# Last night: Bobcat



## JRHill02 (Jun 20, 2020)

The dogs were going nuts last night. We should've let them out (3 Catahoulas). But they've been doing this the last few nights. It's Modern Rifle season. There is all kinds of weirdness right now.

Now we know. The pens were being scouted. Last night 3 ducks were killed and the one left won't make it through tonight. 6' pen with a top but not fully covered.

Sigh. Not meat ducks. Rouen: good eggs. Well, that phase is done.


----------



## JRHill02 (Jun 20, 2020)

I want a few really good cameras. Night vision too.

What have you bought that you consider professional quality?


----------



## Wyobuckaroo (Dec 30, 2011)

You are positive it was bobcat ?? ?? 

We have had both fox and lynx climb 8' chain link to get into our chicken, goose paddock.... Two of the 3 known times this happened I was able to "intervein" in this bad behavior, but the one time we lost 7 geese one night.. 

For trail cams I have Cabela brand cameras, bought with bonus money from using the credit card.. So in a sense free cameras.. They may be more capable than I have used them, but produce very good pictures to the limits of my capabilities to use them.. For night vision... I use a barrel mounted high intensity flashlight on the barrel of a 12 ga.. The light having a red lens.... This along with motion flood lights around the chicken house.. Anything from #2 to #6 lead shot seems to perform well.. 

I have also used a 2'wide x 3' tall x 6' long live trap to help selectively cull problems....


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Whatever it was, it will be back since it knows where to get an easy meal.


----------



## 101pigs (Sep 18, 2018)

JRHill02 said:


> The dogs were going nuts last night. We should've let them out (3 Catahoulas). But they've been doing this the last few nights. It's Modern Rifle season. There is all kinds of weirdness right now.
> 
> Now we know. The pens were being scouted. Last night 3 ducks were killed and the one left won't make it through tonight. 6' pen with a top but not fully covered.
> 
> Sigh. Not meat ducks. Rouen: good eggs. Well, that phase is done.


I have Great Pyrenees and Border Collie that protect my stock.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

JRHill02 said:


> The dogs were going nuts last night. We should've let them out (3 Catahoulas). But they've been doing this the last few nights. It's Modern Rifle season. There is all kinds of weirdness right now.
> 
> Now we know. The pens were being scouted. Last night 3 ducks were killed and the one left won't make it through tonight. 6' pen with a top but not fully covered.
> 
> Sigh. Not meat ducks. Rouen: good eggs. Well, that phase is done.


Look around the perimeter for den trees, old stump hole and if you have bottom ground/dry creek bed, sink/drain holes. Bobcats and Foxes will set up camp until the food supply is gone or you find them.


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

We leave our dogs out so that they can deal with predators. That was the whole purpose in acquiring LGDs.


----------



## JRHill02 (Jun 20, 2020)

Yeah, it was a bobcat. At least the 1st night. Then the smell of the kill brought in a weasel - I swear they work in tandem. The weasel killed two of the ducks in one pen and left one miserably bloody around the neck. We moved survivor to the 'hospital pen' the next night, which is tighter and more secure, and it was dead in the morning. For a weasel it always the same. The head is chewed off and the blood drained. We've have this happen before but not recently.

But now the easy pickins are gone and so are the offenders.


----------



## JRHill02 (Jun 20, 2020)

Pony said:


> We leave our dogs out so that they can deal with predators. That was the whole purpose in acquiring LGDs.


I appreciate that. Ironically, in previous years with the G.Shep she stayed out most of the time as was her preference. But now things are different. We are older. We have spoiled our 3 Catahoula dogs. It's always a three dog night unless summer and the male gets too hot. They still help with the livestock - each in different ways. But they have totally assumed the role of protecting us.

If an unknown visitor or someone not around for a while there is a procedure. The dogs are kenneled and settled and the visitor must be seated. One at a time they are let out to sniff. Within 15 minutes they want to smell breath and issue licks (taste?). If the visitor doesn't get animated or raise their voice all is a big party for the rest of the time - seated or not, inside or outside.

We did have someone come in and yell once. They are lucky they got out. So, bottom line is: bobcats, big cats or whatever, we really appreciate our personal security system.


----------

