Best Caliber for Bobcats??
 

I'm looking at hunting for bobcats and want to do a full body mount. Anybody have experience with a caliber they'd recommend for bobcats? Thanks.

Any small centerfire (.223, 243) for longer ranges, if you are lucky enough to get em close .22 would be good, .17 HMR would suffice out to 175 yds and closer in would do too much damage especially the 20gr FMJ. Good Luck

Anything that you use for coyotes will work for a bobcat, the only cat I have ever shot was with superformance sst 140gr out of a .270, I do not suggest this for lack of pelt damage. And the bobcat that my brother shot and we got stuffed was with a .270 130 gr corelokts and it wasn't to bad on pelt damage. I would probably use my .223 for good range, good power, but not to much pelt damage plus this is what I take dog calling anyways.

yep .204, .22-250, .223 or .243 will all do the job.


All have good varmint loads available.


Now you need a cat to cooperate and give you the "right" shot for the least amount of pelt damage (frontal shot with no exit wound).

Thanks. I was thinking about using my 223. Just wanted to be sure it wouldn't cause too much pelt damage.

Your .223 would work fine. Like others said, shot placement. I haven't shot one myself but I've seen a few shot. They aren't hard to kill but they seem pretty easy to damage. For a full body mount you want to find the right shot so you don't tear it up. Good luck, it'll make a great mount if you get one.

I have taken several with shotgun, 25/06, and 22.250. The 22.250 with a 50 hollow point was the best. the shot was about 40 yards with the cat facing me. the bullet never exited the cat and only left a pin hole in his chest. Highly reccommed. i was using remington umc brand ammo.

Gotta use the right hammer...
 

Personally, I'm a firm believer that controlling pelt damage has as much to do with choosing the proper BULLET as it does with choosing a given cartridge.

For most fur hunting I do, I like to have a moderate expansion bullet, more like that of a deer or elk hunting bullet, rather than an explosive expansion varminter bullet. I'm much more prone to suggest something along the lines of a Hornady Interbond or A-Max than I would be a Varmint or V-max. Using a bullet that has "explosive expansion" for coyotes or bobcats is a no-no in my book during prime season.

I have to say, the .223rem is far and away my favorite varminting cartridge. If I KNOW where a bobcat is, then I'll often take a .22lr, .17HMR, or .22WMR with a .223rem for back up. That gives me the option to minimize my damage with the rimfire weapon if I get him in close enough, but still gives me the opportunity to reach out and touch something if needed (another part of why it's very nice calling predators with a partner!).

Can't get better advice than the above post.

One reminder; Fragmenting bullets are designed NOT to exit.

By design, yes. In practice, things don't always go as planned.

I have had two problems with fragmenting bullets in the past (specifically CT Ballistic Silvertips and Hornady V-max's), always at short ranges.

1) At close range, these can over-expand on impact, causing a large entry wound and no exit. It's like the up-splash after you do a cannonball in the pool, that "ka-doosh" splash that raises straight up in the air. Fragmenting bullets at extremely high velocities can cause "rebound wounds", basically blowing back out the entry wound. I had this happen on a whitetail deer with a .30-06 and Winchester Ballistic Silvertips, then also on two coyotes with a .223rem and V-max's, all of them under 30yrds.

2) Also at close range, if a fragmenting bullet DOES exit, it's usually a bloody mess. While a controlled expansion bullet might leave a golfball sized exit, a frag bullet might leave a softball sized exit. Or, if the bullet fragments and the pieces exit, you're left with multiple quarter sized exit holes. On yotes under 40yrds, I've had V-max's and CT BST's produce terrible exit wounds.

So moral of the story, I feel like I got penalized for doing a good job. The closer I called a coyote, the more I was at risk of doing excessive pelt damage. For me, fragmenting bullets are an all or nothing. Either they work great, and produce VERY little pelt damage, or they unintentionally exit, and they do a ton of damage.

Obviously they work. They're just not my preference. Your mileage may vary.

Well put !

I have also found those close shots with fragmenting bullets (V-max) to produce an exit wound on occasion......agreed.

More often, they produce the most pelt damage when they hit bone.


Admittedly, I live & hunt mostly in SoCal and our pelts never really prime out - certainly nothing like up north !


If I was selling pelts, I might consider using those A-max bullets.

Thanks for all of the responses. You can read the advertising hype and study up on the literature but there's really nothing like somebody who's actually using the product and can tell you firsthand what worked and what didn't work. Thanks again.