A rough start, need some advice.

[WTRFWLR82]

Yesterday, after getting beat out of 2 hunting spots for geese I decided I would give predator hunting a shot. I decided I would try hunting in spot I normally duck hunting before the weather freezes everything. I have heard numerous coyotes in the area and figured this would be a good starting point. I was walking in to where I figured the best place to set up and call and when I turned a corner in the road I got the surprise of a lifetime. 2 bobcats were in the middle of the road! :eek: The smaller of the 2 saw me about the same time I saw them and bolted for cover. The larger just sat down and looked at me. I brought my rifle up for a closer look through the scope and was going to pull the trigger when a sudden thought occured to me. I had NO CLUE whether bobcat was open. I had forgot to check as I've never seen one. :CZ: Well, I decided the better idea would be to watch and learn and just kept an eye on the cat until it was gone. Shortly afterwards I called me roomate and had him check the Idaho F&G Regs only to find out they are indeed open. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I only saw one young coyote and it was dead (looked to have frozen to death).

Knowing very little about these cats I'm hoping some of you predator guru's can help me out. Will this cat stay in the area even though I've run across it and spooked it? If so, what is the best way to call it in? I don't think it was too spooked from the ordeal as I didn't call, shoot, move or anything and let it move on on it's own accord, but again I don't know. Any advice you can provide would be great. I would love to be able to post hero shots of a bobcat! :D

[The Baron of Bufflehead]

Bummer, but don't ever regret playing it safe - thumbs up to you for holding off until you knew the season for sure.

You didn't shoot at or even call to those cats I can't see any harm being done. All I know about cats I learned from videos (we don't have them around here as far as I know) but I do understand they have a relatively small home range so they should be nearby on your next trip. I think they like bird sounds and high pitched stuff and all the videos I've seen say cats are usually slower to respond to calling and tend to slink in so give it 30-45 minutes on your setup and keep your eyes peeled. A moving decoy should be a very big help too.

Calling in/shooting a nice bobcat is definitely on my bucket list. Good luck!:)

[WTRFWLR82]

Thanks Baron! I was thinking of getting a decoy but wasn't sure. I'll probably get one and get an electronic caller while I'm at it. That way I can sit at a distance and glass with less of a chance of being spotted myself.