Bobcats in Indiana?

[dburkhead]

While I was squirrel hunting down in Yellowwood last year I spotted a bunch of cat tracks (main pad, four toes, no claw marks) something like this:

Size was about the same as my palm.

Asked a CO about it on another forum and he said probably Bobcat but, if so, that's one big bobcat.

 

[shibumiseeker]

While I was squirrel hunting down in Yellowwood last year I spotted a bunch of cat tracks (main pad, four toes, no claw marks) something like this:

Size was about the same as my palm.

Asked a CO about it on another forum and he said probably Bobcat but, if so, that's one big bobcat.

Bobcats have big feet for their size. I can't tell without a scale bar, but I've seen cougar tracks the size of my spread hand.

 

[dburkhead]

Bobcats have big feet for their size. I can't tell without a scale bar, but I've seen cougar tracks the size of my spread hand.

I did some checking and there are a bunch of pics of bobcat and cougar tracks on the web taken with rulers or tape measures alongside. Bobcats seem to run about 2 inches. Cougars, 4 or more. My palm is about 3 1/2 inches across (just measured it) putting these tracks on the small side for cougar.

 

[grunt soldier]

i saw a bobcat down in morgan monroe a couple years ago. i was following tracks in the snow and walked up on it. he looked little and young but it was awesome.

i read a news story on another forum of a bobcat attacking a 40lb sheep i think it was and carrying it and jumping over a 8 ft fence w/ the sheep in its mouth. amazingly agile and strong for their size.

 

[IDCC]

It is not unommon to see them several times a week at Crane. They are far smaller than the escaped black leopard that I and others have seen.

 

[shooter521]

They are far smaller than the escaped black leopard that I and others have seen.

[IDNR]
Move along, nothing to see here. No big cats in Indiana.
[/IDNR]

 

[ghitch75]

It is not unommon to see them several times a week at Crane. They are far smaller than the escaped black leopard that I and others have seen.

i'm 4 miles from the Bloomington gate.....haven't seen any big black kitty's on the north side....back in the 80's i seen some big cat tracks and black hair crap by the viaduct train tressel northeast of Bloomfield...

 

[Mike H]

They are in my area.....I'm out a lot.....haven't seen one yet......but I'll keep looking!

 

[littletommy]

I live about 1000 yards from the hydros on the Ohio river, I've seen one twice while on my way to work in the early A.M. The cool thing about it is I see Turkey, deer, coons, possums, geese, you name it, right here by the house, but around the timesI have seen the cat, aside from maybe a deer, all of the other wildlife is nowhere to be found.

 

[Hatchrooster]

I know I don't live in Ind so I hope ya'll don't mind me posting this on this thread.Don't see very many down my way.I seen one several years ago and have'nt seen one sense.

 

[Fireman85]

i have been told that there are bobcats on the military side of atterberry in johnson county. Though in over ten years of being on the military hunt I have never seen one.

 

[Deer_Slayer_90]

I have never seen one here personally but my family have had some encounters, my grandfather treed one while coon hunting here in shelby county along big blue about 25 or 30 years ago, and my other grandparents had one runnin their woods just outside cambridge city about 5 years ago. Believe it or not my dad actually saw a (black panther) also along blue river, it was about 40 years ago and and they were coon hunting and the dogs (about 5 in all) were tracking it, and it turned and came back around in front of the truck and when my dad, waiting in the front seat for my grampa, flipped on the headlights, it stopped for a second and and continued to walk...crawl away. I believe it was a pet that escaped that the owner never reported, people around here have had many exotic pets; skunks, coons, foxes, wolves, mountain lion, and a couple of bears, so its not too far fetched.

 

[Deer_Slayer_90]

Did it scream or meow? I thought a bobcat was more feline than monster...

well if you ever hear one youd call it a scream too...it sounds just like a woman screaming...literally, i heard one once outside cambridge city

 

[JohnR]

Saw one back in July in Arney which is Owen county. Sure hope I live long enough to see a trapping season for them here.

 

[mathews28]

bobcats

was tokd by different hunters some were spotted around greene-sullivan state forrest