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#26477 - 01/24/19 08:47 PM GPS Bobcat study.
redsnow Online   content
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Loc: WV
The West Virginia DNR is currently doing this study. Pretty neat!

https://www.williamsondailynews.com/feat...1c10625b30.html

You guys have heard me talk about my buddy Skiddy before. Back around Christmas, when Skiddy's son Branson was out of school, they set out a small trap line.

It would have been December 23rd, they made 7 sets. The first check, Christmas Eve, they had 2 bobcats, a red fox, and deer had fired 2. Five out of 7 traps fired, very good average!

Anyway, they called the DNR, Skiddy, his dad Dorm, and Branson met up with Biologist Rich Rogers here at the store. Rogers didn't have any collars on hand, Christmas was the next day, so they put the biggest cat in a cage, and Rogers took it back to the office. The other bobcat was too small to put a collar on, so they turned it loose.

There is a fine line, where the cat needs to be in good shape, no foot damage or anything. Like the small, it's going to grow, so it wasn't suitable.

The day after Christmas, Rogers and Ms. Belcher returned with the bobcat, met Skiddy and Branson where they'd caught the bobcat. Got him all collared up, named him Clark and cut him in the wind.

Not sure if this is supposed to be public information or not? But the lady sent Skiddy a map of where the bobcat had been, Skiddy sent it to me. The map is on Google Earth, I looked it over good. Skiddy called me later, and I told him, Ole Clark is very close to my cameras.

My girlfriend went up with me the other day, we checked cameras #2 and #3. We had a good tracking snow, we broke track from the turnoff. Sure enough, I've got the bobcat on camera #2. My "lured rock" camera!

Honestly, I was thinking about setting some snares on the mountain, not now! That would hurt me and break Branson's heart, if I'd find Clark tangled up dead. Wearing that collar for a month, it's fur isn't worth anything. Nobody would want it mounted with a ring around it's neck.

The bobcat is worth more to me, just getting pictures! I do have some very good pictures of it. One picture of Clark, hunkered down, about 4 feet from a big coon. The coon looks like it's ready for action too! From what my girlfriend and I could read from the snow, the coon got away.

From what I can make from the map of it's travels, it looks like it's home area is 10 or 12 square miles. I'm looking forward to the next update!

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#26478 - 01/25/19 07:24 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
Dfabs Offline
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Registered: 09/19/16
Posts: 93
Loc: Morgantown, West Virginia
That’s awesome, Tim. I had not heard of that study yet. A few years ago, WVU was taking bobcat carcasses to study how many litters of kittens they had. They were giving you a $20 gift card for the carcass and you were allowed to keep the fur. Keep us posted, I would like to know what kind of area it is traveling too.

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#26479 - 01/26/19 01:27 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: Dfabs]
Dfabs Offline
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Registered: 09/19/16
Posts: 93
Loc: Morgantown, West Virginia
Is there a website we can go to that shows us where the cats have been?

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#26480 - 01/26/19 02:16 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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I don't know of a website. Skiddy first told me that the DNR would give him an "app", so he could track the bobcat (Clark), so far he's only received the one map.

These maps must not be top secret, a man who owns property on the Grant/Pendleton co line, he has 2 bobcats, with GPS collars on or near his property. I've met the man, I don't know him, but he sent a copy of his map to one of my friends, she showed it to me.

One reason that I doubt if the DNR would make a website with the actual locations, around here, pretty much everything is private land. I'm sure at some point, they will come out with an average "home range".

The map is kind of hard to explain. If the collar sends out a "ping" every 5 hours, there are places where the bobcat moved less than 1/4 mile in 10 hours. And other places where it's moved over 3 miles, between pings. That's air miles.

I'm not sure how this will work, but I'll post it. We have had a good discussion on facebook. The folks doing the study are there, answering questions. You may need to be logged on to facebook to see it.



Edited by redsnow (02/03/19 11:39 AM)

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#26481 - 01/27/19 12:43 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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Does the facebook link work for everyone else? I'm on my work computer, it does for me. I did need to sign in on facebook.

If you look at the second post on that link, dated 1/24/19, the one with a map of the eastern panhandle of WV, click on that map. There are several more pictures, and there are 2 or 3 of their actual travels.

