Didn't even begin to use my calls either! Had Does feeding about 25yds away from me this AM. They'd occasionally lookup with alert, probably when my scent might go their direction (the wind sure seemed to be blowing from them to me though, or the sound of my breathing perhaps? My lungs are clogged with "lung-butter" at the moment, so wondered if they heard that when I breathed. Anyhoo they'd look up.. and be looking right in my direction! But the 3D Leafy suit just kept working like a charm! They eventually choose to move along and feed on over to another clump of oaks not far way. Figured I'd see them when I leave in the PM. Sure enough... they'd only gone like maybe 76yard further down the line.
Anyhoo, I'm waiting now between 2p and 3:30p for this spot to move back into shade. Its like 85F so it's barely doable, so I'm just trying to hangout and wait. Well... about 2:30pm... from the same bushes the Does crept in from... I see something little making it way on in! Then I see the tail! OH Wow... Ok Cool it's a Bobcat! Had figured I was going to begin calling for them in the PM, Now I didn't even have to! I'm watching him exit those bushes, and he makes his way to the tree I normally strap the TrailCam onto. So I hurry to stand-up from my chair so I can see him a bit better with all the dried grasses there are now. At first the 223 Rem. is at the lowest magnification, which is the 2 of the 2-7x. I raise up on him... hrmm.. can't make him out behind the grasses, (even though I can see him outside of the scope) better bump it up to 4x. Gotta re-find him with my eyes, then Ok, I'm on him again in the scope. He'd passed behind that TrailCamera tree so I had opportunity to get a bead on him. BOOM! Ah man!!! Dang It!!! I'd forgotten how when you're that close to the target ya gotta remember about how the scope is 1.5" above the barrel, so it misses! Cat leaps forward... turns to view the plume of dust from the ground, THEN turns to look where it might have come from. Turns to looks RIGHT AT ME!! But thanks to the 3D LEAFY GEAR and freezing for a second, TOTALLY DOES NOT SE ME! I have to watch and wait for the cat to either look down now or go behind a tree to be able to slooooowly extract the spent round and jack in a new one....oh sweet!... he changed direction and now went behind that tree again! Hehe MISTAKE!! I uber slowly jack the next round in so no noise. He steps out from behind that tree again, this time I'm reminding myself "Gotta aim the 1.5 higher G!!" BOOM!!!! Spine shot, a lil behind the scapulas. He immediately drops, and drops out of view within the grasses. I hold... waiting to see if he'll bolt or anything. Ok...cool.. not getting up. I go over there, his nerves are on auto-pilot and he's like gasping for breath every few seconds (though lungs not filling up with air) and the tips of the paws are acting like they'd be trying to run away. He does this a few more seconds (the chest not rising). I'm seeing all those teeth and I'm like NOPE! I ain't pickin' him up until I can touch his eye with rifle and no more reaction happens. Touched 1st time... yet another gasp re-action, with an angry-pissed-off scowl to the cheeks! Wait a few more seconds...Ok... touched his eyeball... finally no reaction. Carefully reach down... pull back on his hind legs a lil bit... observe/assess? Ok cool.... he's down! Pictures, gut him, then hurry up and pack-up everything back into the pack. AS I start making my way back outta there along my typical exit trail... sure enough... I bump those two Does from earlier. Makes me smile
. Was almost able to arrive at the truck before light finally gave out.
And this is what he looked like when I walked up to him. (I know HATCHET is fond of those shots!)
Like I said... Almost made it back to truck before nightfall...
Anyhoo, I'm waiting now between 2p and 3:30p for this spot to move back into shade. Its like 85F so it's barely doable, so I'm just trying to hangout and wait. Well... about 2:30pm... from the same bushes the Does crept in from... I see something little making it way on in! Then I see the tail! OH Wow... Ok Cool it's a Bobcat! Had figured I was going to begin calling for them in the PM, Now I didn't even have to! I'm watching him exit those bushes, and he makes his way to the tree I normally strap the TrailCam onto. So I hurry to stand-up from my chair so I can see him a bit better with all the dried grasses there are now. At first the 223 Rem. is at the lowest magnification, which is the 2 of the 2-7x. I raise up on him... hrmm.. can't make him out behind the grasses, (even though I can see him outside of the scope) better bump it up to 4x. Gotta re-find him with my eyes, then Ok, I'm on him again in the scope. He'd passed behind that TrailCamera tree so I had opportunity to get a bead on him. BOOM! Ah man!!! Dang It!!! I'd forgotten how when you're that close to the target ya gotta remember about how the scope is 1.5" above the barrel, so it misses! Cat leaps forward... turns to view the plume of dust from the ground, THEN turns to look where it might have come from. Turns to looks RIGHT AT ME!! But thanks to the 3D LEAFY GEAR and freezing for a second, TOTALLY DOES NOT SE ME! I have to watch and wait for the cat to either look down now or go behind a tree to be able to slooooowly extract the spent round and jack in a new one....oh sweet!... he changed direction and now went behind that tree again! Hehe MISTAKE!! I uber slowly jack the next round in so no noise. He steps out from behind that tree again, this time I'm reminding myself "Gotta aim the 1.5 higher G!!" BOOM!!!! Spine shot, a lil behind the scapulas. He immediately drops, and drops out of view within the grasses. I hold... waiting to see if he'll bolt or anything. Ok...cool.. not getting up. I go over there, his nerves are on auto-pilot and he's like gasping for breath every few seconds (though lungs not filling up with air) and the tips of the paws are acting like they'd be trying to run away. He does this a few more seconds (the chest not rising). I'm seeing all those teeth and I'm like NOPE! I ain't pickin' him up until I can touch his eye with rifle and no more reaction happens. Touched 1st time... yet another gasp re-action, with an angry-pissed-off scowl to the cheeks! Wait a few more seconds...Ok... touched his eyeball... finally no reaction. Carefully reach down... pull back on his hind legs a lil bit... observe/assess? Ok cool.... he's down! Pictures, gut him, then hurry up and pack-up everything back into the pack. AS I start making my way back outta there along my typical exit trail... sure enough... I bump those two Does from earlier. Makes me smile
. Was almost able to arrive at the truck before light finally gave out.And this is what he looked like when I walked up to him. (I know HATCHET is fond of those shots!)
Like I said... Almost made it back to truck before nightfall...
Last edited:
