# do bobcats affect deer hunting?



## bdpost (Dec 1, 2007)

I have not been seeing any deer at my place. Dont know if 
its the drought, hunting pressure around my place,  or  my 
complete  failure of food plots this year. One thing I have noticed is bobcats. I have seen one just about everytime I hunt. This evening one came in and sat 10 feet away from me downwind for about ten minutes. He never looked up at me. I figured he is young and dumb. Maybe I am looking for excuses for the lack of deer sightings and not having taken a deer yet this year. Do bobcats have an impact on my sightings? He didnt look all that big.  I know as soon as I pull out the .22 I probably be covered up in deer and never see the cat again!
Thanks
Stay safe!


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## dawg2 (Dec 1, 2007)

I would say in Spring time yes, but not now so much.


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## bdpost (Dec 1, 2007)

will the deer stay weary of them all the time? The one I saw today could not have been 15 maybe 20 lbs. I can appreciate that in the spring and summer when the fawns are small, but now most of them are ( I think- but I am a green horn) twice as big as that cat I saw today. I have lots of birds and rabbits on my place, I figured they would make for easier prey 
Thanks for the input !
Stay safe !


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## The Bell Man (Dec 1, 2007)

I saw a bobcat while in the stand about 3 weeks ago, and not 10 minutes later I saw a mature doe and 2 yearlings  feeding in the exact same spot the bobcat was just standing.


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## brunofishing (Dec 2, 2007)

I dont think they would try n eat somthin as big as they are.


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## Ga-Bullet (Dec 3, 2007)

Killed a Bobcat several years ago with a small four point right under my stand. He didn't seem to pay the cat any mind.


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## Hunt&Fish (Dec 4, 2007)

*Bobcats Eat Deer*



brunofishing said:


> I dont think they would try n eat somthin as big as they are.



I used to hunt in Alabama near Union Springs and we had lots of deer and bobcats. More than once we shot deer and failed to find them til the next day. When we found the deer a bobcat had worked on eating the dead deer by starting at the rectum. It wouldn't get very far the first night and would try to cover the deer with leaves before leaving it. Covering it's kill with leaves is cat like behavior and that's why I believe it was a bobcat and not a coyote.
I have no evidence that a bobcat can catch a live deer but they will eat a dead deer that's still warm.


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