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#26482 - 01/27/19 03:06 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
Dfabs Offline
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Registered: 09/19/16
Posts: 93
Loc: Morgantown, West Virginia
Thanks, Tim. I don’t have Facebook, but I will have my wife try to look it up on her account for me. She is at her moms house for the weekend, but she will be back on Monday.

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#26485 - 01/31/19 09:33 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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#26486 - 01/31/19 09:40 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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#26487 - 01/31/19 09:45 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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#26488 - 01/31/19 09:55 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Above is the bobcat named Clark. Sorry, I don't have the pictures in order, if you can read the sign, that is a coyote track in the right tire track, it's been snowed in. But that's what it is.




That's my girlfriend and I trying to make heads or tails of what happened. As you can see, I botched up the tracks before we got out to look.

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#26492 - 02/01/19 02:42 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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I'm going to try to put these pictures in order, starting with pic # 241. I'll add pic # 240.











Edited by redsnow (02/04/19 10:56 PM)

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#26493 - 02/01/19 02:46 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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#26494 - 02/01/19 03:10 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
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Edited by redsnow (02/11/19 07:04 PM)
Edit Reason: Added pics.

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#26495 - 02/03/19 02:03 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Well, have you guys had a chance to study those pictures?

Those are consecutive pictures. One thing I will tell you, the bobcat went above and below the road, you can't see those tracks in the pictures.

If you look at the middle of the right hand edge of the pictures, the coons are using a den, just out of the picture.

It's just a crack in the rocks, big enough to stick your boot back inside.

The bobcat with the collar weighs 20 pounds, I'd say the biggest coon would go 16 or better.

Like I said above, I drove through the tracks, plus my dog all over the place. My opinion, the coon got away from the bobcat.

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#26496 - 02/03/19 11:37 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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This is the map for 2 bobcats on the Grant and Pendleton Co. line.



I'm going to edit the comment above with the facebook link, hopefully that will put this thread back to normal size.

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#26500 - 02/06/19 06:38 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
Hal Offline
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Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 10227
Loc: Blue Creek, Ohio, USA
It's pretty gol darn cool to have a collared critter on a game camera. Good thread.
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#26511 - 02/11/19 12:41 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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I agree it's very interesting. I wish the lady would give us an update on it's travels more often. I just talked to Skiddy the other day, he's not heard a thing. The bobcat has been wearing the collar since Christmas, and only 1 "map" so far. The collar is supposed to send out a signal every 48 hours.

There's a good bit of information in those pictures, let's go up and start with the coyote picture, he's the one that messed up the snow first. Starting with the coyote, those are consecutive pictures, and the timer is pretty much correct too.

Notice how the coyote was trotting out the road, caught wind of the lured rocks, stopped, farted around and went to check it out.

Then the late evening picture of the bobcat (Clark) going between the rocks. Looks like he spent 5 hours below the road.

Pictures at 10:41 and 10:43, you can see how he tinkered around in the road. Then it looks like he spent about 5 hours above the road, guess he made a little circle hunting.

Notice where it jumped off the road bank at 3:58, then walked to the first rock, there are extra tracks there, maybe took a pee?

Now, notice where he's walking in his exact same tracks, about 25 hours difference.

At 7:53 the coons come into the picture, look at 7:54, notice the little speck just above the twig on the left edge of the picture, that's Clark's eyeball.

At 7:54, just reading their body language, both of them are in a kind of defensive mode. Notice the tracks behind the bobcat, looks like he made a hop toward the coon, then maybe had second thoughts. I guess it would depend on how hungry the bobcat would be, but he's been around long enough to know that the coon isn't just going to roll over on it's side and kick a little bit like a rabbit.

I think that is the smaller coon, from the pictures above, but it's going to put up a fight.

Now look at the picture timed 8:03, for 8 minutes they were out of the camera. Look at "Ole Clark", his head is down, tail tucked in. I about halfway think that he got his butt kicked.

Next time I'm up on the mountain, I'll get us a picture of the ground above the road. There are dozens of holes in the rocks, big enough for a coon to get into, within 30 feet of the road. Plus the trees.

And the very next picture is a coon crossing the road. I forget 15 minutes or so behind the bobcat ?

There were 3 or 4 more coon pictures before the picture of my dog, that I didn't add.

I'll add one more comment and I know you guys will agree with this. Look at the last coon picture and the picture of my dog, and look at the number of tracks total. The tracks show up better in the coon picture. A lot of folks would go out that road and think, this place is infested with coons and bobcats. A lot of people wouldn't notice the coyote track, being snowed in, or if they did couldn't ID it.

