Thanks again gents,

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of speculation about "big cats" being loose in the British country side. So called eye witness accounts of such cats vary tremendusly with a high propprtion being black cats of some sort which does not corrispond with how things are in naure. having said that, a number of attacks on live stock, some fatal, some not have be documented with claw marks on them which totally rules out dogs or foxes.

The two main candidates in the press are usually put forward as leopards or pumas which people turned loose aftera change in the laws in the 1970's. However I am wondering, if the Bobcats or the Lynxs might not be more realistic candidate?

Wih people confusing the matter with deliberate hoaxes, until someone catches, shoots or snares something, I doubt we will get to the bottom of this.

I will say that a puma was caught up in Scotland many years ago, and more recently a Lynx was found in a suberban garden near London; both animals were thought to be recent excapess but nobody rushed forward to say they had lost them!

There is also a European directive saying that the British Government should re introduce certain species of wildlife which were once native and this includes the European Lynx and the Wolf.They have started already with the European Beaver and this has been surrounded with some secrecy. It would not surprise me to learn that they had re introduced the Lynx either..

Regards,

Pete

Pete:

Here is an Alaskan Lynx that Allen here at AR posted on my board. I think it ran around 35lbs. They are sure a beautiful animal.

How do these two cats compare size wise? What is the largest prey that either normally take? Do either do much damage to livestock and if so, what is generally taken?

Thanks in advance,

Pete

The lynx is much larger, but not as aggressive. They prey mostly on snowshoe hares.

Bobcats are very aggressive, and they can kill small deer. Sheep, chickens, and such would not present a problem.

George

PeteE, I don't have first hand knowledge of the Lynx but a Bobcat is exactly as mentioned. I had a picture series of a Good size Bobcat taking down an adult Desert Bighorn. I can't find them now but would have posted them.
I believe the Lynx has a mush smaller territory.

Thanks Gents,

Interesting that the smaller animal potentially takes the larger prey. Mentally, I have the bobcat down as running a bit bigger than my terrier, say around the 20lb to 25lb mark. I am in the ball park with that?

Regards,

Pete

Not being a cat expert but I'd say you're ballpark with that weight. They do get considerably bigger and I'm sure they vary quite a bit among the sub species but based on the ones I caught in Tenn and Okla, 25lbs would be about right.
"course they do grow quite a bit after they're skinned and the toddies are going around.

Lynx will also take deer sized game if the opportunity presents itself.

20 to 25 lbs is about right for the normal bobcat.
My wife killed one that weighed 38 lbs[thirtyeight ] on the taxidermist scale. He was one big cat.

Most of the bobcats I've seen would be in the small category, but I saw one with a fresh killed whitetail doe in his mouth which was dragging his prey across a dirt road on the ranch where I hunted deer. I can't say how big it was, but for a bobcat, it was huge. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement.

If any of you have seen the apparently relatively old bobcat mount at Cooper's Barbeque in Llano, TX, it was at least that big.

Pete.

Not quite on your topic - but the Norwegian and Swedish members of AR are all very insistant that Roe numbers plummet dangerously when the there is a local lynx population. Seems as though they are a lethal predator on the smaller deer species.

Rgds Ian

I hunt in Jamtland, Sweden and I can say the lynx is a impressive killing machine. Roe deer is very rare here and the lynx is one big reason for that. They are also a problem for the Sami people who loose many reindeers to them.

Size for a adult lynx here is 15-20kg. Some more, some less. Those over 24kg is rare.

Doesn't it give you and warm and fuzzy to know that your "govment" is hard at work doing what is best for you. And, if you don't believe its best, just ask them.

beemanbeme,

Yeah I know what you mean!

Certain greenies would really like to reintroduce wolves back into Scotland tooand they are support in this by the same European directive.

They have it all worked out how these will reduce the number of red deer which in turn will alloww the natural Calidonia (sp?) forest to re establish itself. As a bonus it will be a poke in the eye of the big Estates who rely on deerstalking as a major source of income.

Now why Mr Wolf should chase the fleet of foot red deer when so many wooly maggots are just waiting on god to give them half a chance to die, I don't know.

Actually I don't mind them introducing wolves, nor big cats; hell bears would be good also...I mean I am the one wondering around with a rifle!! Not that any of gods creatures would ever attack a treehugger out for a picnic with his cress sandwiches!

Regards,

Pete

I once got into a bit of a disagreement with a Bobcat over who got to eat the deer I had just shot. He was on my kill less than 15 minutes after I had shot him. He was so large that I first thought he was a coyote. Fortunately 1 shot ended the disagreement since all I had was a muzzleloader......DJ