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Economics of Bobcat Damage and Control

Bobcat Damage and Control

Damage by bobcats is rather uncommon and statistics related to this damage are not well developed. It’s very difficult to determine from what has and has not been killed by bobcats. In western states where data have been obtained, losses of sheep and goats have comprised less than 10% of all predation losses, so bobcats took only a small percentage of predator-killed livestock. Typical complaints of bobcat predation involve house cats and poultry allowed to roam at will in mountain subdivisions and ranches.

Bobcats are taken by trappers and by hunters using hounds and snares. The pelts are used for coats, trim, and accessories, the spotted belly fur being most valuable. Bobcat pelts are used for wall decorations and rugs. In recent years, North American bobcat harvests have produced about 25,000 pelts valued at $2.5 million annually. Aesthetically, the bobcat is a highly regarded carnivore and their pelts bring good money in fur trade. To others, the bobcat represents the essence of wildness in any habitat it occupies.

Bobcat Biology and Behavior

Bobcats are very secretive, solitary, and seldom seen by people in the wild. Bobcats are active during the day, but prefer to be crepuscular or nocturnal in habitats where they exists. Bobcats tend to travel well-worn animal trails, logging roads, and other paths. They use their acute vision and hearing for locating enemies and prey. Bobcats do not form lasting pair bonds. Mating can occur between most adult animals. In Wyoming, female bobcats reach sexual maturity within their first year but males are not sexually mature until their second year. Nationwide, breeding can occur from January to June. In Wyoming, breeding typically begins in February and the first estrus cycle in mid- March.

The gestation period in bobcats ranges from 50 to 70 days, averaging 62 days. Nationwide, young are born from March to July, with litters as late as October. The breeding season may be affected by latitude, altitude, and longitude, as well as by characteristics of each bobcat population. In Wyoming, births peak mid-May to mid-June and can occur as late as August or September. These late litters may be from recycling or late-cycling females, probably yearlings. In Utah, births may peak in April or May. In Arkansas, births may peak as early as March. Bobcats weigh about 2/3 pound at birth. Litters contain from 2 to 4 kittens. Kittens nurse for about 60 days and may accompany their mother through their first winter. Continue reading Bobcat Biology and Behavior

Bobcat Range and Habitat

The bobcat occurs in a wide variety of habitats from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean and from Mexico to northern British Columbia (Fig. 2). It occurs in the 48 contiguous states. The bobcat is as adapted to subtropical forests as it is to dense shrub and hardwood cover in temperate climates. Other habitats include chaparral, wooded streams, river bottoms, canyon-lands, and coniferous forests up to 9,000 feet. Bobcats behavioral preferences are for areas where these native habitat types are interspersed with agriculture and escape cover (rocky outcrops) close by. The bobcat has thrived where agriculture is interspersed through the above native habitat types, as in southern Canada.

Bobcats are capable of hunting and killing prey that range from the size of a mouse to that of a deer. Rabbits, tree squirrels, ground squirrels, woodrats, porcupines, pocket gophers, and ground hogs comprise most of their diet. Opossums, raccoon, grouse, wild turkey, and other ground-nesting birds are also eaten. Occasionally, insects and reptiles can be part of the bobcat’s diet. In Canada, the snowshoe hare is the bobcat’s favorite fare. Bobcats occasionally kill livestock and they also resort to scavenging.