Bob Cat

Absolutely gorgeous. Now that is a handsome animal :)

I am think that this is a male. Recently a bob kitten had been spotted too. The setting is riparian ,with lots of squirrels,rabbits,deer and turkey. As soon as you enter this area,you can tell that you are in bob cat country due to the strong odor of urine and other territorial markings. Bob cat and coyote prints are common here along with coyote fur!!
Bob cats usually catch a prey and then bury the remaining to use later.
The smell is obvious!!

Gary ,thanks so much. The directions to the owl are great. I am 8 hrs awy from Bolsa chica. I might revisit. Not sure when though!

Thnx for the insight Selma.

thanks Lucia and finib 2.
finib, i saw this in the foothills where there is an abundance of deer and squirrels.I saw this one at about 2 pm . That is when they start becoming active, It looked quite sleepy then. These are crepuscular.

Thank you so much, Reza .

Beauty !

Thnx :)

The drought and the fire has pushed these creatures more towards Castle rock. If you want to see any , Jellis,this might be the time. The Mountain lion and the other predators are very interested in the fawns which are born during this time.

air horn is a good idea. I prefer that to a stun gun or a pocket knife which some hikers carry. Though hopefully none of it will ever be needed!

I hear about the pepper spray but I rather use air horn since I don't want it close enough I would have to use pepper spray.

I carry a small Air Horn can. Ace Hardware sometimes stock them. Great for mountain lions since it makes a loud noise for a small can. So far I hadn't needed it. Also great for calling for help.

Yes mountain lions (cougars ) too.Elusive though.

I have seen Black Bears when I am hiking and usually hike with someone else, but if I am going to be alone, say when I am camping, I carry a can of bear spray sometimes. But we have Black Bears visit our garden and bush where we live every year - they should be around soon now - and we just have to be careful and sing when we are outside. We also have bear bangers which we have had to shoot off to clear them away from the areas where the kids play, and I had to scare one away when it came between me and our house one time when I was out gardening alone. But I prefer bears to cougars (mountain lions). Did you say you have both Bobcat and mountain lion near you? They are around here too and we do hear reports of them each year, but I have never seen one on our property.

Thank you so much Kathleen. I remeber you had seen black bears once? How do you feel about hiking now? :)

Exciting spotting, Hema!

this is a trail near Northgate High School.Did yo know that a mountail lion was sighted on May 2014 on Shell ridge?There are at least 4 mountain lion dens ,Maybe the rangers are not allowed to reveal those.
I was tracking this bob cat. A few days ago , i had seen deer tracks followed by bob cat tracks. my hunch was correct. Here it was!!

Nice capture on this too.

Were you at Shell Ridge or what part of Mt Diablo. I was on Regency Trail on Sat.

Thank you all :)

So true Antonio.

Immediately protect children and pets
Back away from the bobcat slowly and deliberately
Avoid running away because that could trigger a pursuit response
If possible, spray the animal with water
When possible make a lot of noise (banging pans, for instance, or blowing an air horn)
http://www.desertusa.com/animals/bobcat-...

Iam with you ,i would have the same feeling,risk is not my business:-) imagine a cat with their sizes,is not dangerous,it's mortal,very "strong" wild encounter

Thank you for stopping by on this page. If you ask me now,"Do you want to see a mountain Lion in the wild?" My answer is "No" not when i am alone atleast! These beasts are powerful and overwhelming!

Hema :-) this is a "enormous" spotting,wow!I imagine the trill,this is realy a WILD animal,and he is looking strigth in your eyes,beautiful and powerfull,congrats on the good work and thanks for sharing your awesome and super interesting spotting page