a hold on these predation animals for the future of our hunting.
No way can we keep competeing with each other over these animals we hunt.

Pike: Is that a turkey or turkey vulture that bobcat has?

it looks like the bobcat is the prey.

I'll bet Buick's kill more deer than bobcats do in this state every year. :(

Except in 2F and 2G and thats cause all the bob cats starved to death when the PGC killed every last breeding doe and left the woods void of fawns for them to dine on. :violin:

WTF are you instigating here. There was no mention of PGC or 2F or 2G and just talking about animals. You come in like a dick weed and try to start sh!@ on this thread.And you have the balls to complain about other people starting SH!@ that has nothing to do with PGC or 2d or 2f. Step off and don't ruin this thread you jerk off.

crokit its a turkey. And dont worry I know that its ilegal for the bobcat to be hunting turkeys over bait and that he should be turned in for doing so.
:s2: :arms: Sorry I couldnt resist!!! Pike

Sad is the wrong word. If the bobcat does not find meat, it and it's young die.
Do hunters really feel that they should be the only predator allowed?

Steve

Go back to decaf, you're dangerously close to becoming statistically irrelevant. :p


You big tough guy, you.:wave:

I am the one who used the word "sad" and I agree, it's the wrong word. The food chain is what it is, and like it or not, we have to share the deer. However, I do believe that certain predators, such as coyotes, need to be hunted when they get out of control, as they can be deadly. The bobcat is doing what God meant it to do. I guess if it wasn't a fawn and just an adult deer, I wouldn't have said that. It's the fact that it's a helpless fawn that did for me, but maybe that's all the bobcat could handle. At least we know he will eat it all, and whatever is left, the rest of the food chain - crows, etc. - will take care of.

:p:pLMAO:s2: Honest, I didn't even notice the bait!

Predators have to do a little bit of eating too, its called an ecosystem. When Im on summer break from school i work for Department of Highways. I pick up five fawns a week not including full grown deer hit by cars. We really need to start riding bikes and stop driving vehicles! Im applying for my salvage license this fall to try and put an end to this!!! lol

i have a hard time agreeing with this, because i'm a human and i would much rather kill the deer that bobcats and yotes are killing, if preditor numbers go to high i think you might be changing your opininion...

Those pics were awesome. I think overall the bobcats contribution to deer predation is minimal. MUCH less than the coyotes or even black bears. I'd love to bag a big tom bobcat with a prime coat and immortalize him on the wall....sunning on a limb or a rock ledge. 'Course I'd have to apply for a permit and get a clue in hell how I'd go about hunting one first. I've only seen two in my life, despite growing up and living a large chunk of my life in 4D. So I doubt it will ever happen. They are beautiful creatures to say the least. I don't consider them any kind of a threat to deer hunting. Btw....if that's a big ole long spurred gobbler, that kitty might be in line for an arse kicking! LOL

Awesome pics. Hate to see it, but then it is nature at it's best.

got the same bobcat pics in my email today and it had this on them
Got this from a friend in Sayre, Pa.

BRR




Check these pics out. They were taken up over the hill behind the Pink Apple . I wonder if the PA Game Com. is gonna check this fellow for an antlerless permit.

Well considering I have a large bobcat population and a huge yote population your line of thinking is wrong!!
Because my opinion has not changed that predators have just as much right to game animals as we do!! Pike

Nice pictures. Bobcats are cool. I like 'em. But I have to admit....since the deer population decline, I like 'em a little less than before. As for coyotes? Don't get me started.:s2:

The problem with a lot of deer hunters is that they seem to look at any wild animal killing a deer as one less for the hunter to kill. Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We seldom get a look first hand at a wild animal killing a deer. When we do, it's all about us.

Most hunters hate anything that kills our beautiful deer before we do.
If you want to kill a Bobcat because he's killing your deer or a coyote for the same reason, do it. Just don't tell me that you're taking that animal to help the deer.
You're killing it because now you no longer have the opportunity to kill that deer yourself.

Golly gee. I feel so ashamed of myself.:s13:

Well, I guess I cannot say that the thousands of $ I've spent on creating better habitat on the land I manage is for the deer on those properties...Now Can I? According to you ....No I am not allowed because I also hunt some of those deer, Right???
I manage the properties I hunt based off what I see happening on those properties. If I see an increase in predators I will do whatever I can (within the law) to reduce their numbers. I don't sit in subzero temperatures night after night during the winter hunting coyotes because I feel I have to kill something... I do it because #1 Yes I enjoy coyote hunting and also just as important to me reason #2 The more dead coyotes the more fawns will survive in the spring. There is a direct coerrelation between the reasons why I hunt predators. If they didn't prey on fawns I wouldn't hunt them as hard as I do. Maybe if you invested what I have into helping the deer in your area you would understand why hunting predators is necessary for acheiving a continued benefit for the deer herd being managed.

Bobcats and coyotes are all part of the balance of nature. Without natural population control it is up to man to decide how much and where to thin out animals. When an important part of the ecco system is missing there are long range ramifications. Great pictures of an efficient killer at work.

4evrhtn, yotes and bobcats only acount for a small % of fawn mortality due to predidation in PA., Black Bears aacount for the majority of fawns killed.
Also it isnt possible to put a dent in a yote population thru legal hunting methods because the more that you kill the more pups will be born. Pike

I know bears kill more fawns as individuals , I am hunting them as well now but you can only take one per year. Coyotes are unlimited 365 days per year, That one bear I can shoot will not kill more fawns than the 15 or more yotes I may take throughout the year. It's a game of numbers. And the answer to the coyote population growth is not to do nothing. For every female I kill that is at least 5 less pups that year that she will produce. Lets say half the litter is female that would be 3.5 less female to breed equalling a minimum of 20 less coyotes by the time one year passes. Now take that 20 that weren't allowed to be born and figure 1/2 of them were female and times that 10 by 5 and so on. Shooting one female coyote will have a greater impact on predator numbers than allowing them to continue to reproduce unabated. Is it a losing battle? Maybe, but I do what I can by hunting and trapping/ cable restraining.

What's your secret for killing 15 yotes a year?

Lots and lots of hours hunting in weather most people don't go out in. I also travel alot and hunt bordering states outside of this state, such as Ohio, where there are a hell of alot more yotes than we have in pa (for now). I also trap and now use cable restraints... 15 is not a high number. I know a guy who has killed as many as 52 in a year here in Pa. He works for a big name manufacturer of game calls now. No secret, just willing to do what most won't.