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Bobcat issue or predator issue???? #7620420 10/01/19 12:23 AM
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Question for those of you more knowledgable than myself. My son has lost several small goats in the last couple of weeks to an unknown predator. They live on acreage in Wise County. Today he found the latest victim's collar in a nearby front yard pasture. The goat was in an adjoining fenced pasture....goat fence on the bottom and two strands of barbed wire on top. What ever took the goat was able to take it from one pasture to another (across the driveway). There was blood and hair on the bottom strand of barb wire. I am assuming it took the goat over the top strand and the goat was dragged across the wire. Whatever it was, it partially ate the small goat nearby. Earlier this week, another young goat had a large gash across the side of its face which wasn't noticed until it got infected. We are now thinking it was able to get away.

Coyotes cant jump a six foot fence, right? Could this be a bobcat? Any other ideas? What can we do to eliminate or trap the intruder? Any thoughts would be appreciated, the grandkids are beside themselves. Thanks

Last edited by Megtwo; 10/01/19 12:23 AM.
Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620449 10/01/19 12:50 AM
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When I have found dead animals killed by a cat they are usually covered with grass or something so the cat can come back and eat on it.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620468 10/01/19 01:08 AM
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You may have a mountain lion problem. Set up some game cameras and wait.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620484 10/01/19 01:20 AM
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Probably a large bobcat male is my guess. I had a friend who was loosing large fawns out of his breeding pens this time of the year. He would find them outside the pens (8' chain link fence) in a Klein Grass patch next to the pens. He called a local trapper who came out and told him it was a bobcat based off of sign on the kills and around it. He set some traps on the kill that day and ended up catching the bobcat the next night. It was a huge male bobcat that would kill a fawn then carry it over the 8' fence. He had another bobcat killing blackbucks in that same Klein Grass patch and the same trapper set up traps on a kill site. He found a trap with the bobcat still in across 2 8' tall fences by the county road. His wife called him one morning as she was heading to town telling him there was a bobcat caught in the fence. He drove down and found the large male in the trap. The trap had a drag on it so that cat was still able to climb over 2 8' fences and the last one he got the drag caught. It will take a large male cat to do that but that is my guess.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620515 10/01/19 01:57 AM
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So, will one of those large box traps from Tractor Supply work, or something stronger?

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620530 10/01/19 02:17 AM
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Large box trap will catch them, I would get one that has a live box at the end to hold a live animal in for bait. Coyotes will crawl a fence if they need or want to.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620548 10/01/19 02:39 AM
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Sounds like a large cat to me.....be very careful....even a small one can kick your ares….


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620599 10/01/19 04:19 AM
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Coyotes going over fences...



Here is one going over a 6' privacy fence...



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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620670 10/01/19 11:38 AM
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Coyote.. They can jump or more likely go under the fence.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620686 10/01/19 12:10 PM
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The best way to know what killed something is look at the neck and lower jaw. A coyote kills by grapping hold of the neck near the head and holding on until the animal is dead. If it a small animal it will either take it whole or chew it in half and normally take the back half. A larger animal it will chew open the belly and eat or take the vitals leaving the rest. Regular sheep and goat wire will not keep out a coyote. I have had them got through the wire about 18 inches or so up from the bottom where the wire is not as close together. And it does not take much of an opening at the bottom of the fence for them to get through.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620718 10/01/19 12:47 PM
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Coyotes have no problem getting over a 6' fence. I've seen it many times.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620768 10/01/19 01:26 PM
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Mt lion will attack an animal from the neck as well, on top. Box trap will work for a bobcat. Look for paw prints, big size difference in bobcat and mt lion.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620791 10/01/19 01:58 PM
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We can't find any prints in the pastures or near the kill. Gonna put some flour around the goat remains and see if anything comes back besides vultures. Hopefully we'll get a print or two. Also going to buy some game cams and try to get a pic of what we are dealing with. Thanks to those who commented.

Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620809 10/01/19 02:27 PM
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Coyote sure can, heck my German shepherd can get out of a 6' fence and shes overweight grin What ever did it had a load ta boot.

Might look on the fence for any hair that may help id the culprit as well, look real close, especially on barbs. The location may indicate a hint, cats seem to prefer getting the kill back into cover, yote may not care as much. Route of travel and surroundings may give some hints. My neighbor here has had trouble with loose dogs, they get in his 4' hog panel pen pretty easy, but usually leave the dead animals in the pen.

Do you have leg hold traps/ snares?


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Western] #7620910 10/01/19 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Western
My neighbor here has had trouble with loose dogs, they get in his 4' hog panel pen pretty easy, but usually leave the dead animals in the pen.