But we know for a fact there was only 1 bobcat, only 1 coyote and 2 coons for sure. Could have been more than 2 coons?

If. If I'd known what all had went on at this camera, I'd have tracked the coon and bobcat up the side of the mountain 50 or 100 yards, just to see what did happen. But in my opinion, the coon got away from the bobcat. There was no blood or hair, and I can't see any signs of a fight. Something happened for 8 minutes, and we'll never know for sure.







Edited by redsnow (02/11/19 01:48 PM)

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#26513 - 02/12/19 08:10 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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This is a print of bobcat "Clark".


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#26514 - 02/12/19 08:38 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
FLSH ETR Online   content
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Registered: 12/29/04
Posts: 1195
Loc: Cudahy, Wisconsin,USA
What's the distance between the upper most way point and the lower most? Really nice map out of movement!

Frank.
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#26515 - 02/12/19 11:05 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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On the map above, it's right at 5 miles north to south. And 2.5 miles at the widest point.

I'll try this map, I think it was updated January 21st. Not positive.

I'll add the picture in a minute.



This map is 6.3 miles at the longest point. My trail cameras, #2, #3 and #4 are in this picture. He's doing a good job staying away from the roads.


Edited by redsnow (02/12/19 11:21 PM)

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#26516 - 02/13/19 12:39 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
FLSH ETR Online   content
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Registered: 12/29/04
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What does the red box indicate? I've noticed it move diagonally to the opposite corner from the first pic.
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#26517 - 02/13/19 01:32 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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I think the red box is where the collar sent it's most recent update. I'll check on that.

The red box is the bobcat's last known position.

Here's the note from the lady:

Hi all,
Here's the latest update on Clark. I also included some measurements of how far he is roaming from one end to the other. These are not exact though. Just an update on the project, we are currently at 15 (added a huge 35 pound male this past weekend), we were at 16 cats on Sunday but unfortunately one of the males got trapped in a snare. Though we had anticipated this happening at some point.

Thanks,
Kirsten






Edited by redsnow (02/14/19 12:18 PM)

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#26527 - 02/24/19 06:30 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Ole' Clark is still on the move. Checked cameras #2 and #3 today, the last time I'd checked them was January 16th, almost 6 weeks.




Notice the big tracks, to the right of the bobcat, that was a bear. Not sure how it got past my camera? The only thing that I can think of what might have happened, it must have been really foggy. Seems like the fog has been coming off of the snow, it was thick again today.

I did get pictures of a bear on camera #3.

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#26529 - 02/25/19 07:02 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Here are 2 consecutive pictures, we only missed him by 4 hours.



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#26531 - 02/26/19 12:07 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Well, that worked out pretty good. I checked my camera Sunday, posted a picture of the bobcat on facebook, "tagged" Skiddy and his wife, in the picture. Skiddy tagged Biologist Rogers, and Kirsten Belcher (the lady doing the study) in the picture, and we got an updated map, Monday.

This is a better map. All 4 of my cameras are in this one. Seems like he's been moving farther south, he's been wearing the collar for 2 months.



Our bobcat season goes out Thursday, February 28th. He's pretty well got it made for now.

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#26608 - 04/01/19 01:08 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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The bobcat made it through our hunting/trapping season. Hopefully we'll get a GPS update before long.


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#26658 - 05/09/19 10:53 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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The bobcat named Clark is still on the move. I haven't had him on my cameras since March.


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#26659 - 05/09/19 03:15 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
FLSH ETR Online   content
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Registered: 12/29/04
Posts: 1195
Loc: Cudahy, Wisconsin,USA
There seems to be certain 'clumps' in his travel history, especially in the upper area of the pic. What's the draw there? Seems to be screaming, 'MB-650's'!! grin

Frank.
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#26660 - 05/09/19 11:56 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Here are 2 pictures of the east side of that mountain. My cameras #2 and 3 are on the back side, #2 would be just about straight across the top.





If you look up high in the first picture, there are knobs all along the mountain. It kind of drops off behind the knobs and there is old pasture, on up to the top in some places. The pasture is grown up, lots of sage grass, locust brush. That property has changed hands recently, but all together one family owned about 1,100 acres. The line of trees at the bottom is along the river.