My thought exactly - not saying it isn't a wild animal, but on a ranch where I worked many years ago, we lost a couple of bottle calves over the course of a few days. We initially thought it was a cat or coyote, but ended up spotting two dogs from a neighbors property stalking the pens. On another place where I hunted, the ranch manager lost almost all of his chickens. Again, we thought it was a wild predator, but he spotted a neighbors dogs leaving the chicken coop one morning with their muzzles covered in blood and feathers.

I am a dog lover, but will tell you that none of these dogs ever messed with the domestic animals again.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7620940 10/01/19 04:12 PM
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X brother inlaw told me a long time back while hunting on his ranch he watched a big bobcat take down a a full grown doe, ambushed her by the feeder. Yes old Bob is a full body mount now.

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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621277 10/01/19 11:17 PM
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Took a couple hours of searching the property and these tracks and goat remains were found at the back of the property, about 18 acres. Still waiting for the measurements, but these look like cat tracks????

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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: westtexaswatkins] #7621293 10/01/19 11:35 PM
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Originally Posted by westtexaswatkins
Coyotes have no problem getting over a 6' fence. I've seen it many times.



This.

In the photos, the top two are canines, either feral dog or coyotes. The bottom looks like the rear foot of a coon - note the five toes. None are feline tracks. In the future, please add something as a size reference in the photos. A dollar bill or rifle shell are good size references if a ruler is not handy.

https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/animal-tracks-identification-guide


Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: jeffbird] #7621349 10/02/19 12:29 AM
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Originally Posted by jeffbird
Originally Posted by westtexaswatkins
Coyotes have no problem getting over a 6' fence. I've seen it many times.



This.

In the photos, the top two are canines, either feral dog or coyotes. The bottom looks like the rear foot of a coon - note the five toes. None are feline tracks. In the future, please add something as a size reference in the photos. A dollar bill or rifle shell are good size references if a ruler is not handy.

https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/animal-tracks-identification-guide




This^^^^

Bobcat has 4 toes like a canine. Those 1st two phots look like domestic dog tracks to me, wide and "chubby" compared to coyotes, Especially the 1st photo.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621699 10/02/19 03:08 PM
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Your problem is either feral dogs or most likely coyotes. I've lost young goats to both coyotes and bobcats. Bobcats won't just leave the remains out in the open. They'll cover them with dirt and brush and come back for a meal later. Coyotes just leave the remains in the open. Either of them can easily clear your fence, and take a baby goat back over.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621825 10/02/19 04:51 PM
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Looking closer at the 3rd photo, I think that is a "paw on paw" canine track


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621846 10/02/19 05:13 PM
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We live in Wise County near Cottondale on Garret creek. Coyote predation is a big problem here. We get bobcats occasionally.

Trapping bobcats is easier by far in our experience. If it's coyotes, leg hold traps with all the scent precautions have sometimes worked for us.

For bobcats, we wire a small chicken cage to the blind end of a large live trap. Put a rooster in the cage with food and water. Spread fire ant bait around the whole set-up so ants won't kill your rooster. Cover the whole thing with feed sacks or trash bags with only the open end of the trap showing. The rooster looks like he's at the far end of a den or burrow to the bobcat. We have had good success trapping bobcats and even a fox like this. The rooster comes out fine if you keep the fire ants away.


We now use Predator Guard predator deterrent lights and they work for us.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621891 10/02/19 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Megtwo
Question for those of you more knowledgable than myself. My son has lost several small goats in the last couple of weeks to an unknown predator. They live on acreage in Wise County. Today he found the latest victim's collar in a nearby front yard pasture. The goat was in an adjoining fenced pasture....goat fence on the bottom and two strands of barbed wire on top. What ever took the goat was able to take it from one pasture to another (across the driveway). There was blood and hair on the bottom strand of barb wire. I am assuming it took the goat over the top strand and the goat was dragged across the wire. Whatever it was, it partially ate the small goat nearby. Earlier this week, another young goat had a large gash across the side of its face which wasn't noticed until it got infected. We are now thinking it was able to get away.

Coyotes cant jump a six foot fence, right? Could this be a bobcat? Any other ideas? What can we do to eliminate or trap the intruder? Any thoughts would be appreciated, the grandkids are beside themselves. Thanks

A 6' fence is no problem for a coyote


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: Megtwo] #7621899 10/02/19 05:47 PM
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Those pictures with the tracks just show what was there around the carcass. Does not mean that was the animal that killed the goats, just the last one there to eat on it. Could have carried it to that spot to eat a free meal.


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Re: Bobcat issue or predator issue???? [Re: BigRon] #7621915 10/02/19 05:59 PM
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Thanks for all the info. BigRon...the kids live between Cottondale and Paradise, sounds like you are close. I've been forwarding all this info to them.....

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