The other picture is looking south. The bobcat has been over everything you see in those pictures, plus another 3 or so miles on south.

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#26661 - 05/10/19 10:21 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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The blue dots on this picture are the locations of my 4 cameras. The blue circle on the left is where another guy has his cameras. The man works for the DOH, he was telling me that he'd dumped out some deer carcasses and had a guy trapping for coyotes on his property. That was back in January and February, he said the coyotes had moved out, far as I know the man didn't catch anything. But they did get pictures of Clark, it's the only bobcat in this area with a collar. He said the eagles cleaned up the deer.



Notice his trail east of the river, I'd say he crossed the bridge that goes over to the King's place. As well as I can tell, it looks like he spent 2 or 3 days on Little Mountain and over in Stoney Run, and then headed back home. I guess the bobcat doesn't know it, but it would have been quicker for him to get home, if he'd just dropped off of Little Mountain and crossed the state road bridge. Straight across from the end of his loop. But there are several houses at the end of the bridge, notice the little dimple, he's doing a good job avoiding people.

That's kind of interesting, seems like he wants to keep his feet dry. There are lots of places along the stream where my dog can walk across the river, when the water is low/normal, but she's taller than a 20 pound bobcat.

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#26662 - 05/10/19 10:38 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Notice the pink line, that's the area "blocked" with houses, dogs, livestock and people. Another thing that I don't understand is why the bobcat hasn't been in the red box area. That's over a mile of river line, and until March there was standing corn in the one field. The only thing blocking that area is the public road.


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#26663 - 05/10/19 02:21 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
FLSH ETR Online   content
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Registered: 12/29/04
Posts: 1195
Loc: Cudahy, Wisconsin,USA
How did that cat get across the river, and what was he sniffin' for? Probably never heard that curiosity KO'd the feline. And the red area- maybe too flat for too large, and not enough ridges/cliffs?? I guess if we had all the answers, his pelt would already be on someone's stretcher! grin

Frank.
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#26664 - 05/10/19 05:38 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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The bridges are in the orange circles.


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#26665 - 05/11/19 12:39 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Go back and look at the picture I posted on 2/12/19, it's not cluttered up as bad. The river is near the bottom of the screen, at the base of Little Mtn. Our rivers flow north, in that picture the water flows from left to right. Follow the river down where it makes a hard left, about 1/2 mile from there is the state road bridge.

Notice the straight section of highway on downstream, that's where I took the 2 pictures I posted yesterday or the day before?

If you look at the same picture, near the bottom left, you'll find 4 hay fields, they look almost square from the air. They are split down the middle east to west, and there is a ditch that cuts them at like a 45, from the bottom left. Those fields are on the King's property, and about 200 yards from camera #4.

When you leave the main road going to the King's house, you cross 2 privately owned bridges. The bridges are only 25 yards apart, but the river splits and there is a small island. I guess there are about 5 families that use the bridges daily.

You'll notice the area that I marked off in the "red box", it is pretty much level ground, crop fields and pasture. But I'd think the section of brush between the fields and the river would be ideal small game hunting.

The pink dots are houses. The red spot on the road is where I took the pictures the other day. The dotted yellow line would have been the quickest way for the bobcat to get home. At 2 O'clock in the morning, he'd been able to cross the bridge, sneak down the river 150 yards and been good to go.




Edited by redsnow (05/11/19 11:44 AM)

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#26668 - 05/18/19 10:52 AM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Here's a picture of the north end of Little Mountain, you're looking at the west side. My opinion, the bobcat crossed the bridges, about 100 yards behind where I took this picture. There are 2 roads on Little Mtn, the black lines, a top and bottom road.

There's a road to the left of me that follows the river. As well as I can tell the bobcat spent about 3 days east of the river. But he crossed the top of Little Mtn, and more or less backtracked himself. If you look at the maps above, he was north of the state road bridge, straight off the mountain would have been it's closest route home.

Each one of the "dots" or way-points are 4 hours apart. I counted at least 15, so 60 hours. Seems like there was hesitation around the bridges, seems like he kind of stopped didn't go anywhere. Maybe a vehicle crossed the bridges while he was in the area? Who knows?


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#26680 - 05/31/19 05:13 PM Re: GPS Bobcat study. [Re: redsnow]
redsnow Online   content
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Here's another update on Clark's movements.


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